STEP Post-Reflection

1. I participated in the Sustainability and Social Justice in Ecuador study abroad program through the Office of International Affairs. In Ecuador, I explored the cities of Quito and Cuenca and interacted with groups with different identities to learn more about their experiences.

2. Through my STEP Signature Project, my understanding of myself was transformed. I gained greater insight into my limits. For example, I was able to gain more confidence in my ability to function independent of my family as I traveled abroad and alone for the first time. Also, I became more aware of my need to practice speaking Spanish. Finally, my view of the world was changed as I became more aware of my limited view of the world. I learned that there are various identities that exist outside of the United States and that these identities affect people’s experiences. This greater awareness of my limits would not have happened without my STEP Signature Project.

3. I gained more confidence in my ability to function independently. Before the Sustainability and Social Justice in Ecuador program, I had never traveled internationally. Additionally, I had never flown without my family. Therefore, I was nervous about flying by myself to Ecuador. Nevertheless, I made it safely to and back from Ecuador without any incidents. Because of this success, I am now more confident that I function as an adult and make decisions without as much guidance from my family.

I also became more aware of my limited ability to speak Spanish. Because of my Spanish minor I must take multiple Spanish classes to practice reading, speaking, writing, and listening to the language. My time in Ecuador allowed me to gain more awareness of my ability to do these skills, especially speaking and listening as I conversed with the people who lived there and my host family. Even when I understood what others were saying, I struggled responding to them in Spanish, especially with my host family. I realized that I need to practice speaking Spanish so that I can have a greater mastery of the language.

Finally, I became more aware of my limited worldview. In Ecuador, we interacted with various indigenous and women’s groups. We also explored different cultures by visiting museums, exploring the cities, and trying new foods. Through these various activities, I became more aware of the different identities that exist outside of the United States. I better understand that I will never know all the different identities that exist in the world; nevertheless, I can be more aware of and open to learning about different identities when presented with the opportunity.

4. My greater awareness of my personal and worldview limits will allow me to better prepare for my professional goal of being an occupational therapist. While I will work as part of a team with other occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapist among other health professionals, there will be decisions that I ultimately will have to make independently. My time traveling alone has given me more confidence in my ability to make decisions independently; I will use this confidence as I make decisions as an occupational therapist. My awareness of my limited ability to speak Spanish will drive me to practice. I will be able to use my advanced Spanish speaking skills to interact with patients who do not speak English. Finally, my greater awareness of my limited perspective of the world will allow me to be more aware that my patients will come from a variety of backgrounds. This understanding will allow me to create patient plans that take the patient’s various experiences and identities into account and help them in the best way possible. My experience with my STEP Signature Project will allow me to succeed professionally as an occupational therapist.

Engineering Service Learning in Guyana

  1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.

 

For my step project, I had traveled to Georgetown, Guyana, South America, for 10 days. I have learned a good amount of information pertaining to the Guyanaese people, and tried to figure out the best ways that we could help establish power in some Amer-Indian communities. 

 

  1. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place. 

 

Traveling in general always opens your mind up to different people, however this Guyana trip really made me understand the importance of checks and balances in government. When the government is corrupt, it ends up halting the progress of the entire nation. One thing that is apparent in Guyana is that the wealth isn’t distributed at all. Those in high government positions has illustrious housing, and regular folks there rarely have electric and plumbing. 

 

We had the great opportunity to travel with Professor Kadri Paris, who is a fantastic professor, and clearly a strong supporter for the furtherment and progress of the Guyanese people. Seeing his clear love and want to great a better future of the people of Guyana, it was awe-inspiring. Professor Adithya was also a great inspiration because growing up in India, he could attest to a similar upbringing. Both of the Professors showed us that even though there was not a lot of economic activity happening, that didn’t stop people from working and putting their best food forward.

 

  1. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation. 

