Me in front of the Eiffel Tower!
As I am continuing to navigate being abroad, I have come to the realization that I love taking pictures. By no means does this make me a professional photographer, but after being asked by Dr. Steigerwald to take pictures of my fellow cohort members planting flags at the Buckeye Dozen graves at the Normandy American Cemetery, I began to understand the importance that pictures can hold for memories. One could argue that taking photos takes away from one’s experience: a person’s face can be buried within their phone camera, waiting for the perfect shot to arise. However, in instances like the Buckeye Dozen, I believe the opposite. Because I got to be the “behind the scenes” person, twelve of my cohort members have documented experiences and memories that can last them a lifetime.
Lauren Hilderbrand planting a flag at the Normandy American cemetery
I also have had the pleasure of doing two Instagram takeovers during this trip, one for the Ohio State’s History Instagram and Ohio State’s International Affair’s account. By doing this, I have not only gained a deeper appreciation for spreading and learning about history, but I have also become more comfortable with sharing about myself. Though it may seem that this approach is an “up close and personal” with the person posting, it is a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Social media is such a powerful tool to not only share information about oneself, but it can also help spread good like getting the word out to donors to sponsor trips like this, for example. I am forever grateful that I have the connections to share my experiences abroad and cannot wait to do more social media work in the future!
A rainbow by the Eiffel Tower