Year 2 Review

        This quote is printed proudly across the back of a t-shirt from one of my brothers’ many mission trips to Haiti. I have always found the quote fascinating, but it took some time to realize the real power those couple of sentences held and how true they ring in our world back then and today.

        My current idea of a global citizen scholar is someone who uses their education, skills, knowledge, and life circumstances for positive impact with both local and global perspective. Now, this can (and still often does!) sound daunting, especially for a 19-year-old, white, not well-traveled, engineering college student living in Ohio like me. However, I do believe that this year has allowed me to come a few steps closer to reaching the goal of embodying a global citizen scholar.

        One extremely impactful experience was moving to Bloomington, Indiana to work for Cook Medical as my first co-op. I was immediately welcomed into an incredible work culture where real work was being done to advance the medical device industry. I was placed in R&D on urology products involving software, which allowed me to put both my biomedical engineering major and computer science minor to work. My main project involved a partnership with a manufacturing company in China. By sitting in on early-morning and late-night calls as well as communicating with members from both companies, I was able to gain invaluable insight into contrasting work cultures and values from two companies on opposite ends of the world. I also learned about medical device standards necessary for approval in different parts of the world and the history behind each one. Having a global perspective on the medical device industry is crucial in my future work, as working towards access to new, game-changing medical technology in all parts of the world is essential.

        Not only was work beneficial to my growth, but so was the city of Bloomington itself. I have never lived anywhere except Ohio, so moving even one state over was a big deal for me. While there, I was immersed in a culture with some similarities, but a whole lot of differences with the ones to which I had been exposed. Most days after work I could be found soaking up every minute of life in a new city, whether that was walking to downtown, exploring the countless parks or Indiana University’s campus, eating the local cuisine (Mother Bear’s Pizza and BuffaLouie’s = 10/10!), supporting local shops (Southern Style Boutique was a frequent of mine), or spending time with the people who made me feel like this was my home (shoutout to H2O Church Bloomington and my roommate Erin). Getting outside my bubble and embracing the unknown gave me such an appreciation for diverse viewpoints and travel. I will 100% be a frequent visitor of this incredible city, and I look forward to embracing my next adventure, wherever it may lead.

        The last notable experience this past year was service. I took charge of Bearcat Coders, which is a program ran by ACM-W to tutor high school students at Hughes STEM High School just off University of Cincinnati’s campus in their IT courses. This program is near and dear to my heart, as I was not exposed to any coding until my first-year engineering course where I fell in love with it. I got to help make a difference in these kids’ lives through direct interaction, which is something I will never forget and will continue to do throughout the rest of my time at UC. Another service opportunity I participated in was Matthew 25: Ministries, which is a nonprofit in Cincinnati dedicated to providing international humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Throughout many times volunteering, my friends and I helped sort various donations to be sent around the world. Getting out into the community and making positive, effective change is not as scary or hard as it seems. I got to serve in two organizations, one creating impact at a local level and the other at a global level.

        Losang Rabgey has dedicated her life to being a global citizen scholar, using her experience and education to create a better future for the lives of those in Tibet. Although I am far from embodying the idea of a global citizen scholar like her, I do believe that practice makes progress, and I will continue to spend my time at UC and beyond striving towards that goal. We all live in one world, so we ought to do our part to work together for a better future for all.