 

Most of the trip was dedicated to learning as much about Guyanese culture as possible. The three aspects of the trip that I think best summarize my experience was our stay in the middle of Georgetown, our travel to the Amerindian villages, and traveling across the world’s second largest floating bridge. These events helped with changing my views of the world, because they specifically made me think about why I thought the way I did. For instance, we stayed in the middle of Georgetown. Right in the hustle and bustle. While we were there, we got to experience the city, and just seeing how free and happy the people there were, without having the luxuries that seem like necessities that we have in the US. Specifically when talking about central heating and air, or going to Wal-Mart. Most of the people shop daily for there foods, and lots of people do not have plumbing. However, they are some of the most welcoming and hospitable people you could ever meet. They are very interested in sharing their culture, and just want to be respected as a people. 

 

Traveling to the Amerindian villages also changed my mind because it put in perspective how government initiatives may sound good on paper, but if not done correctly or maintained, it can leave more damage than good for the people that the programs were supposed to help. Specifically speaking, when discussing the merit of government funding in Guyana to support Amerindian villages by providing power for the villages, sounded good for publicity sake, but two to five years after the installation, none of the solar panels issued work, all of them in the villages were covered in moss, and the people in the villages do not even trust the rain water harvesting vates that were given to them, so they continue to drink from the river, which is very high in silt. Education is so vital and necessary, that visiting other cultures only validates the need for it, as well as a government that values it. 

 

  1. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.

 

This change is important to my life because this trip was something of a “change of pace” for me. I have been struggling with whether or not I want to continue my career path, and go into engineering. Seeing how this engineering focus trip, was specifically dedicated to advancing the lives of the Guyanese people, it became clear as day that I need to stay in engineering. Engineers provide solutions to everyday problems, as well as complicated ones. When engineers are put in positions of power, it is vital that they remember why they are needed in the world. Therefore, when I become an engineer, I want to go directly into humanitarian efforts, to better the world for those who are forgotten, or rendered as not worth the time. This trip has been an unforgettable experience, and made me realize the need for people who want to make the world a better place, are invaluable and very necessary.

Engineering Study Abroad to Guyana

My STEP Signature Project was a study abroad through OIA to the South American country of Guyana. Guyana recently struck oil, resulting in the challenge of allocating new money into projects that are best for the future of the country. From a civil engineering perspective, we hope to see investments into sustainable assets, such as renewable energy and transportation infrastructure. The overarching goals of our study abroad and proceeding, 3 credit-hour class, was to establish a relationship with the people of Guyana and to understand their current state and direction the best we can. In the process of both the class and the trip, we learned engineering skills, were introduced to the best ways to support communities outside of our own, and were exposed to Guyanese culture, philosophy, and cuisine.

 

Throughout the course of my experience of travelling to Guyana and in taking the proceeding class, it is safe to say that I learned a lot. Not only did I learn a considerable amount about humanitarian, civil, and electrical engineering, but I also learned a great deal about myself in the process. While there are many ways to help another community, there are distinct right and wrong ways to do it. There is a notion that any help is “good” help– this is not true, as resources and money may be allocated towards the wrong assets, resulting in a solution that, in the long run, may actually be detrimental to said community. This is usually due to one factor: not having enough information. Information about a community that differs from our own in law, philosophy, and culture is crucial to finding where the most help can be made– this is executed exclusively through communication. Communication is key in understanding, and holding this idea is the best way to find truly meaningful, impartial solutions in outside places on budgeted time. 

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to travel to a handful of other countries during my time, but none have been as personally impactful and my trip to Guyana. The people of Guyana, in their generous hospitality and deep understanding, and in addition to my travelling family of Ohio State affiliates, all helped me understand more about myself than any other group has in that amount of time. Not only did they help me further recognize my own identity and position within society, but they also showed me what true compassion and care was. Through this process, I was also introduced to new ideals regarding equality, personal integrity, as well as the current socio economic state of our country and the world as a whole. We are very fortunate here in the states, and are privileged in the ease of our lives, privileges due to psychological needs being met, as well as power being unjustly awarded to people that are no different from others that are institutionally disabled. It is our responsibility and joy as humans to empower one another, as we are all on the same team fighting for the same peaceful future: a future that includes all. There is power in diversity; diversity of ideas, diversity of people, diversity of life. This is not something that is always recognizable to everybody, so, again, it is our responsibility and joy to empower others through knowledge, care, and love.

