For my last IA event, I chose to watch the International Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic zoom meeting. I chose to attend this event because I have been trying to stay really up to date on the pandemic and thought it would be so interesting to hear about the experiences of people from around the world. I was really surprised to hear that the people in France didn’t think that their government did a good job in preparing, mostly because I haven’t really read that much into the situation in France. I was surprised to hear that their officials were minimizing how dangerous COVID-19 really was until right before they shut everything down which I think is similar to how our federal government and some state governments in the US have been reacting. Additionally, I know that I have been hearing how Germany has done a pretty good job at handling the crisis but what I did not realize is that while they have federal action, they also leave a lot of decisions up to the states to decide.

Something that I was previously aware of but didn’t have to face as much prior to COVID-19, was how unwilling Americans are to look out for one another and behave in accordance with the collective good. In the meeting, they talked about how there are protests here, people dying to go back to work, and people who are overall ignoring helpful policies like social distancing and mask wearing, For the people in the other countries, however, made it seem like no one gave it a second thought since it comes down to saving lives. This is something that frustrates me about living in the US because while our general principle of “freedom” is a good thing, people often interpret it in their own favor and don’t really care about how it might impact others.

I attended the viewing of Ice on Fire as a part of the environmental film series at the Chemistry building on January 28, 2020 at 7 pm. The film was about the nature of climate change as recently as mid 2019 and what some of the best scientists have observed (over a long time period) and what they predict will happen. The film also showed a wide variety of solutions that people around the globe have come up with to either take carbon from the atmosphere or generate clean energy altogether. This is pertinent to International Affairs because climate changes affects everyone across the entire globe. One of the scientists in the movie equated the rising levels of carbon in the atmosphere as putting furniture that is on fire in a house with all the doors/windows closed. I think this is a good metaphor for how this impacts the entire global community because the actions of those heavily contributing to climate change will have drastic impacts on everyone in the world, even the people and communities who don’t contribute to the crisis on a large scale. This reminded me of the sad reality that was mentioned in my Peace Studies class last fall that the poorest communities will feel the largest impacts of climate change and they won’t have to resources to combat the consequences. For example, a video we were shown during class depicted a man in a Middle Eastern country (I forget which one) who used to be a farmer but since they’ve had such intense droughts, joined a terrorist group for a time because it was able to provide him with an income for his family. While he did eventually end up leaving the group, these are the social circumstances that I can only imagine will become more frequent as people are strained in their environment. Although this is a more extreme example, it goes to show that desperate people can do desperate things in an effort to support their own family and I can’t even be too mad at that. Thriving will become less frequent and survival will be on the forefront of many people’s minds. The rich, however, will likely only face minimal consequences of climate change because they have the resources to find a safe place to live, clean water, and ample food.

This event inspired me to take some steps in my own life, no matter how small, to decrease my impact on climate change but also to let the people in charge know that their constituents care about the condition of the earth and will fight to protect it. This made me want to become more involved in political and community efforts to raise concerns to the people in power who can actually do something about it if enough people show that they care.

I attended the mural painting for CRIS on Sunday, October 27th from 1:00pm to 3:30pm. Although by the time I got there, most of the work was done, my job was largely to straighten up lines and fill in gaps wherever necessary. The quote “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible” by the Dali Lama was painted on the wall in bright colors and there were two other walls with trees on them to put leaves with words of encouragement on them for kids to take when they feel they need it. I think that artwork like this is really impactful in elementary schools because kids are constantly learning and growing so having meaningful quotes that inspire kindness on their walls can help them form positive attitudes towards one another. Being a part of this process (even as a small role) made me remember what it was like to be a kid and how small changes, like a new mural in the hallway or extra words of kindness, can really make all the difference in your attitude for the day. At one point, I helped one of the art teachers sort name cards for an upcoming art show at the school. I could see how many different backgrounds the names traditionally came from and I realized what a diverse school this must be. This relates to International Affairs because in that one school alone, there was such a vast amount of diversity to be found, which cultivates a social culture of respect of differences within the school. For the majority of my pre-college schooling, I really was not learning in a diverse environment so I cannot even begin to imagine the lifelong lessons these children will learn and the experiences they will gain from being surrounded by many cultures different from their own at such a young age. Children really are sponges of learning in their environments, so I would predict that they will grow up to be more tolerant adults in the future. Having the opportunity to help out CRIS was really awesome though, because I did not have time to be a mentor this semester but I was really excited to volunteer to paint this mural so I could be even the tiniest bit involved. I hope to become more involved with CRIS throughout the rest of my time at Ohio State so this was a good opportunity to start.

