Razor's edge Global
Serving As A Mission Driven Scholar
To me, being a mission driven razors edge scholar means aligning myself with the core values of the program to the best of my ability and trying to apply them to my own development so I can spread their benefits to those around me. The first part of our mission might seem like a self compliment being it states that we are exceptional students; However, I choose to use this as a reminder of the responsibility that my position in the program comes with. I have been chosen by others who put faith in me to be able to represent and uphold the values of Razors Edge global. It is up to me to always remind myself that I need to live up to the opportunity and not simply use it as a title. Obviously the first part of our mission, championing internationalization on campus, hits home with me and my peers strongly. We have been able to hold so many intercultural events, meet international students, and learn so much about global cultures that this is one of the easiest ways I have been able to be mission driven. I have learned and improved my ability to be open and experience the many points of view of different people. This has led to me being able to now step into a leadership role in the program as an upperclassmen. I can be an example and work on behalf of the other cohorts to drive the program and the the school at large in the direction we see as best for all. I have continually put myself in challenging positions by being in this program; Situations that require me to grow and develop so I can step up to the plate and deliver for myself and others. I am excited to be able to take what I have learned here and apply it in the future.
Program Objectives
1
Servant Leadership
Servant leadership has always been a very important principle to me. No matter the setting, it is vital to put the needs of others at least at the same level as your own. When leading a group in a class, or designing an event or project, always look to lead by enabling others to do what they do best. My method is to listen and learn as much as I can about the task at hand and the people involved so I can figure out the best way to arrange these factors. At times I have been a little too prone to put the needs of others before that of my own. As I get older in the program and develop my sense of self and self value, I am learning where the line is and how to draw it. As you progress further in whatever you do, you can tend to become more self centered and complacent. I need to keep trying to grow and participate fully in everything I do. Perhaps to focus on passing what I've learned down to the other cohorts after me.
4
Access and Equity
Access and equity are a little more difficult than the others in my opinion because they involve factors out of my control. I cannot control the place that people are in, and I did not create the system that put them there. I am not even in control of the position
I am born into. The important thing I have learned is to not let that fact discourage you. You have to be self aware and acknowledge the reality of the things that come with inequality. The best we can do is try to do things on a daily basis that make sure to put
everyone involved on the same playing field and be willing to listen to people who feel like the situation is unfair. Making sure to give value to people when I have that opportunity is vital.
2
Environmental Sustainability
My entire initial community impact project was based around the environmental impact of the pandemic in a way I am proud to say I don’t think many people had thought about yet. I have always made environmental sustainability a nonnegotiable in my projects. I have also been keen to look for things around me that I think could be improved on the environmental front. I have used school and professors as a good resource to learn more about environmental sustainability in classes and at events. Unlike developing leadership skills, developing this objective is more dependent on my personal commitments. I need to make sure that I don’t do anything at the expense of the environment. It is easy to say I wont, but when money is involved, it might be more difficult to make the right choice or at least easier to make excuses. I need to always remind myself of what is at stake and try to be a leader in my field for environmental sustainability efforts.
5
Citizen Diplomacy
Citizen diplomacy has been something I have seen grow as I have become more informed and more confident as a leader. As a REG student I am eager to reach out and at events I like to practice citizen diplomacy in small ways. A simple conversation can go a long way and really build understanding between two people. In the future because I will truly be sharing public space. It is vital to carry myself in a way that is respectful of the people around me. I also need to make sure to stay in touch with the people in my community and globally to see if there are things, I can do to create positive change for others.
3
Global Engagement
I have met people from all around the world, become friends with international people, gone to international events, helped create events that promote global engagement on campus and been in classes that focus on global issues and how to live in a global community. I would say my most valuable improvement has been being able to actually experience other cultures for extended periods of time. There is only so much you can learn in a classroom or by researching things. REG has given me the opportunity to live with and get to know people from all over the world and that has allowed me to see how global issues effect people from around the world differently. Seeing people from around the world as more then just surface level ideas let you understand where things come from and why. This is crucial for really understanding anything and being healthily responsibly engaged globally.
6
Professionalism and Career Readiness
During college I have given presentations, gotten career related experience, and held two jobs to develop my professional skills. REG has also given me plenty of formal environments to practice speaking and interacting on a professional level. It will be important to look for mentors like the ones I have had in REG who can teach me and guide me like I have been guided in this program. It is important to know I don’t have to go at things alone and I can lean on others when I need help or ask questions. I have met so many skilled and talented in the program that have accomplished big things with me. I can translate this directly to my interactions with people in my career.
Project 1
Project Shark Support is an initiative aimed at stopping the harmful environmental impacts of covid-19, educating the public on environmental sustainability during the pandemic, and providing PPE for the homeless in the Broward area. The project had four main parts. PPE collection bins, PPE safe disposal bins, a Zoom info session on environmental sustainability during the pandemic, and a GoFundMe fundraiser. The PPE collection bins, and PPE disposal bins were placed in different high traffic areas around the NSU campus and in locations in Orlando Florida. They allowed people to donate PPE and cleaning supplies to the homeless, and provided a specifically designed method to safely dispose of single use PPE. The zoom info sessions were open to NSU students, faculty, and the general public and aimed to educate people on how to identify environmentally harmful practices in their own lives and how to fix them. All proceeds raised via the GoFundMe were used to purchase PPE to be donated to Broward Partnership.
My collection total included:
-Cleaning supplies
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234 2oz bottles of hand sanitizers
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4 large bottles of hand sanitizer
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640 sanitizing wipes
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200 gloves
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1056 face masks
-Food
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39 canned vegetables
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5 canned fruits
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15 canned entrées
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4 canned condiments
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5 boxes of breakfast bars
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1 box of cereals
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7 cans of tuna
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8 boxes of noodles/rice
-Care packages: 11
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44 bottles of shampoo
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22 bottles of lotion
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44 bottles of conditioner
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55 bars of soap
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11 toothbrushes
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11 toothpaste tubes
-$137 dollars raised via GoFundMe
Project 2
For my Second Year Impact project I learned about the topic of the LGBTQ+ community and how I might help solve some of the issues the community faced. I worked with a small group of students in my program and created a dialogue event and fundraiser. We reached out to the director of the Netflix documentary Disclosure and got permission from him to have a showing of the film on campus. We created dialogue packets to facilitate discussion and held a screening event where we showed the film free of cost. We then hosted an open forum for attendees to discuss topics of the film and the LGBTQ+ community. We enforced a respectful and open environment where all could feel supported and heard. Snacks were provided and we used to event to promote fundraising for the Dr. Denapoli international Scholarship which was created in order to give international students an opportunity to get a college education via Nova Southeastern University and follow their dreams.
Project 3
Our event Week For Ukraine included a week of events in order to raise funds to give to a contact in Poland who works with refugees and runs a refugee center to get them further west to safety. Our events included a Panel discussion with four University professors on various aspects of the Ukraine Crisis which included a Q&A session at the end. We also had a midweek fundraiser where people could pay to splash us with water balloons or dump water on our heads out of a bucket. Throughout the entire event we had a message board in the student center on campus where anyone could write a positive message of support. The board was full at the end of the week and the positive messages were sent with the donations to the refugees. We were able to raise over $1,600 dollars in just one week.