I believe I was put on this earth to:
I don’t really believe I was put on this Earth for any specific reason.
My purpose is to:
Live morally and love others.
I believe (my core values):
The purpose of life is not to perpetually serve yourself.
We are all responsible for uplifting those in need.
Healthcare is a human right.
The one thing I must do before I die is:
See my parents proud of the person I’ve become.
My advocates and supporters all believe I:
Will make a real difference in others’ lives someday.
The evil I want to eradicate in this world is:
Laissez-faire capitalism.
I want to work in order to:
Achieve financial independence by means of public service.
Walk the Talk – Your How
If you are truly committed to your Why, you show it in your everyday behavior. It is all air until you do it. Working from your Why, How do you prove that you are true to your Why in all you do?
I always:
I don’t always do anything. I am a human being with imperfections. But, I strive to always empathize with those that I meet, see things from their perspective before passing any judgment or being quick to demonize. I also try to always consider the impact of my behavior. If not before I act, which is obviously preferred, then I will do so after the fact, to understand all implications on others as well as myself.
Again, I am not always successful, but recognizing when I am not and truly committing to preventing that mistake is the best that I can do.
I never:
See anyone as inherently good or bad, or inherently anything for that matter. This line of thinking plays a huge role in dividing social groups, providing an excuse to exploit those deemed inherently different or to bestow upon oneself a higher inherent value. The interpretation of what is good and what is bad is far too subjective and the labeling of such is most often used to divide.
My work style is:
Goal-oriented but not time-constrained. I find that if I set goals for myself which are meaningful and not trivial, that alone is enough to motivate me to achieve them. I mostly only do things that will further my big life goals, so even the most trivial, seemingly unrelated tasks contribute to my growth in some way and thus, always frame goals to remind myself of that. However, when put under a time-constraint, my work suffers, as my anxiety skyrockets before the countdown even beings, and my thoughts will be scattered and poorly expressed–most of the time, not even retrievable. In my anxious state, I often cannot even remember why I am doing what I am doing and am highly susceptible to self-doubt.
I try to treat people:
As I myself would like to be treated.
I approach problems by:
Considering all pathways and/or perspectives and all implications of each.
Victories are time to:
Celebrate for a few moments, and then see how you can move forward from there.
If another attacks my point of view I:
Ask them to have as open a dialogue as our temperaments allow, and if all goes awry before a mutual understanding can even be reached, cut the conversation short and move along.
If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will:
It really depends on what it is that I am fundamentally disagreeing with. If it’s a matter that doesn’t impart negative consequences onto anyone but the actor, I will do nothing. Live and let live. However, if it does involve the exploitation of others, I will voice that opinion loudly and proudly (respectfully). I will not support that organization or that person and I sure as hell will not associate with them.
Your Credibility – Your Whats
You have just spent some considerable time at Lehigh, and specifically in the Global Social Impact Fellowship, on many whats. Your whats include lab research, formal presentations, writing research papers, engaging with people in other cultural contexts, building prototypes, designing and building systems, raising funds, hiring employees, etc. The whats you have collected along the way are critical to your credibility when you are entering the workforce or applying to the best graduate and professional schools. They signify a credible currency to which organizations can assign value. Create a list of your Whats that are truly reflective of your Why & How. You did these things because you believe (Why) and you acquired them in the following (How) manner. These are examples you can use in interviews.
What Have I Done |
List of Experiences, Accomplishments, and Lessons Learned |
Degrees, Minors, Certificates, Fellowships |
I have a double major in biology and psychology–pre-med, aspiring psychiatrist. Mental health treatment (and access to healthcare in general) was a huge issue for me growing up. I was a highly anxious child that lived in a small apartment with many people in it, but nobody that listened, for they were all struggling too. I want to help those that were in my position (I could start with just my family members and I’d be booked up): underserved, undervalued, and practically invisible. My participation in the Global Social Impact Fellowship goes hand in hand with my vision.
|
Research Experiences
|
Our team is seeking to curate the first culturally sensitive Autism screener in Sierra Leone as well propagate a movement of mass education on the topic of disabilities and where they come from throughout the Sub-Saharan African region.
