Global Citizenship Essay Completing the essay really made me realize how important global citizenship is in our world. I learned a lot about global citizenship and how understanding people from different backgrounds can really make a difference in the way we think and how we interact with people who are different than us. This essay made me reflect on myself and how I can improve my global citizenship by getting more involved around campus and volunteering to meet new people. global_citizenship_essay.doc
Global Citizenship Event Who Am I: This event was about a Chinese American photographer and how he came to his photography career. This event was a recommended event for one of my other classes and I really enjoyed his presentation about his life. He made many point about how he felt like he never really fit in anywhere because he grew up in America but didn't look like an American. But, also lost ties with Chinese culture even though he looked Chinese. I learned a lot about global citizenship from this event because it taught me that "what is strange for one person may be normal to the other". His talk and his experiences reflect his work in the sense that knowing those who are different from you create a diverse world that is exciting to take pictures of.
2018-2019
Advanced American Sign Language (CDIS 207) and (CDIS 206) I loved all of my American Sign Language (ASL) classes. I not only learned how to sign to people who may be deaf or hard of hearing but I also learned about the deaf culture. I learned the tendencies of deaf culture and about CODAs (Child of Deaf Adult). One thing that really surprised me about this course is that calling a deaf person "hearing impaired" is very incorrect and can be very offensive. Calling a deaf person deaf is what they prefer. Our culture is so different from deaf culture and we need to take that into account and try to abide by those cultural norms for them when coming into contact with them. I think our culture thinks of deaf people as being impaired because they are not like us, they are missing a sense. But, to the deaf culture they are just like us, they can still communicate and enjoy life just like us. They are not impaired. My teacher also had a requirement of signing with a deaf person which I thought was very beneficial to experience. Deaf people are super expressive when signing and love every little detail to a story. Signing in class is one thing but actually experiencing signing with a person who uses it as their main way of communication was a tremendous experience. The first time signing with a person of deaf culture was very intimidating because I am still learning and they are experts compared to me so being comfortable signing around them was something that I had to get used too. Learning this second language has really helped me process information visually faster because ASL is all visual interpreting. It taught me that people really do identify with their language and make it part of their culture. Everyone like people who are more like them that I realized when learning a second language.
Honors Seminar: Exp. Yoga (HNRS 409) This course was my favorite course that I have taken at MSU. This class promoted well being and learning about the history of yoga. We did weekly journals and every other week, essays about the different branches of yoga and how we experience yoga in our own lives. Everybody can perform yoga in their own way that fits their life style which can make it controversial to some people. But, yoga can be apart of every culture and could be its own culture if one so chooses. I love yoga and after this class it wasn't just an exercise anymore, it was a way for me to reflect on my life and find ways to get the negativity out. I learned how to get the negativity out from this class, it wasn't just an academic course it was how to apply things to your real life to help your own well-being. We were required to try different yoga classes which helped expose me to the different ways that people like to perform yoga. This helped me understand what the main focus of their yoga was about. Through these epxeriences I came to the conclusion that some people practice yoga for the physical health benefits, mental benefits, relaxation, and to guide a way of life of peace. I started to understand that even though yoga is practiced in different ways it doesn't mean that one way is better than another. The way you practice should be a way that is best for you and your own needs, no one else can justify what is best for you better than you can. This experience I will take through my life forever becoming a better you isn't easy but I found yoga to help me be better physically and mentally.