Heroes at Home: Honoring our Nation’s Veterans

There are currently 17.42 million veterans living in America today. These heroes dedicated their services in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Gulf War, leaving home and giving up the comforts of stability, family, and guaranteed safety to ensure that America remains a stable and safe place for individuals and families to call home, yet upon returning home themselves, our nation’s veterans have had to face immense hardships. About 40,000 veterans are without shelter in the U.S. on any given night; some of the leading causes of veteran homelessness include PTSD, social isolation, unemployment, and substance abuse. This is why programs such as the Porter County Veteran’s Treatment Court (PVTC), Folds of Honor, Southshore Friends of Veterans, and Disabled American Veterans designed to support our nation’s veterans are so important for our community. This reflection details my research into each one of these Northwest Indiana organizations. In this account, I illustrate the impact of dozens of one-on-one interviews with the heroes running these programs, and veterans a part of these programs themselves. A special focus is placed on the results of the Purdue University Service-Learning grant received on behalf of the PVTC within that treatment community. During interviews, veteran Bob Carnegy stated: “People don’t understand the meaning of the word veteran. Each one is special, yet connected. No matter what branch they serve, each veteran had to raise their right hand and pledge their life to this country. That pledge is what connects us all.” Going off of his words, this reflection marks an overall goal of increasing awareness for the great acts of service our veterans perform, not just overseas, but also when they return home to the community.

Raising Awareness and Empowering Diverse Survivors: Addressing Mental and Physical Health Needs Among LGBTQIA+ Community Members Post-Sexual Assault

Experiences of sexual violence are commonplace among individuals within the LGBTQIA+ communities, with more than 63% of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experiencing victimization. Despite high rates of victimization, few individuals experiencing sexual assault seek services post-assault, with even fewer individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community accessing post-assault care. This is further exacerbated when considering the unmet treatment needs of sexual assault survivors and victims, where individuals commonly experience high rates of internalizing (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety) and externalizing (i.e., substance use/misuse) symptoms for years after experiencing an assault. Although these experiences occur at alarming rates on college campuses, LGBTQIA+ college students may be more likely to seek services and treatment from off-campus providers for a variety of reasons, including privacy concerns and less rigid stereotypes in how services are delivered. Many college students and community members are unaware of their options for receiving post assault care off-campus and within their local communities. Therefore, in conjunction with the YWCA of Greater Lafayette, this service-learning project seeks to establish and build a relationship with a community-based provider responding to instances of sexual violence within the community. The first goal of this research is to support the YWCA in outreach efforts targeted to LGBTQIA+ victims of sexual assault, to increase awareness of the programs offered by the organization within these communities. The second goal of this research is to provide didactic trainings to community providers responding to sexual violence and assault to be able to more effectively deal with SGM individuals experiencing assault, and reduce the heightened barriers faced by this group in receiving post-assault care. Considerations as to how researchers can employ community-based participatory research frameworks to more effectively serve their local community will be discussed.

One World, One Purdue: Implementing Successful Intercultural Collaboration at Purdue University

Collaboration is vital to promote international understanding, raise cultural awareness and competency, and cultivate an environment of vibrant inclusion. A successful example of this intercultural collaboration is One World, One Purdue (OWOP), a series of events organized every November to support International Education Week (IEW). OWOP was conceptualized by the International Student Peer Coaching (ISPC) Program and the Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships (GEPP) of the College of Engineering in 2017, and expanded in 2019 with the participation of Cultural Catalysts, Purdue Fulbright Association (PFA), and the Environmental and Ecological Engineering Graduate Student Organization. Planning for OWOP 2019 began with the realization that many organizations, especially cultural organizations, work independently in silos creating, at times, repetitive or conflicting events. We made this observation by documenting all the cultural events at Purdue every week for posting in the Cultural Catalysts (now OWOP) Facebook page and attending most of them. OWOP’s first role was to bring all these organizations into one common classroom and enable them to believe in a common goal of cultural celebration. While OWOP is a vision shared by organizations whose missions are to celebrate culture, OWOP 2019 was a year-long effort to achieve that vision. Many initiatives were made possible through the team’s personal networks, resources, and collaboration. As a testament to its success, OWOP 2019 was named Co-Sponsorship/Collaboration of the Year, awarded to a collective effort for the betterment of campus, students and Purdue University by Purdue Student Life and the Student Activities and Organizations Office. One of the key reasons for the success of OWOP 2019 is its collaborative efforts. The OWOP 2019 organizing committee quickly realized that to provide undergrads with maximum cultural exposure during a short time, OWOP would need the help of cultural organizations and programs on campus. The OWOP organizing committee worked with over 50 student groups and programs on campus to help organize their own event during the OWOP timeline. OWOP 2019’s calendar featured close to 100 events throughout the weeks of November. Organizations reported that through collaboration with OWOP’s marketing team, events saw a diversification of the demographics of their audience. With limited funding, OWOP was able to bring in a large attendance throughout the events. At the same time, OWOP 2019 relied heavily on the core organizers and partners to spread the word and organize events. While this meant an over-stress especially on the core group, the enthusiasm of the group to push forward its objectives of increasing cultural competency and inclusion among students made the pilot university-wide celebration perform beyond what was expected. If we are to institutionalize OWOP, we must ensure that it is properly funded every year. We also noticed that most of the attendees of these cultural events are international students and the goal for the next OWOP is to increase the attendance of domestic students through stronger promotions and more collaborations.

