Tag Archives: SHOTIME2013

SHOTIME Blog #2: Global Perspective and Service

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Originally, I applied to Penn State as a biology major. Anyone who knows me knows that was not my brightest idea, seeing as I hate working in labs and at the mention of the word chemistry my whole body starts to break out in hives. Please see the bottom of this blog for a poem about my loathing. This seemingly endless hatred I grew towards my science classes pushed me more and more to explore new fields and majors( yes this rant does have a point). Hence, I signed up for a Distinguished Honors Faculty Program trip with Dr.Stoller to D.C. concerning lobbyists. I loved it much, that I attended a second DHFP trip in the fall concentrated on national security and global aid. 

As a security and risk analysis major, I thought I had a pretty good gist of the whole “national security” thing but the truth is I didn’t. Sure I knew about cyber security, national surveillance, and securing our nation’s borders, but it had never occurred that national security wasn’t just about attacking “bad guys” like the Nazis or the Russians. My image of national security can basically be summed up in this one picture:

However, after visiting several non-profits and USAID I realized that the scope of America’s security system was much larger than I had originally imagined. It turns out that in order to ensure our success as a nation, we help other country’s to grow and prosper. The most important term I learned from this trip is found in USAID: international development.

The US, and many independent companies, provide aid in agricultural, economical, educational, health, and political areas as well as generally improving the lives of citizens around the globe. While visiting a Schreyer grad working at the Department of State, I realized how important the U.S’s involvement in politics of developing, as well developed nations can allow the US to prevent war, gain allies, and make the world a better place to live in. These benefits are also seen from disaster relief as well as acts of the peace corps.

All in all, I was surprised to see how much international involvement the country preforms in the name of “security”. It excites me to be working in a global field, and I’m glad that I was able to see the depth my major will be going into. Through seeing how actual Schreyer grads promote protecting American lives through enhancing the lives of global citizens, I was inspired to focus on a more global level with my studies. I’m now aspiring to get a Master’s in international development (something I had never even heard of until this DHFP trip) and perhaps even join the Peace Corps or work for a non-profit in the name of our wonderful nation’s security.

SHOtime Blog #1: Favorite Honors Course

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My favorite honors course was actually my honors option. Being a Security and Risk Analysis major, there aren’t a lot of honors courses available in my field, so in order to reach the appropriate amount of honors credits I honors optioned the course SRA 111. Going into it, I wan’t really sure what an honors option was, but after discussing it with my professor we decided on writing a paper that would replace the grade of my semester long group project, while still completing the group project. It was really great being able to work with my professor on a one-on -one level, and the paper provided a chance for me to see how the subjects we were learning about it class were applied to a real-life situation of national importance.

My professor helped me learn how to organize the biggest research paper I’ve written yet (I’m really proud of all 28 pages of it), as well as how to tie in the information to the course. It gave me a new insight into immigration and border control, as well as the strategies that people use on a personal, enterprise, and national level to maintain security. As I wrote about in my e-portfolio, I described the project as: “This report was originally written in order to honors option the course SRA 111. It examines how the history of border control, as well as Obama’s new proposal, is related to the different sides of the security cube that SRA 111 is based on. The project brings together aspects of the course and applies it to a real-life situation of national importance. The security cube was analyzed by using specific examples of control tools,and seeing how the different levels and types of security can be used to strengthen border control and immigration laws. The thesis of the paper is: The College of IST’s course SRA 111 presents a visual representation for the nation’s current and future policies concerning border control, and the purpose of this document is to describe the United States’ future, past, and present immigration initiatives.
Now, I hope to make this a living document, which I will continue to update on the Updates on Immigration page on this site. This will keep me, as well as those following me on Somos Americanos, up-to-date on issues concerning immigration and border control. It is also the best example of my professional writing so far. This paper integrates research from valid sources into a comprehensive overview of immigration and border patrol policies in the United States and how they relate to the course SRA 111. ”

The project is available here: http://adelinarichards.weebly.com/immigration-report.html

All in all, it was great to sort of construct my own honors course, with an even greater level of teacher interaction that is found in nearly every honor course. It was an invaluable experience, and I plan to honors option more courses in the future.