On April 6th, I took part of the Sibs & Kids Carnival event which was located in the grassy space between Smith-Steeb and Park-Stradley. Since I was there from 2-6, I think it would be appropriate to have this as my Service event for the semester. This event was a collaboration between Smith-Steeb and Park-Stradley’s Hall Councils and was meant to celebrate siblings weekend as well as the end of the year. There was a plethora of food to eat- sandwiches, veggie platters, chicken, fish, potatoes, potato salad, doughnuts, an ice cone machine, and probably more items I forgot to mention. We also had a number of activities to partake in like giant connect 4, hungry-hungry hippos inflatable, an obstacle course inflatable, and a basketball inflatable. Something that I was specifically in charge of was prizes. I went a variety of places on or near campus like Chipotle, Cane’s, Barnes & Noble, Berry Blendz, Five Guys, and the North Market. People would write down their names as they came in and we had a raffle about halfway for each gift card. All in all, the event seemed extremely successful: there was a great turnout, the activities were being utilized, and I got a lot of compliments from people who were there. Having our last big BASS community event be able to end on such a good makes it feel as if it was a job well done. It was also really nice to have fellow IAers show up to help out with the event and I am very appreciative of them 🙂

This has been my second and final year living in Smith-Steeb. I’m very fortunate for the opportunity to have lived with a learning community during my first year and to have been a part of Hall Council during my second year. I will be close by but it will definitely feel odd to not be living in this Residence Hall next year. The same can be said about the International Affairs Scholars Program. I am extremely grateful for all of the wonderful people I have met as a result of being in the program and for being connected with organizations such as CRIS. The wonderful thing about International Affairs that it can be applied to practically any career. There was a point before I came to college where I saw myself being a sort of diplomat or ambassador for the UN. Now at the end of my second year of college, I’ve abstained from studying anything political science orientated but I still hold that interest in having an international focus. I can still tie in this interest into my life by working with an international based organization such as WHO or even just by branching out to people who come from different cultural backgrounds as myself. If there’s something I’ve learned about OSU, it’s that there is always something going on. The options of cultural shows, panels, forums, and clubs to visit are endless. I’ll be sure to stay in touch with my IA community and even though I’ll no longer be actively involved in the program, there’s no reason why I have to stop seeking chances to enhance my identity as an IA Scholar.

On February 21st, I attended the Global Fluency Training event in Hagerty Hall with 19 other of my IA peers as my Non-IA event. In two hours, we were trained on how to develop or strengthen having a cross-cultural competence in professional environments by Mr. Brad Gosche. He was a wonderful speaker and it’s clear that he has been extremely involved and has accomplished a plethora of feats in Columbus and abroad. Some of the topics we discussed included: defining culture, differentiating between stereotypes and generalizations, traits of cross-cultural leaders, and the Hofstede Cultural Model. The Hofstede Cultural Model was actually the main focus of the training and was something I found extremely interesting. In junior high, we would get these magazines in our social studies class every month and I would always geek out when we’d get the one with the annual world atlas because I love looking at statistics of different countries and comparing them to each other. So one can imagine that when we were taught about the Hofstede Cultural Model’s 6 dimensions and compared the US to countries like Germany and China, I became super excited. The 6 dimensions were: Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism (The US is ranked as the highest country for individualism!), Masculine vs. Feminine, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term vs. Short Term, and Intelligence vs. Restraint. Additionally, we talked about another method of classification for the different cultures in varying countries. There are three categories: Reactive (courteous, good listeners, relationship builders), Linear-active (decisive, factual, planners), and Multi-Active (warm, loquacious, impulsive). The chart for this was much more visual than the other model mentioned with a triangle containing a spectrum of different countries/regions of the world. Again, this was a spectrum but some regions listed for Linear-Active were Germany, Switzerland and the US; Reactive included Vietnam, China, and Japan and Multi-Active included Spain as well as much of hispanic America and Sub-Saharan African (can attest to this- social events in general are very unstructured). It’s really interesting that most of the countries next to each other on the spectrum are actually geographically close to each other.

When I first heard about this event, I knew I had to sign up. As someone who will be an RA for next year, I knew that this experience would be pertinent for that position. But even beyond that, I think the skills gained from this training will be applicable to pretty much anything I end up becoming involved in. One of the greatest takeaways I got from the Global Fluency Training was that being an expert in multicultural settings should be seen as a process and journey and not an endpoint. In reality, it’s pretty much impossible to know everything about every existing culture and be prepared for every possible situation in an multicultural environment. However, this should not deter you from striving to improving your abilities as a cross-cultural leader. We finished the training with a simulation with two contrasting cultures which really drove home the point that a sense of both self-awareness and awareness for others is key to fostering a conducive multicultural environment.

