Event: Zoom Talk with Nicole Wiksten, Speech-Language Pathologist

Date: April 22, 2020

Type of event: Professional Development 

I am currently a Spanish major, because I love learning Spanish, but I don’t know what I want to do in my life. I am considering a couple different paths, and one of them is to potentially become a speech-pathologist. I am in the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) group chat at OSU and they’ve had a couple of zoom meetings that I have attended. The most recent event was with Nicole Wiksten, a speech-language pathologist at the Ohio State University Medical Center. She spoke about her job and provided information about what a speech-language pathologist (SLP) can do. Hearing her talk about her job was very interesting and insightful. 

The bulk of what Wiksten spoke about was the current climate with COVID-19. Her job currently consists of some work from home, but also in-person work with hospital patients. Wiksten specializes in swallowing, so her patients need her to show up and provide face-to-face care. She had some great insight into the inner workings of a hospital during this time of a pandemic. She explained how the masks and plastic eye coverings can protect your mucus membranes from being exposed to the virus. She feels protected with the resources they have for her at the hospital. One other interesting point she made was about using her phone. She feels most comfortable using her personal cell phone in the hospital, rather than the ones for the medical professionals to use because she doesn’t know whose faces have been close to the receiver that you have to hold near your face. Then, because she exposes her phone to the hospital environment, she has a device in her car that she says looks like a tanning bed for her phone. This device uses UV light to destroy any potentially harmful germs that could have gotten on her phone. 

Hearing Nicole Wiksten speak was great insight to a potential career for me. It was fascinating to hear how her job has changed due to COVID-19. While I hope to never have to be forced to adapt as drastically as she has had to in her career, I do hope to be as adept in my field as her once I am an established professional. I hope to speak with Wiksten again soon if speech-language pathology is the path I choose to take.

Middlebury Institute of International Studies Webinar

Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 7pm

Attending the information session about the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) was very interesting! The purpose of the event was to learn about their graduate degrees related to languages. I found out about the event because of an email sent out to all the Spanish majors. There was a presentation by Samantha Quintell-Lenzi who is a graduate from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese here at Ohio State as well as the assistant director of global recruiting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Her presentation essentially showcased the different degrees that she thought we might find interesting or beneficial as language learners. 

One degree that she highlighted the most was the master of arts in international education management. This degree was particularly fascinating because it allows you to take classes in your target language and focuses on cultural competency. At MIIS they prioritize real-world experience and being prepared for a career.
This information session was incredibly fascinating and beneficial to hear. I would have never heard of MIIS without it. Now, I will be keeping in mind some aspects of graduate school that I want to prioritize when I am searching for where to attend. I appreciate how they highlight the need to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers and the importance of cultural competency. 

This presentation connects to our topic of international affairs so deeply. The school has many different course options that each relate to the connection between the U.S. and other cultures and countries. Understanding what MIIS has to offer is a great takeaway that I will surely share with friends pursuing careers that might be well supported by a masters program at MIIS.

Fulbright US Student Program Information Session

March 19th, 2021

I attended the information session about the Fulbright Program because I had heard about it from many people, but didn’t exactly know what it was. You can apply for a Fulbright grant as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) or for study/research. After I earn my bachelor’s degree, because you need one by the time the grant begins, I would consider applying for an ETA position in a Spanish-speaking country. It sounds like such a fantastic opportunity to live abroad and participate in a well-regarded program. Fulbright awards 1900 grants in all fields of study and operates in more than 140 countries. If I were to receive a grant it would provide roughly one year abroad to teach English. 

Through Fulbright, I would have the opportunity to meet, work, live with, and learn from people of my country. Sharing daily experiences with these people would increase my cultural competence and make me a more well-rounded world citizen.As an ETA I would provide assistance to local English teachers. As I would help teach English, I would serve as a cultural ambassador for the US. Many ETAs teach American culture to advanced English speakers. 

