Blog Post 2: Learning Through Guiding

 As a project manager, it’s easy to fall into the responsibilities that I have to follow. Make sure everyone understands what they have to do, problem solve any issues, daily progress checkups on the groups, etc. I tend to catch myself becoming tunnel vision in those tasks, but it isn’t until I take a step back where I really see the fruition of all the hard work of each and every single of the group members. The recent group presentations were a great example of this! A couple weeks back, all the groups were assigned to do a research project; they were assigned to choose two conjoining topics/issues that are as of right now is affecting society. Along this, the groups were required to do independent research on the topics/issues that they choose collectively as a group; create a brochure that in an in-person setting would be passed out to the people attending the presentation, reach out to a minimum of two people that have involvement or are educated in the topics/issues and interview them, and lastly create a PowerPoint of everything you learned all together and present it to the class. While it might seem overwhelming and I'm sure for some it was, the groups did an amazing job navigating how to do this. I had the privilege to help and guide them in the right direction whenever there were mishaps along the way! But you know what was one of my favorite parts of this journey was? It was their resilience and passion. What I saw among the group members was a strong bond in teamwork and determination, and it greatly reflected their presentations. Like the previous presentation, my other favorite thing about these group presentations is the learning aspect. I learned so much from each and every one of the group members and I’ll like to reflect on some of that knowledge! To begin with, Group 4 was the first to present their presentation. Group 4 presented about healthcare and how it affects families globally. A point that was heavily emphasized was how interconnected a lot of these issues are; healthcare and families obviously being one of them. It holds great significance for a family's longevity, stability, well-being, etc. Through the presentation I learned how the US has structured itself in healthcare. Healthcare is commonly tied to someone's employment and the private insurance industry; essentially meaning, the better the job the better the healthcare. This type of format has caused tremendous issues across our nation; low-income families find themselves either not having the best insurance for their families and themselves, or just no insurance at all. In result of this, across the US healthcare is a big factor of stress that Americans face affecting both their mental and physical well-being. This is not seen in other countries though; in Japan for example, provides universal healthcare for all its citizens. This is a huge benefit to the country's citizens and families. It reduces the inequality of class while also providing a better way of life. So that was some stuff that I learned that previously I wasn’t aware of. For Group 3, they presented how the education and economy intertwines and directly reflects on the opportunities of jobs for citizens in the US, how much they make in income, and overall productivity of society. Initially the higher the education the more money ones guarantee, now that isn’t really the case. Due to rising tuitions, there’s been an epidemic of students in debt before graduation with their undergraduate degrees. This has led to a huge increase in economic inequality across the nation. Families with wealth have greater opportunities of education without having that mental turmoil of working two jobs and keeping up with your assignments to stay in university. America is competitive when it comes to education, especially in the higher more competitive degrees; it’s a very individualistic country that forces more on capital and privation rather than universality and community. In contrast, countries like Germany and Norway treat education with universality. Germany is strong on offering students internship programs that directly adjust students to the workforce. In Norway, they hold great emphasis on free education of all levels and provide equal opportunities for all. It was truly a remarkable presentation, and I learned a lot from it! To continue, Group 2 showcased the environmental issues not only in the US but across globally that have deeply affected the well-being of all. Due to the crisis of climate change, there has been rapid decline in the air quality, water pollution, and toxins that have been proven to cause diseases such as cancer, heart problems, raspatory issues, etc. We see this happening more frequently in low-income areas; it has been seen throughout the US that we tend to treat the aftermath of the issues rather than the issues themselves. It’s seen that globally it’s much worst, since there are countries not as developed as the US, that tends to make it even harder for these countries to fight the very prominent issue of climate change. In result of that, as led to more deaths and health related issues. While learning about how bad climate change has gotten throughout earth, I learned through Group 2 presentation that there are solutions. Solutions like renewable energy, reuse reduce and recycle, protest and advocate for healthier lifestyles and teach others, enfore regulations and law making, etc. It’s all these ways that we can help our planet. Lasty Group1 presented the ongoing issue of immigration and families. I learned how those that immigrate to other countries are usually for political issue in their homeland. To leave for better opportunities for themselves and their families. I also learned how immigration greatly benefits countries as it helps with diversity and even the economy. Through recent administrations there has been a shift in how people have viewed immigration. It has now been demonized and used as a talking point to be put plans in issues that have nothing to do families that have immigrated. It truly is sad to see the shift and the dehumanization of people. Overall, I am so proud of the groups for their amazing hard efforts that they put into these presentation, I'm so glad I was able to contribute in any way possible and look forward to continue to help as their project manager! 

 - Adelyn Rivera