Before GSIF, I was a part of another research team at Lehigh spearhead by Dr. Valerie Taylor, where we aimed to understand the psychological processes that underlie inter- and intra-racial interactions and how we can mediate those for the betterment of society. Exposure therapy through virtual reality was an avenue we began working toward.
|
Inventions and Innovations
|
The first culturally sensitive Autism screener in Sierra Leone as well as exposure therapy through virtual reality in order to quell the fear-based biases against minority groups. |
(Social) Entrepreneurial Ventures
|
The first culturally sensitive Autism screener in Sierra Leone as well as exposure therapy through virtual reality in order to quell the fear-based biases against minority groups.
|
Publications
(Formal and Informal)
|
We have submitted several conference papers on our own qualitative research done within Sierra Leone and we are currently working on a meta-synthesis of publications surrounding disabilities and inclusive education in West Africa.
|
Formal Presentations
(at Lehigh and Beyond)
|
We presented the work done from both research teams in and outside of classes. |
Awards and
External Recognition
|
n/a
|
Articulating and learning from GSIF-related Experiences. For each of these prompts, we want you to identify one and only one specific and compelling event/incident/experience/moment and identify exactly how you grew personally and professionally through that moment.
Teamwork Experience
(and Lessons Learned)
|
For the most part, our team is extremely efficient and we are always splitting up the work fairly yet compassionately, on a defined schedule with crystal clear instructions. While working on our synthesis, we were going through our disagreements on keeping/kicking out certain articles. We took turns stating our reasons for particular vote, and if a conclusion could not be made off the bat, we worked together to reach one, with each person stating their opinion. I learned what it was like to be highly efficient, considerate of the opinion of every single member, and resolve disagreements with civility and rationality–all things that can be applied to any job I take and really, any social situation.
|
Conflict Resolution Experience
(and Lessons Learned) |
Again, as with the above example, when a conflict arises (such as confusion or disputes), we are always in open communication about them and hardly ever leave a matter unresolved.
|
Leadership Experience
(and Lessons Learned)
|
Each member of the team is a designated ‘expert’ for a certain area of our project. I am the qualitative expert, dealing with the research/protocol process. I learned that it is okay to not know something and that is okay to ask for help despite being the ‘leader’ of a certain area. We are always asking each other for help when we need it.
|
Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty (and Lessons Learned) |
With COVID19, we were not able to gather any field data. Our screener relies on field data so we were stuck on what to do next as we really could not proceed with regards to building our screener. We came up with a bunch of paper ideas and are currently working on a metasynthesis that will not only be published but will provide a plethora of valuable articles we can use in building our own screener as well as for even more papers.
|
Personally Challenging Experience (and Lessons Learned)
|
Time management. With the review, we are often coding hundreds of articles per week (each). Being a pre-med, it was extremely difficult to make sure the work was not an afterthought, and that I was being thorough and effortful. It takes a lot of planning and deliberate chunking of work to balance both this and my pre-med coursework. I learned that it is never worth it to leave everything to the last minute and submit sub-par, thoughtless work.
|
Cross-cultural Experience (and Lessons Learned)
|
It was disturbing to hear of the cultural occurrences in Sierra Leone, especially when it came to how the disabled population was treated. It was easy to judge recklessly. I learned that there is always a reason or an underpinning to a cultural aspect (ie. poverty, lack of education). Negative cultural nuances do NOT define the culture, and understanding and empathy is always necessary.
|
An experience that helped you connect your GSIF work to your discipline / major.
|
The whole premise and experience of our project directly relates to my bio/psych/pre-med major. We are literally creating a screener and educating people on disabilities.
|
A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you can speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world and make it better.
|
When we had our presentation meetings, and each expert would present their work and findings for the week. Whenever I did that, I felt proud and unstoppable. |
A moment where you felt like you truly have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized interdependent world.
|
My first meeting with the team. We talked about all that we seek to accomplish, how we’re going to do it, and how each of us will individually contribute based on our personal expertise. I felt like I was a part of something bigger than I could even comprehend, and the feeling of excitement and overwhelm still hits me when I think about the scope of what our project is truly trying to accomplish. |