The information session provided helpful information on being a competitive applicant. A strong applicant might study languages, education, international relations, or even political science. If the applicant has teaching experience, mentoring, tutoring, or classroom setting that can be a plus. Even though some countries may view GPA differently, having a 3.0+ grade point average can be beneficial.

This program is well connected to international affairs as it introduces and creates a liaison between Americans and those in other countries. Opening American citizens’ eyes to life in different parts of the world fosters greater understanding and communications between people of different cultures. The Fulbright Program enhances intercultural relations and seems like a great choice for after undergrad. 

COMPAS Panel: Who’s Essential? The Ethics of COVID Variation

Posted on YouTube February 8th, 2021

Attending the COMPAS Panel event titled Who’s Essential? The Ethics of COVID Vaccination was a fascinating experience that I learned a lot from. COMPAS stands for Conversations On Morality, Politics, And Society and I might even attend or watch more of the conversations because they are incredibly relevant and insightful to how the COVID-19 pandemic is being handled today. 

While the two panelists focused mainly on the United States’ vaccination rollout, they acknowledged that these same conversations are happening around the world. Within different countries and between different countries and distributors is a conversation about how to distribute the vaccines equitably. This talk provided great insight to how these choices are made in terms of international affairs, which is perfect for the scope of my International Affairs Scholars Program.

The two panelists were Anne Barnhill and Govind Persad. They each gave a presentation and answered questions. Persad’s comments about aligning benefit and equity were what I found most interesting about his presentation. 

Barnhill elaborated on how the choices of allocation of scarce medical resources are made. First, ethical goals are made. In the case of COVID, the two goals were to maximize the good/promote the common good and treat people fairly/promote equity. From these goals she elaborated on how people like her go from these ethical goals toward identifying a list of priority groups. 

This panel was so insightful, yet also made me confused. I felt that the way the state of Ohio followed through with vaccine roll out was not the way I would have done it. It would be interesting to do some more research into how Ohio made it’s decisions about vaccine allocation. 

International Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic

April 22, 2020

This panel was incredibly insightful to listen to. There were a number of different people from all over the world who spoke on what the lock down situation is like in their country. It was interesting to hear about the level of precaution each country or “state” was taking. Compared to some of the people who spoke I felt like we were lucky in Ohio to have the governor being so strict to some other places. I know that other countries are in a stricter lock down than we are, but it also seems difficult because a lot of people seem against some precautions.

In my opinion, this conversation exemplifies the epitome of what international affairs can be: honest communication fostering understanding. It was so great to have the opportunity to hear from so many different regions of the world. The pandemic is not only affecting the US, but also every other nation. I wouldn’t normally be in communication with people from places like France and China, so being afforded the opportunity to hear their perspectives was really valuable to me. 

My relationship with the pandemic thus far is rooted in confusion, fear, and anxiety. My grandmother recently tested positive for COVID-19 and it has been a scary few weeks. She seems to be doing just fine. It’s strange because she’s not young and has an autoimmune disease that affects her lungs; shouldn’t she be extremely ill? I don’t know how to feel when I’m out on a walk and I feel anxious when I encounter people. It’s all confusing for me because part of me just wishes we could do some sort of intense lock down for a couple weeks or a month and have it all be over with. That doesn’t seem possible here in the US with some of the different perspectives on the pandemic, but I just hope it can be handled and gotten under control soon.

