1.) My STEP Signature Project was a non-profit consulting trip through Fisher to support the Huay Pakkoot Elephant Foundation near Chiang Mai, Thailand. Through this program, I worked on tangible digital marketing, mostly through Instagram and their website, to promote the foundation’s homestays and offerings.

2.) This trip completely changed my outlook on myself and transformed how I view people around the world. I genuinely believe that this has been one of the most impactful experiences in my life. The accommodations we stayed in were modest to say the least. In the village where I stayed, the electricity and water went out often. There was no accessible WiFi or convenience store within a one-hour radius. With that being said, we were so spoiled compared to the villagers who lived there; I am pretty sure our accommodation in the village was the only place with a running toilet and shower water. It was so interesting watching these people live their lives so beautifully, even without the “Western accommodations” that we take for granted every day.

3.) Two specific moments from this trip stick out to me as the most impactful and memorable. The first was our first hike to take data on the gibbons in the forests of Northern Thailand. I had actually seen gibbons about a week before that at the Columbus Zoo. They were cool, but nothing anything particularly fascinating at the time.

I didn’t know what to expect on the gibbon hike. We sat on the side of a mountain for about 30 minutes before we started to hear them call. I would have never guessed that that sound would have come from an ape, it sounded more like an interesting bird call. About 5 minutes after that, I saw movement in the trees, and then a small brown primate face flinging himself in the tops of the trees. I felt like a little kid. I don’t think I have been so excited about something since I was seven years old on Christmas morning. I pointed him out to the program coordinator, and we both started laughing. It was the coolest thing.

The second impactful moment I had on this trip wasn’t on the trip itinerary. It is interesting how sometimes the small, day-to-day moments have such a big impact. On this day, we had just finished project group work and I went to grab a smoothie with some of the other participants. While at the shop I saw a little boy across the street looking at us with a plastic bowl on his head and playing in the dirt with a straw. I walked outside, and he ran up, took off his bowl hat, and gave it to me along with a string he found on the road. We played “cooking” (I think?) for a while before he started giggling and chasing me around. He was the happiest kid I’ve ever seen. His toys were a bowl, a straw, and a string. The moment just really allowed me to reflect on my own life and consumption of “things”. I feel like I typically play this never-ending game with myself that says, “If I have this, I’ll be happy,” which never ends up being fulfilling. The kids, and the people, in the village, were so inspiring.

4.) I have always been passionate about helping others, even if it came at my own expense. That probably sounds cliché, but it is the one thing that makes me feel fulfilled. When coming to Ohio State, and especially Fisher, I felt the need to go into some Big Four corporate company because that is what classes typically push, and that is what every student says they want to do. I always had an interest in non-profit, sustainable business, and/or social enterprise work, but the response I would always get was, “So you don’t want to make any money?” so I let the idea slip to the wayside. I am eternally grateful that I had this trip to experience possibilities of work beyond “Corporate America.” For the first time, I felt like I was surrounded by like-minded people who shared the same out-of-the-ordinary ideas that I have.

As a result of this trip, I am debating on adding an EEDs minor to focus on sustainability and conservation. This would add an extra semester of schooling, and I would never have thought about addingit before this trip, but I have discovered it and find it fascinating.