On Saturday, October 19, 2019, I attended the Día de los Muertos celebration which ultimately processed to Sullivan Hall where there was a dance performance and a pop-up art exhibit. The dance performance, called How Movement Moves: Dancing Across Borders, from West Africa to the Americas, was very interesting and  super unique to anything that I have ever experienced. The speaker explained to us how although the slaves who came to the Americas did not have any material belongings, they brought their culture which has since been heavily woven into the fabric of pop culture in the modern day United States, like jazz, blues, and certain styles of dance movements. At one point, she had the dancers show us how similar some African dance moves are to dance moves that we would recognize in America through hip hop. This was really interesting to me because they were way more similar than I would have ever imagined.

This relates to International Affairs because the entire dance performance and speech centered around how African culture and its impacts transcends its origination; just the title, “Dancing Across Borders”, is heavily tied to International Affairs. I feel like people tend to think of citizens of a country as relatively homogenous and consistent with whatever schema we have of that country, but the presence of African influence in America and its pop culture even so long after slaves from Africa were brought here, demonstrates how impactful and resistance to extinction that culture is. An example from my own life is that my family is Greek and we do many culturally Greek things, even though my closest relatives from the mainland were my great-grandparents. I know that this is true for many other Greek families in my community as well. I feel like this shows how culture does not have to be constricted to one area or concept.

I attended the Grad School Expo in the Ohio Union Ballroom on September 10th from about 1:15-1:45pm. I really wanted to attend this event because I am aiming to graduate in Spring 2021 so grad school decisions are something that I have to think about in my very near future. I feeling like if your major is something that is directly related to a career, like business or engineering, the grad school expo would have been helpful but since I am aiming to do psychology (or law, we’ll see), this was grouped in with a general “Arts and Sciences” table that lacked in-depth resources and knowledge that I had hoped to gain.

I’m hoping to graduate a year early because I can easily finish my major and both of my minors within a three year time frame and it would be really nice to save that extra year of tuition and to also get a head start on my life. However, my future is so open ended right now, so this adds some stress about what I really need to do to get to where I want to be, and even what it is exactly that I feel called upon to do. This expo was beneficial to me, though, because it definitely exposed all of my blind spots (apparently I have a lot) in relation to applying to grad school and what that all entails. It made me realize that I need to sit down with a career coach and get some general guidance about what to do and how to do it. Additionally, it made me realize how badly I need to attend both the fairs for psychology post-grad endeavors and law school later in the semester.

This expo also made me call into question if I want to take a year off in between undergrad and post grad to work, volunteer, travel, and/or whatever it is I feel compelled to do during that year so that I still have a chance to have fun and be young while also making myself more competitive to schools and enhancing personal growth. I definitely feel like I left the expo with way more questions than answers but I am glad about this because I would rather discover my questions and have the ability to get them answered now rather than discovering them at the last minute and not ever receiving proper answers.

One thing that I really wish the expo offered was general information on applying to grad schools and resources to help determine what programs would be best for you, since there are seemingly infinite amounts of options. For your K-12 years, you are constantly bombarded with so much information about college and how to apply but you really do have to deliberately seek out information in undergrad to get any answers at all. This has inspired me to become more actively involved in furthering my education and getting the answers that I need so that I can get to where I need to go by reaching out to people that I hope have answers and useful guidance.

For the Non-International Affairs event requirement, I attended a lecture, Vulnerable Voices- Childhood and Trauma, with Syd Velotta during the Hispanic and Lusophone Studies Symposium at 9:30 on Saturday, March 30th in Room 251 in Haggerty Hall. The lecture was called El Cuerpo del Niño Como un Registro del Terror: Niños Victima- Documento del Plan Condor with speaker Esteli Puente Baccar. The lecture was spoken in Spanish and while I could generally follow along, Syd did have to debrief me a little after the event since her Spanish is much better than mine. I thought this topic was really interesting because I feel like when it comes to global issues, people often forget about the children and what kind of impact that these intense, often traumatizing situations can have on them. As a psychology major who is considering becoming a clinical psychologist with a specialization in children, I think it is so importantly to take the needs of the children into account and offer them resources that the adults may often overlook. Even though they are the ones being impacted, civilians are some of the most often forgotten about people, especially children civilians since they cannot advocate for themselves.