 

There were very many people, interactions, relationships, and places that contributed to everything that I learned during my study abroad in Guyana. Most significant, was the relationship I cultivated with my course instructors Dr. Kadri Parris, Dr. Adithya Jayakumar, and Robert Decatur; all OSU faculty. I met Dr. Parris in my Fundamentals of Engineering class in the spring of 2018. Dr. Parris is originally from Guyana, and told us many stories about his life in and outside of Guyana throughout both classes I had with him. Kadri, Adithya, and Robert were among the most significant contributors to my learning experience, and I cannot thank them enough. They taught me how important the human condition is, and emphasized the responsibility and human joy of empowering other people. My relationships with them not only enhanced my understanding of empathy, altruism, communication, but also what it means to truly listen to and care for another person. It was also an important lesson to learn how to pass this knowledge onto other people– something I will proliferate with honor to make our world a better place for all. 

An especially special interaction we had in Guyana was with an elder man named Stafford Williams of the Lower Bonasika Amerindian Community. The community is on a small patch of land in isolation, 3 miles away from the nearest school and medical facility. During our meeting with Williams, he told us the ways in which his village was thriving and where there was room for improvement. He expressed that in addition to there being medical and education issues, the village also did not have electricity, and therefore very limited communication with the outside world. We saw this as the way that we could make the most significant difference. In having this conversation with Stafford Williams, I was not only able to witness the unexpected contentedness and connection to the natural world that the Lower Bonasikan (and seemingly all Guyanese) people had, but I was also able to see how what we had been taught in class directly applied to the situation at hand. We communicated with the people of a community, listened to what their personal goals were, and then had the opportunity to create a plan for how to help how to truly make a difference. It is our plan that next year we return to the village with equipment to set up a solar panel system and small, affordable radio tower so the village has better electrical functionalities and more effective communication with and information from the outside world. 

Not only did the instructors and people of Guyana have a profound impact on me, but my classmates, our travelling family, did as well. Through the guidance of our teachers, we cultivated a community of our own, consisting of some of my favorite people I’ve met during my time here at Ohio State. When you interact with the same people over the course of a semester and within the intimacy of another country, you are bound to learn a whole lot from one-another. Throughout our ongoing collaboration, these wonderful people gave me true support, helped me resolve some of my own issues, and helped me in developing truer understandings of love, friendship, community, care, and oneness. I am forever grateful for my Guyana family.

 

My study abroad trip to Guyana was not only extraordinary beneficial to me and my group, but also will be helpful to the rest of the world and the human condition as a whole. This trip was so meaningful to me because, among many reasons, I learned how I can be the most effective social weapon possible. I learned that the best way to push for social change, an inevitably slow process, is through the power of impartial solutions; through talking to one another. In society, the most effective way to move in a direction that works for everyone, to understand each other, of course, is to communicate with one another. That is why social integration is so important, and why places of supreme uniformity are likely going to contribute to toxic behaviors towards other groups of people. We are all the same, and when we are separated, we learn more about ourselves and not about others. There is immense power in diversity, and it is ensured that the best possible future includes all people. That is why it is so important to move forward in a direction–a first step, socially–in a way in which we all get comfortable with one-another.

This notion of social cohesion is something I wish to pursue in my future professional career as well as in my social life. There are immense socio economic imbalances in the world, in our country, and even more so, there exists great toxicity in the minds of isolated groups. The result of this toxicity, a reduction to the advancement of the human condition, contributes to said imbalances, and is the reason for everyday discrimination, racism, classism, and stereotyping. These social states are hugely detrimental to the future that includes all people and all power; a future with far less love than one without appropriate social integration. Within my career as a future civil engineer, I hope to first learn everything I can about the current socio economic state of my residing city, then, to be involved in as many ways as I can to disable institutions that are discriminatory, and to empower people that are pushed down by an unjust society. As explained, the best way to accomplish all of these goals is to talk with people: to share ideas; to spread peace, care, and love; to connect over our commonalities and appreciate our uniqueness. One love is the answer, and with everybody on the same page, we are sure to all live more peaceful, more fulfilling lives.