Team USA Tournament in Montreal Oct 14-21 (Campus)

Hi guys! I’m back to tell about an exciting seven-day event I participated in from October 14th, 2019, to October 21st in Montreal, Canada. I was chosen to play along side eleven other women on Team USA for Team Handball. Playing on a national team was truly an honor and experience I will never forget. In huddle, our coach always reminded us that we are here for a reason and should wear USA on our backs proudly. I learned so much about the game of handball, and how to interact with other teams and refs that might not understand English. Our team was composed of girls that play all around the world for different school and club teams. Bonding and building chemistry with them off the court was difficult at times, but proved to be very rewarding on the court. A trip like this is exactly what the International Affairs Scholars Program is about: Connecting with those around us, exposing ourselves to new people, and maximizing our opportunities to learn. In my exit interview with the coaches, they emphasized how coachable I was, how I connected with the other women, how hard I worked, and then offered me the opportunity to tryout for the next tournament. I believe that the International Affairs Scholars Program prepared me for opportunities like this tournament where I was forced to assimilate to several other cultures and living styles as all the teams were housed in the same hotel. I hope to use the connections I made during the week to help advance the Ohio State Team Handball Club.

World Trivia Night 10-6-19 (Social)

Hello! This week I attended the International Affairs World Trivia Night on October 6th, 2019, in the Sky Lounge of Smith-Steeb at 7:30pm. I really enjoyed the event as I got to meet other International Affairs Scholar Program members. It can be difficult to get to know everyone in the program because there are so many of us. Additionally, this was a great time to relax and have fun with a friendly competition after doing homework all day on Sunday. To give a recap of the night, we split up into teams of two once everyone had arrived. My partner was a good friend of mine, Seth Cotler. He is also a first-year student and lives on the eighth floor right down the hall. We called ourselves “The Dream Team.” The trivia was an international quiz that tested us using the outlines of countries and then various flags. Identifying the different countries solely based off of their outline was a little difficult because there was no indication of size or context clues in the pictures. On the contrary, the flags were much easier to associate with the correct country because most of us had already familiarized ourselves with them before. Overall, Seth and I worked together to consult eachother on the best answer and trusted eachother’s initial instincts when one of us was not sure of the correct answer. We ended up finishing in third place, which won us some nifty IA gear. Altogether, this event showed me that it is ok to take a break sometimes to have fun and get to know the people around you.

United Nations Trivia Night (Academic) 10-1-19

Hello again! This week I attended the United Nations Trivia Night on October 1st, 2019, at 7:30pm in the Enarson Classroom Building. The event was hosted by the United Nations Association on campus. This was an interesting night to say the least. To elaborate, I found the games to be a harsh awakening to how little I really knew about the world’s alliances and its historical conflicts. Despite being in the International Affairs Scholars Program, where an emphasis is placed on staying up-to-date with the recent news, I was definitely guessing on at least half of the questions from the 3 main topics: International Conflicts, History of the United Nations, and Global History. Each section ranged from specific dates of certain events, such as when the Berlin Wall fell and what day the Korean War started, to the number of mortalities during the Wranda Genocide and what tribe was being suppressed. Overall, I found myself wishing I knew more about global historical conflicts. Once we finished the first topic, I knew that the other two sections were probably going to be rough and I needed to study, but I tried to keep an open mind and have faith in my abilities. I thought that I had a relatively extensive knowledge of global history; however, the Trivia Night proved that I should never be content with my current state and I should actively seek out opportunities to learn much more about what is going on outside of the United States.

Global Engagement Night-Brazil 9-24-19 (Campus)

Hi again! I attended the Global Engagement Night, which presented about Brazil on September 24th, 2019, in the Enarson Classroom Building at 6pm. It was a very high-energy event as we danced Samba and watch videos from Carnaval and of Brazilian Futebol. I even had the chance to converse with a woman from Brazil in Portuguese. I learned about her opinion of Ohio State’s Campus and the Columbus area, which she thought very highly of. We even got to bonding over a great authentic Brazilian restaurant/store called Estilo Brasil. This was a great way to relate my coursework and involvement with the International Affairs Scholars Program to foreign culture and experiences.

Moreover, during my junior year of high school, I was a Rotary International Youth Exchange Student to Brazil. The life that I led in Brazil and the relationships I made have influenced my decisions, especially when I came to Ohio State and joined IA. At The Ohio State University, diversity and inclusion of cultures around the world is exemplified all around campus throughout classes, student organizations, sports, and employment. I am extremely grateful to be a part of such a multicultural campus that enables me to grow academically, develop professionally, and obtain personal goals. Each experience and encounter I have at the University and in Columbus has been unique and provided insight to a deeper understanding of others. Overall, the Global Engagement Night about Brazil was a great reminder of why I came to Ohio State and how I can stay connected to the rest of the world.

IA Cook-Out 8-29-19 (Social)

I attended the IA/PSL/ACES/HSS Cook-Out on Thursday, August 29th, 2019. The event was packed with good music, great food, and amazing people. As I settled into eating a hamburger and some vegetables, I found myself engaged in a conversation regarding the way my peers treat each other based off of their political stance. I haven’t experienced much conflict with this; however, a few of the other members of IA had some confrontations regarding this. It was refreshing to speak openly at the cook-out about the problem the United States is facing in regards to the political divide. Politics is a point of controversy in nearly every environment, so the fact that it is a topic of conversation in college is no surprise. Overall, the entire group I was sitting with agreed if we can accept that others might believe in different political platforms than our own, then we can at least listen to their perspective in a respectable manner without becoming defensive or attacking the other person.

In addition, I played two games of corn hole with scholars from other programs. My team won both games, but more importantly I got to meet some new people. It has been easy to get caught up in studying and exercising for the entire day, so this event was a nice break in the day to have some fun and connect.

My friend Rylee and I while I was playing cornhole. It was very windy outside.

Student Wellness Center Presentation (Academic) 8/27/19

Hi! I attended the Student Wellness Center Presentation on Tuesday, August 27th, 2019, with a few of the other International Affairs Scholar’s students. Going into the event, I was a little unenthusiastic because I thought it would be an hour long lecture about only mental health. My assumption was based off of the belief that the Student Wellness Center’s primary focus was on mental/emotional health. However, the presentation changed my entire perspective on the services that the Student Wellness Center provides. There were a couple main points throughout the event that I found most applicable to my life and the IA Scholars program.

To start, the most applicable point made was the emphasis of financial stability and its affects on the other aspects of my life. I learned that the Wellness Center provides free financial coaching to students, which is highly beneficial to me as I am starting to manage my own finances and prepare for my future endeavors. In regards to the IA Scholars Program, the financial coaching can help me formulate a budget to save up for possible trips that are offered to all the members. Overall, I hope to utilize the financial assistance program that the Student Wellness Center provides in the near future.

Secondly, I learned that the Wellness Center has nutrition coaching that can assist in setting up a meal plan that works best for my interests and needs. For instance, in April, I will be running a half marathon with my sister. The training is about 16 weeks long and involves eating balanced meals consistently to match my workouts. As most freshmen can agree, it is difficult to hold back in the dining hall when there are so many options available. Therefore, I hope to get in contact with the nutrition coaches to learn how I can manage a balanced diet that allow me to achieve my personal goals.

In conclusion, the Student Wellness Center Presentation was a pleasant surprise that exposed me to a multitude of free, useful resources right on campus. I look forward to being in contact with the center and gaining insight on how I can improve my and others overall health and wellness.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]