El Plan Condor was a mission led by right-wing dictatorships in South America from the late 1960’s- 1980’s that sought to minimize terrorism, and communist influences, in South America. In order to do this, the governments would round up anyone they thought were speaking against them and put them into detention centers including children, many of whom were never found again. Esteli Puente Baccar discussed how during this obviously very turbulent time in South America, the children were impacted greatly seeing as so many went missing and were ultimately never found again even though they could not even have formed any political opinions at this time. I think this is a very scary matter that these children were ripped away from their homes and likely had to deal with horrible situations because the government decided that their parent’s actions made them guilty. When a government believes that it can have this kind of power to be judge, jury, and executioner is when all humanity walks straight out of the door.

This lecture impacted me greatly because I know in the United States, things are starting to get way out of hand with detaining people illegally crossing the border and deporting people and I feel like if people fail to exercise their power to speak out then it could become an even worse situation that we can no longer stop. If that would happen, then what kind of power do every day people have to stop it? This thought is terrifying to me because I know that, in history, governments have abused their power before and have put people into detention camps for not doing anything inherently wrong. What really makes me infuriated is the fact that the governments involved in Plan Condor took the children as well because they could not possibly be guilty of any crime. While I know the severity of the issues are different, it remind me of the immigrant children who have been separated from their families at the border and remain separated for prolonged periods of time and may never see their families again in some cases. It inspired me to become more impassioned for those children and to speak out for them since they cannot for themselves.

I attended the movie and Valentine’s Day card-making session on February 11 at 8:30 pm in the Smith basement to make cards for the middler schoolers at the Columbus Global Academy. This event impacted me because I did not previously realize how diverse the school population was in Columbus. We made cards with greetings from at least 6 different languages because all of those languages were represented in that school. As a person who went to a fairly not diverse high school, this really astounded me. I cannot even begin to imagine what kind of global education these students are getting in their classroom and all of the different cultures they must experience on a daily basis. I absolutely love experiencing new cultures and learning everything I can about the world so I would love to just sit in on one of their days and absorb as much as I can. This is so important for the students, though, because they are constantly being exposed to cultures other than their own which is likely going to make them better global citizens and approach the world respectfully so they can truly appreciate what it has to offer. I honestly think that every school should champion global citizenship and encourage diversity for the sake of learning because that is what fosters a mutual understanding between people on Earth and creates an atmosphere that is not based on fear or hate.

This event relates to International Affairs because we were making Valentine’s Day cards for students who come from all over the world and it is our responsibility as American citizens to make them feel welcome and seen here. It is so important for us, as International Affairs scholars, to take leadership in acknowledging other cultures in our area and learning about them but more importantly, taking the steps to support them. Usually, when I think about International Affairs I generally dismiss it a little as something that happens elsewhere, that I would have to go somewhere to understand and immerse myself in it. In attending this event, I have realized that I can achieve this without even leaving Columbus, let alone the United States. While this event did not involve any firsthand interaction with people from other cultures, it opened my eyes to all of the possibilities for opportunities that I could experience here.

This event made me feel excited that the students at Columbus Global Academy will also likely be excited over the cards. I remember how much I used to look up to older students so I hope that the students will love these cards as much as I know I would have when I was younger. Making Valentine’s Day cards for these students made me want to get out in Columbus’ community and get involved with the abundance of cultures that are right outside of my doorstep. It inspired me to want to help more in our community and learn as much as I can about people who have totally different life experiences than I do.

I attended the International Affairs Research Panel on Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:30 in Smith-Steeb 101. Prior to attending this panel, I had already had some interest in getting involved with research at Ohio State but the interest had died down as time went on. Attending this panel, however, re-sparked my interest in pursuing research. I thought it was really helpful and interesting to hear about students’ research experiences in a variety of different labs, spanning across so many different topics. I already knew a little about the plentiful  research opportunities but hearing their firsthand experiences made me excited to possibly have a research experience of my own. As a Psychology major, I know we have a ton of research labs going on but last night when I got back to my room, I actually went on the psychology research website and looked into each lab to see which one’s piqued my interest so that I would know who to contact in the future. It was really nice for me though, to hear about Kate’s experience working in a dance related lab because she’s just a fan of that so it made me consider my interests in searching for a lab as well. I’m currently in a music class that analyzes the physiological effects of music on the brain and body and I’m fairly sure my professor has a lab here on campus that researches related topics so I’m considering reaching out to him to see if he needs a research assistant.