Event: Career Building Workshop – Global Resumes 

Location: Hagerty Hall 160

Date: Thursday, February 6th

Type of event: Professional Development 

When I signed up for this event I didn’t really know what to expect. It turned out to be a workshop in more of an educational sense to educate about a global resume. By adding a “Global Profile” section one can make a resume much more appealing to employers, especially if in search of a job or internship that has a global connection. Because I am studying Spanish and may want to incorporate it into my career or highlight it in my resume, this workshop taught me some pretty interesting things. Biggest piece of information about typical resumes that I learned was that people don’t traditionally include references on resumes and that might be something to bring to an interview. I also was presented with the idea about resumes in other countries, which is something I hadn’t thought about before. At Ohio State we actually have a subscription to GoinGlobal, which is one example of how this workshop was a great experience and connects to my International Affairs Scholars program very well. GoinGlobal can be really helpful for people considering finding work abroad. This workshop was able to teach people how to highlight their international connections and accomplishments so that they may be able to then pursue employment that incorporates international interactions or that has an international impact and I’m really glad that I went to it and was able to learn!

Event: Lunar New Year Celebration

Location: Global Gallery of Hagerty Hall

Date: Monday, February 3rd

Type of event: Campus

Today I swung by Hagerty Hall to try to experience some of the Lunar New Year Celebration and even though I didn’t learn much about the celebrations and cultures, I did learn about planning. I thought that because I saw on the website that it ended at 2:00, that I would be fine to pop by and check it out. For the future, I plan to actually read websites and check to see if there is any itinerary or schedule of events so that I know what is actually happening at an event that’s listed on carmen. 

When I showed up, there were men packing up things that were on tables and decorations. I assumed it was over so I was about to leave when I saw Sean. We were both looking for the same thing, so we ended up talking to one of the men packing things up. This ended up being a pretty cool little experience because we were talking to Minru Li, one of the event coordinators. We were then led to his office and got to talk about what had happened at the event that we had missed and looked at posters about Chinese in Columbus: A History. One thing I learned from talking with Minru Li is that the lunar calendar is not used only by the Chinese, which is why in the itinerary that he showed us there is a Japanese Kimono Demo. 

Even though I was able to learn from talking with Minru Li, next year I plan to pay more attention to details and remember this event so that I can enjoy the different exhibits, ceremonies, demos, and performances.

Event: STEP Expo

Location: Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom – Ohio Union

Date: Wednesday, November 20th

Type of event: Academic

Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

This student used her funds towards her study abroad experience in Seville, Spain. What was particularly interesting and exciting about stumbling upon this poster is that I have already planned to do the exact same program during the Spring of my sophomore year. She was able to use the STEP funds to support her trip so that she was able to learn a lot of Spanish and learn about the Spanish culture in the south of Spain. Programs like these are importantly related to IA because they are a method of fostering positive relationships across nations.

Sant’Anna Institute Internship Program in Sorrento, Italy

This student used her funds towards a ten week internship program that combined workplace learning with classroom-based studying. I found this poster very interesting because I am considering an Italian minor, so I could potentially participate in this program and take language or culture classes while I’m there to receive credit towards a minor. I will definitely look into and consider this program. This program connects to IA in that it encourages students, particularly those who may not have time for a semester abroad, to learn about other parts of the world while still taking classes and gaining real-world experience.

Study Abroad in Florence, Italy

This student used her STEP funds towards a summer study abroad program in Italy. However, unlike the previous poster, this student took advantage of this summer program to take classes not necessarily related to what she was studying at OSU. Because she is a nursing major, this student took the opportunity to study abroad to study something unique that she didn’t have time for during her traditional semesters. Her experience sounded very beneficial for her and I would definitely consider an experience similar to hers. Our scholars program in particular would greatly encourage a study abroad program like this that encourages traveling and new experiences.

Summer Internship at the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

This student supported his internship with the help of STEP. He had a particularly transformational experience that helped him solidify the thought of what he wants to do in the future. My favorite part about talking to him was that I got to tell him about CRIS and what I do as a mentor. He is looking for another experience similar to his internship but in the Columbus area, so I was able to share my knowledge with him. I would consider doing an internship, but probably not in the same area as this student because it doesn’t quite align with a career that I’m looking into. This project is extremely important to IA because immigration is a vital part to our world’s society and economy.

