Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic on an International Level

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

The COVID-19 Pandemic has illustrated how a single virus can affect numerous different countries and groups of people differently. The pandemic has disrupted global education systems very much. Obviously, many schools have been utilizing online platforms, such as Zoom, to continue school; however, there are many other schools that can’t go online, provide academic support, or ensure safe learning environments for students because they don’t have the resources to do so. Apart from education, the COVID-19 pandemic has, most notably, caused a major health crisis, revealing underlying problems in each of our systems of health care. How do political actors address situations such as the pandemic? How are funds allocated to support people being affected hardest by the pandemic? What can I do to be more aware of how the world works and responds to social, political, racial, and economic issues? Each of these questions made it clear that I needed to expand my global perspective.

I hope that the Global Scholars program widens my horizon and deepens my knowledge of global issues by exposing me to issues in a clear and insightful way, bringing in people with first-hand experience of the situation, and fostering a learning environment that allows me to grow as a human being. Most importantly, I would like to do hands-on work in the community because I don’t want to simply learn about problems. I want to be able to do something about them, whether it be informing others of the situation or collaborating with other groups to tackle these issues.