In hearing the panelists talk, it made me realize that getting into research is not some big, scary thing to be afraid of and that you actually just have to out yourself out there to hope for some responses. I found it really interesting how most of the panelists had multiple experiences in different labs, many happening at the same time which makes me feel like I don’t have to limit my options. I was also relieved to hear one of the panelists say to not be afraid to quit a research experience if you aren’t happy because I was a little hesitant to join a lab because I didn’t want to be trapped in an experience that I hated. I feel like taking advantage of a huge research university will help me figure out what I want to do in life and help me to be a better student and professional in my future career. As I am writing this reflection, I am realizing that the only thing I wish that I had asked is for the panelists to elaborate a little bit more on how they got their positions as I’ve heard that it is definitely hard to get a response back from a lot of professors. In the future, I would like to find out how to make yourself seem like the best candidate to help this professor and what they did or said that was able to set them apart from the rest of the students who were also vying to have their position.

I attended the viewing of “A River Below” in the Chemical and Biomedical Engineering building on Monday, November 19 at 7:00 pm. This movie was really eye opening because of course everyone “knows” that animals are going extinct, with humans having a large impact in this, but seeing a specific, real example definitely made it more real. Going into the movie, I already believed that unsustainable practices should be abandoned but I really haven’t educated myself on all of the issues that the world has so seeing how one man could change the law in Brazil was incredible for me. Basically Brazil’s version of Steve Irwin, Richard Rasmussen, filmed how fishermen would kill pink dolphins to use them for bait and then got it aired on television which inspired Brazil lawmakers to outlaw the sale of the fish that they were using the dolphins as bait for. This is such an amazing response in order to preserve the dolphins so they can rebuild and move away from extinction. This is relevant to International Affairs because while many people associate us with people politics, environmental politics are just as important in the short term and arguably more important in the long term since the environment will outlive us all. It is also extremely relevant to us because it shows how much influence one person can have in changing the law to better protect their country and their environment. I think a good portion of the time, people think that they can’t make a difference alone, but Richard Rasmussen is a perfect example of how one person can make all the difference. Additionally, the a country’s environment doesn’t just impact them, it is a global issue so it is important that global powers make moves that are good for all of humanity and the entire globe. The documentary also focused on Fernando Trujillo, a marine biologist and how this certain type of fish was being falsely sold as a different fish. This fish that was being sold was proven to have unsafe levels of mercury for consumption. Trujillo was trying to get Colombia to recognize this fact and it wasn’t until years later that the Colombian government released reports of the mercury levels of this fish and banned its sale. This is important to International Affairs as well because global health has no borders so it is important to keep everyone as health and informed about their food as possible. I gained a better sense of the world personally from watching this documentary and it inspired me to learn more about this topic and see what I can do about it as an individual. I’ve always been so intrigued and inspired by the world around me and this has definitely motivated me to get out and learn as mochas I can about the earth we live on. This event doesn’t really relate to any of my coursework but I would definitely be interested in learning more about issues involving the environment and what can be done to prevent them, stop them, and reverse them.

In August, I attended the involvement fair but with over 1300 clubs and essentially a million people roaming about in the heat, it was near impossible to get quality information for all of the clubs that I was interested in. Attending the mini IA involvement fair helped me discover some activities that I am genuinely considering joining while being small enough to actually speak in depth with the student org leaders about what they do. I first stopped to chat with Sam from the Collegiate Council on World Affairs. He explained to me how there are basically three subsets of this club, with Model UN being one of them. At my high school, there was a model UN club for my freshman and sophomore year but by the time I actually heard about it, there wasn’t enough interest to continue it. My friends who had participated always talked about how much fun it was, which made me want to join but due to the aforementioned circumstances, I never did. Hearing that there is this opportunity now in college, really excited me. Even if I don’t end up doing it, it’s still exciting to know that I have the opportunity available to me.

I also talked with the representative from Advocates for Women of the World. I was initially drawn to this booth because I am aware of the conditions for women around the world and the idea of helping to improve their situations interested me. The representative told me that there are four committees within the club that each have a focus on a specific issue that women face, for example the girl I spoke to was on the sexual assault committee. I was really interested in the fact that she said that they’re working on getting training to help sexual assault survivors because I love helping people and I am interested in a career in mental health so this was totally up my alley. She said that they do a lot of fundraising events for various, amazing causes and they even make things that can be sent to women in need. For example, she said that at an upcoming event they’re going to be making reusable pads so that young girls can continue to go to school and not stay at home for a week each month.

Both of these organizations meet on Wednesdays at 7:30 which is upsetting but I think that realistically, I’ll likely only join one and that’s if I can find the time. Learning about these organizations really reminded me of how endless the options are at Ohio State and that it’s never really too late to join and get involved with something if it interests you. Both of these things relate to IA because they discuss global matters and crises within these countries. CCWA isn’t a service or fundraising based club, but they still discuss real world issues and tackle how to handle theoretical issues in Model UN. AWOW does do service in the local community and fundraises for the global community.