Service Learning & Community Service: The Puerto Rico Service Trip

This student originally wanted to use her funds towards an internship, but ended up going to Puerto Rico on a service trip! She loved her experience and advised to the group of us that were listening to her to not have just one expectation for how to use STEP because there are so many great opportunities. Even though a trip like this isn’t high on my priority list, I would consider doing a similar project because it excites me and seems like a very positive experience. This project relates to IA in that it fosters positive relationships between different parts of the world.

Event: Volunteering at Van Buren Shelter

Location: Van Buren Shelter

Date: Monday, November 11th

Type of event: Service

This past Monday I took part in a service trip to the Van Buren Shelter. This trip was put on by Pay it Forward. Honestly, I don’t know what Pay it Forward is, but I’m fairly certain that they just offer volunteer opportunities. I found out about the trip because of my IA classmate Max. He sent the link about the opportunity in a group chat and I liked the sound of it, so I signed up!

I’m truly glad I went to the shelter. There, we spent our time working with eh soup kitchen. This is where the guests receive their meals. As volunteers, we first spent time cleaning and sanitizing before the guests were to show up. One kid made a comment about how you could tell which kids had held a job before (like at McDonald’s) and who hadn’t because some of the volunteers were not the best cleaners. I did my best at cleaning and once the guests were there I walked around the cafeteria and offered them cheddar sun chips. There were also garden salsa and original flavors, but my chips were the fan favorite. I was glad about this because it kept me busy and I got to interact with a lot of guests.

I was able to make these womens’ days. I was able to help provide them a basic right and necessity to life and seeing and hearing the gratitude from the ladies was awesome. Even though their situations may not have been the best, the majority of them were still kind and appreciative. I even got to have mini conversations with some of the ladies. This was important to me because putting faces to food insecurity problems makes them more real. Being in IA pushes me to find interactions like these and I think I am most thankful to IA for that. While it may have been a sad time to realize that not everyone has the opportunity to just eat whenever they want, I’m proud of myself to have taken even just a small part in this volunteer opportunity. I hope that more people throughout the university participate in opportunities like this not just because it feels good, but because people need to see these societal challenges first-hand and the guests at Van Buren benefit from our help.

Event: IHF Trophy 

Where: Montreal

Date: 10/14/19-10/20/19

I missed a week of classes. While it was rough trying to catch up and make up work from all that I had missed, it was for a pretty cool reason. I went to the involvement fair at the beginning of the year because I’m an eager-to-get-involved freshman. Encountering the Men’s Team Handball Club booth was the first step. They told me that they wanted to start a women’s team, which seemed promising. Because handball sounded like a fun sport to try out, I went to the introduction practices they held. There, I met JD. He’s the coach and I think he’s the best. He’s extremely dedicated to the sport and the players and with a calm, kind, and intelligent demeanor, I think he makes a great coach. During my first few experiences playing handball, I had a blast! That’s why I kept going back and with a few other girls decided to found the Women’s Team Handball Club at The Ohio State University. I was voted to be the Vice President of the team and have been trying to get more players ever since!

What does this have to do with missing a week of classes during my first semester in college? I missed that week because of handball, of course! JD has connections and because clubs like the one we founded here and others at schools like Penn State and West Point have been popping up, the Team USA handball people decided to have a Junior Women’s National Team for the first time in a few years. A few other girls in our club and I were invited to play on Team USA against other teams in the international competition, so we took the offer. We spent a week in Montreal representing our nation and playing tons of handball. It was an amazing learning experience.

Being a global learner (I received my International Baccalaureate Diploma in high school and I am an International Affairs Scholar at Ohio State), I found this opportunity particularly exciting. We were surrounded by people on the streets of Montreal speaking French and all the signs were in French. It was very different from my other traveling experiences because I have only been to Spanish speaking countries. I played against girls from a number of different countries who spoke different languages. During this experience I realized how important it can be to foster face to face relationships with people of other countries. In the future, I hope to have more interactions with people of different nationalities, and hopefully in their home countries!