Congratulations to those who completed the Global Engagement Certificate Program (GECP) in the 2021-22 academic year. The certificate is an opportunity for students to enhance their Ohio State experience while becoming global citizens.
 | Kendra Asiedu, Bachelor’s in International Studies, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies "The event that expanded my thought the most was the ICS Online Workshop: Gender and Regional Representation of Southwest China. To learn more about the historical and current impacts of gender and visibility and how non-Han bodies are impacted was amazing! To future students, I would recommend going to those events with topics that you know nothing about." |
| Emma Cahyani, Master’s in Foreign, Second and Multilingual Language Education "The events that stood out to me are athletic events, ice skating and Speed Friending. The first two events enabled me to learn about famous sports, which are a big part of American culture. The last event was held through Zoom, but it was very exciting as I met fellow students from other countries. These events had me go out of my comfort zone and engage in cultural exchanges with amazing people throughout the past two semesters!" |
| Elena Crane Cuerda, Bachelor’s in International Affairs "My favorite activity within the program occurred during one of the workshops. As a way to get to know other students in the program, we broke out into small groups and discussed the meanings of our names. Since GECP is comprised of a diverse subset of the Ohio State community, it was interesting to see how names are formulated in other countries. Through this activity, I learned not only how names are selected, but also what the names symbolize." |
| Julie Cupka, Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering "Before joining this program, I had never had any exposure to the Office of International Affairs, so getting some motivation to go outside my comfort zone and attend their events was the most valuable experience that I had. It’s really easy, as a busy college student, to stay in your box and never explore other cultures and experiences, but this program helped to encourage me to get past my cultural imposter syndrome and interact with new people." |
| Samantha Malone, Bachelor's in Industrial & Systems Engineering "I made progress towards gaining knowledge about different cultures and developing a more nuanced understanding of my own. Through the events, I learned about other cultures in a broad sense, but when talking with other people, I learned about the little things that are overlooked about people's specific stories and experiences. I would definitely recommend this program to other students." |
| Fawz Naim, PhD in Earth Sciences "I was exposed to cultural perspectives different from my own and developed a curiosity about other cultures. Also, it helped me develop the skills and confidence needed to communicate with others from different cultural backgrounds. Moreover, it made me develop a sense of respect for other cultures. GECP is an awesome program during the course of which a student can get global exposure being at Ohio State." |
| Irenee Niyongombwa, Master's in Educational Studies, Medical Education "The most memorable event in GECP is the first day of the program. I remember the apparent excitement on the faces of participants and how fun and interactive the session was. GECP not only helped me to develop the skills and confidence needed to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds but also was an opportunity to build social relationships with them and to improve my spoken English as well." |
| Ravi Patel, Bachelor's in Civil Engineering "I think that I made the most progress towards a couple of different GECP goals: fostering meaningful interactions and sustainable relationships as well as gaining knowledge about different cultures to better understand my own. I also was able to create and maintain strong friendships through meeting individuals through this program as well as from my global capstone course." |
| Sanjana Ranade, Bachelor's in Neuroscience, Spanish "I found being a Language Improvement Track Facilitator to be the most rewarding and memorable program I participated in. Not only did I get to develop my leadership skills and teach language, but I was also able to expand my own cultural understanding while making friends of diverse backgrounds and life experiences. I would strongly recommend the Global Engagement Certificate Program to any student with an intellectual curiosity for culture!" |
| Vandita Rastogi, Bachelor's in Neuroscience "GECP introduced me to different cultural perspectives on issues prevalent to social justice and improved the empathy I felt towards other groups of people. I was able to explore how cultures (including my own) responded to LGBTQ+ laws, environmental concerns, and COVID-19 protocols. It allowed me to become more aware of how students respond to worldly events and encouraged me to foster those discussions to fully grasp a global view." |
| YuTing Shi, Bachelor's in Marketing, Psychology "I have really enjoyed all the Global Engagement Night events I was able to attend in-person this semester. Although I still learned a great deal from the virtual sessions, I felt like the in-personal programs were more engaging, and it provided a great platform to connect with other students in the program. I always looked forward to joining our group on Tuesday nights and trying out new snacks or learning about different cultures!" |
| Max Weber, Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering "The GECP program exposed me to so many different cultures, which only made me want to learn more about the world. This interest helped me better empathize with those of different cultures, as well as have a firmer grasp of my own culture. I would tell future students that this program helps you step outside of Ohio State and look to the whole world as a place to learn, engage, and enjoy life in all its forms." |
Zirui (Ian) Zhu, PhD in Biochemistry Katie Heredia, Bachelor's in International Studies |