My only critiques are that it did seem a bit surface level at times (which I can understand because not everyone comes in with the same experience of cross-cultural settings) and that it was mainly oriented towards business. I can see this program as being really great for the first year seminar course!

This past Monday, January 28, I attended the “So you think you can do research…?” event in Smith-Steeb’s very own room 101 from 7:30-8:30 PM as an Academic Event. I got to hear about experiences across different fields of research including Immunology, Public Health, and Math. I found it so fascinating how subjects that you wouldn’t normally think about like neuroeconomics and German theater were brought up as examples of personal experiences. I think this really testifies how research is possible in any field and virtually any combination can be possible if you carry the passion for it. Something else that can also be testified from this is how vital of a role reaching out to professors can play in getting involved with research. I can even use myself as an example. I’m a music minor currently enrolled a course that only music majors are taking- music theory 2 (music minors only need to take the first course so they had a separate section just for us last semester). Because of this, I introduced myself to my professor and talked about how I’m not majoring in music but still have an avid interest in learning about music theory. When I told him I’m majoring in psychology, he invited me to attend the music cognition lab meetings. Music cognition happens to encompass musicology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, music theory, linguistics, and computer science. It’s an almost perfect blend of what I’m studying and also introduces some new fields to dip my toes in. If I could tie it into genetics, then it would truly be a perfect blend of what I’m studying at OSU. In less than a month, I went from overwhelmed about getting started in research to assisting a professor with an experiment at COSI and all of this happened because of one conversation I decided to initiate!

I think I’ve been able to establish that I’m interested in so many different things. I believe that one of the beauties of research, as someone in the panel had touched upon, is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to what you’re studying. The most important criteria for research in anything is that you simply carry the passion to learn more about the topic at hand and a desire to contribute something fresh to that field. This is something I find incredibly reassuring.

I will definitely be going on to graduate school and would like to get a PhD at some point so getting involved with research as an undergraduate is sure to be a step in the right direction. As pointed out by the panelists, research can help with improving language skills, networking, strengthening lab skills, deciding your future career path, fostering connections between people who share your passions, and offering a chance to make a meaningful difference in the real world. The aforementioned prospects, to me, are more than enough to encourage me to invest in being involved with research before I graduate in Spring 2021.

This past Saturday afternoon, December 1, I was able to contribute to a project for my service event that I am so proud to have played a role in. I went to the Columbus Global Academy with a number of other IA scholars to help paint the Tree of Hope Mural. I mainly worked on painting the sky on the right wall and painting the brown branch and maroon leaves near the library entrance. Throughout the afternoon, I got to meet some of the first years and bond over TV shows from our childhoods like Victorious. An aspect of the mural I really liked in particular was painting the word “library” in the different languages that are present the refugee/immigrant population community in Columbus. This included Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Tigrinya. Seeing Eritrea represented with Tigrinya on the wall with “bet metsafty” (literally meaning “house of books”) brought a swell of pride to my heart (but also made me realize how much I’ve forgotten to read/write the language…yikes). I find having the word in all these different languages beautiful and I think it serves as a wonderful testament to how universally important it is to make sure children have education integrated into their lives.

Being involved with the Center of Refugee and Immigration Services, or CRIS, has been something I have been extremely interested in. I know a lot of my IA peers are mentors and although I wanted to also be one, I wasn’t able to sign up to be one because of other commitments. To be able to have other opportunities to be involved with CRIS is something that brings me profound happiness. As a person who is a child of two immigrants, I am extremely thankful for all of the opportunities I have had growing up because I know that this isn’t always the case for many with backgrounds similar to my own. I plan to have my IA/STEP project revolve around helping and supporting this community by providing piano lessons to refugees for a multitude of reasons. Just like education, I think music is a powerful tool one can use and I think it would be a shame for any child (or anyone, really) with a genuine interest in learning how to play an instrument to have to miss out on the opportunity because the circumstances they grew up in prevented them from doing so. I’d like to expand my interactions to the parts of Columbus that I’m not as familiar with and I feel this community is one I feel that strongly resonates with me. Next semester, I will be working on how I can set this project up so when I inaugurate it in the summer, I can make sure that not only I can get an insightful and beneficial experience that I can carry with me to my other lifelong endeavors but those who I will work with can as well. I’m truly looking forward to the next opportunity that IA gets to collab with CRIS!

I’d like to give a personal shoutout to my friend, Natalie Majidzadeh, for leading this amazing project!

Last Thursday, October 25, I had the opportunity to attend the International Affairs Mini-Involvement fair right outside of our very own Smith-Steeb as an Academic event. There were a number of different booths to stop by at the event including the: Global Health Initiative, Student Leadership Advocates, and several other organizations. Here, I’ll talk about three organizations where I feel like I really got a lot of insight.

One of the booths that I visited was the Student Leadership Advocates. They’re a peer leadership program backed by the Center for Student Leadership and Service. The idea is that they train students in three levels of leadership education as a group and give individual leadership development. Then, the students who are trained get to implement and help facilitate workshops that can cover a variety of topics that can enhance leadership for students and student organizations, free of charge. I thought that it was especially nice that they included student organizations in this because I’m sure that there have been cases in the past where a student had a wonderful idea for a new organization but had no idea how to go about it.

Another organization I encountered was Project Nicaragua, a nonprofit organization that helps create and advocate for sustainable initiatives in education, entrepreneurship, and public health. They do a lot of collaboration with Rancho Grande which is the community they work with in order to get a better understanding on how to resolve local challenges.This caught my eye because although I’m not a public health major, it’s a field I’m considering going into for graduate school. Also, this semester will most likely be my last one with a Spanish course so I would love to retain what I’ve learned and I think going to a Spanish speaking country would be a great opportunity to get involved with service while also solidifying my proficiency in the language and immersing myself in another culture.

I also stopped by the Global Health Initiative, an organization that strives to raise awareness and give students educational opportunities in matters concerning global health. Some of their focal issues are the spread of infectious diseases in developing countries, maternal mortality rates and other reproductive health problems, and health policy and healthcare abroad and in Columbus. An important aspect of this group is that they offer a number of traveling abroad programs through the Office of International Affairs. Students are sent to a country such as Malawi and Haiti where they work to improve the quality of life for the people living in the community. While I’m not particularly keen on dealing with healthcare, I am definitely interested in working and helping those who are suffering and are marginalized by their government and/or society.

I also got to finally meet three of my IA Mentees- Hailey, Emma, and Jordan! Because of the nature of the event, we eventually decided to split up and view the booths for organizations that specifically interested us. More to come in the future, however!

I’m back!

Last Friday, September 26th, I attended the China Symposium: When East Meets West, which took place from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM at the Longaberger Alumni House as a Campus or Non-IA event. This event is one of the Humanities Symposium Series and was organized by the Columbus State Community College Humanities Department and Co-Sponsored by Ohio State’s East Asian Studies Center.

The theme for the event was “Health and Healing Across Global Cultures” and as someone who is considering the possibility of going into the Public Health field for Graduate school, that topic really fascinated me. The program was split into two large sessions: The Morning Session and the Afternoon Session. The Morning Session consisted of events such as “Herbal Knowledge East and West in the Ancient World” and “a feeling of if: Making Stories with Manchu Materia Medica” while the Afternoon Session had events like “Cholera and Colonialism: Intersections between Policy, Public Health and Medicine during the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)” and “‘Another Philippines Task’: U.S. Imperial Health in Haiti, 1915-1934”. The speakers at the China Symposium came from a variety of colleges such as Columbus State Community College, the University of Pittsburgh, Case Western University, University of Toledo, and the University of Miami.

Since I was only able to attend from 1:00-2:00, I was really only able to attend the U.S. Imperial Health in Haiti event. During this part of the Symposium, the speaker talked about the Rockefeller Foundation and how they were involved in improving Haiti’s National School of Medicine. It was interesting to hear about Rockefeller’s legacy in a more positive light because when I hear Rockefeller, I think of my World History teacher from high school talking about how he had a giant monopoly over the oil industry and was one of the biggest tycoons in American history. I learned about how the Rockefeller Foundation helped combat the hookworm infection problem that was rampant in Haiti in 1920s. They also invested 10s of thousands of dollars in revamping Haiti’s National School of Medicine. While a lot of money went towards infrastructure, a significant amount also went towards constructing laboratories and ensuring that the equipment was updated. The Rockefeller Foundation wanted to make sure that the students attending the institution had the proper resources needed to learn the scientific skills necessary to prepare them for the workforce such as being able to read microscopes. All of this was done in conjunction with the government.

The objectives of the Rockefeller Foundation included cooperating with the government to eliminate disease, helping foster a worldwide network, and creating an institution that would survive future occupations, all of which I found very admirable. Honestly, I was expecting more of a forum type setting where I would visit different presentations and talk to the presenters but I ended up getting more out of this than I expected.

The next Humanities Symposium is on Friday, February 22, 2019 and while I’m not sure what the topic of focus will be, I will definitely consider giving it a visit!

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