From There to Here: Evaluating the Transition of an International Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in London

Purdue University College of Pharmacy offers an international advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in London, England, where student pharmacists have the opportunity to work with pharmacy specialists at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted travel across the world and created the need to transition this experience from in-person to virtual. Virtual interaction with international preceptors and revised research and clinical activities can provide students with a valuable learning experience.

Service-Learning in the Virtual Space: Mixed Method Analysis of STEPS Pipeline Program

North Central Indiana Area Health Education Center (NCI-AHEC) aims to develop the healthcare infrastructure by encouraging rural students to pursue healthcare professions. In light of rural healthcare shortages found in Indiana, they implemented a pipeline program, Successfully Training and Educating Pre-medical Students (STEPS). This program offers mentoring and educational assistance to pre-health-professional undergraduate students at Indiana University – Kokomo. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Purdue research team partnered with NCI-AHEC to conduct a completely virtual mixed method study that examined the initial impact of the STEPS program and made recommendations for improvement. The opportunities for virtual collaboration created during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for thorough evaluation of NCI-AHEC’s STEPS program. Initial evaluation suggests that the STEPS program is beneficial in assisting rural students on their path to a career in healthcare. Using the actionable recommendations that came from this study, NCI-AHEC will contribute to a growing generation of capable, well-prepared healthcare providers in rural Indiana.

Creating Reel Designs: Reflecting on Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita in the Community

Because of its extreme rarity, the genetic disease arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) and the needs of individuals with the diagnosis are often overlooked. AMC refers to the development of nonprogressive contractures in disparate areas of the body and is characterized by decreased flexibility in joints, muscle atrophy, and developmental delays. Colton Darst, a seven-year-old boy from Indianapolis, Indiana, was born with the disorder, and since then, he has undergone numerous surgical interventions and continues to receive orthopedic therapy to reduce his physical limitations. His parents, Michael and Amber Darst, have hopes for him to regain his limbic motion and are very open to trying out new assistive devices that would promote independent utilization and potentially help him participate in activities with minimal assistance. This reflective essay aims to elaborate on and evaluate the human-centered design project I worked on with my EPICS Assistive Technology team and the community impact fostered by it. Our service-driven and product design project places emphasis on a family hobby that Colton wishes to be able to take part in—fishing. As a result of his condition, it is difficult for him to engage in this and similar activities, preventing him from connecting with his family and peers at a more physical level. By conducting prototyping of different autonomous systems on a device, implementing hardware programming on electrical control systems, and engaging in research and experimentation of computer-aided designs, my team and I were able to engineer and tailor to Colton’s specific needs a high-functioning assistive device that compensates for his lack of muscular mobility, allowing this project to serve as a medium through which I could integrate and channel my knowledge of physiology and mechanics and take a step forward on the journey toward innovating and revolutionizing health care technology. Additionally, this essay discusses a variety of aspects related to the bridges between empathy, innovation, service-learning, and human-centered design, and, despite its limitations, the ways our service project is helping to alleviate the problem that not only Colton, but so many others are currently facing. Similarly, the essay also outlines the impact this experience has had on me, in the context of my direct contribution to improving quality of life and raising awareness of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita at the emotional, societal, and professional levels. Given the promising impact that we all can make, it is important to contribute to paving the way and helping lead Colton and those like him toward empowerment, inclusivity, and opportunity.

Hair Care Catered to You

People of color face barriers in healthcare every day, and my goal was to address one of these barriers. Healthcare settings stock products that are tailored for Caucasian hair and skin, so I wanted to add products targeted for Black patients' skin and hair. I added shampoo and lotion to the supply closet of Peyton Manning Children's Hospital as well as bonnets and durags for the patients to wrap their hair in to protect it while they sleep or rest. African American hair and skin requires different care. This is something that often goes unnoticed by healthcare professionals, and I wanted to bring it to their attention. In order to support the Black Lives Matter movement, I chose products from black-owned businesses. I felt that the BLM movement was the heart and inspiration for this project, so choosing products from black-owned businesses felt appropriate.

Service-Learning during the Covid Era: A Perspective of GK-12 Student-Coordinator

Despite the importance of service learning, the precariousness of the COVID-19 pandemic posed a challenge for students and educators. In this paper, I highlight the COVID-19 pandemic ramifications on the Graduate Students Engagement in K-12 Classrooms (GK-12) program, the lessons learned from going remote, and how we can be flexible with remote learning in the future if there is a need for us to adapt our programming to other crises.

Homelessness and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the struggle of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and presented new challenges to those serving this vulnerable population. To better understand and articulate how COVID has impacted both PEH and their ecosystem of support, we compared the national response - aggregated via a literature review of both gray and academic literature - to the statewide response in Indiana and the local response in Tippecanoe County. Local homelessness providers emphasized that organizational partnerships are key - policy changes in one organization can have malignant effect extending throughout and putting additional strain on other organizations within the local homelessness ecosystem Moreover, building community awareness and engagement with organizations serving PEH during normal times can have beneficial effects in times of crisis - calls to the community for help may prove to be more fruitful if they are to existing contacts and not de facto cold calls. Considering the problems elucidated by various homeless providers, certain governmental policies and provisions native to Tippecanoe County and Indiana could be beneficial to export elsewhere in the event of another public health crisis of this scope. Providers relayed that a close relationship with the local department of health and hotels helped expedite the placement and facilitate the extended stay of homeless COVID positive individuals.

Mentoring Black Teens during National Pandemics: Mutually Beneficial Service

Black youth face systemic educational and social barriers that impede their development and achievement. Research shows that mentoring equips youth to tackle these barriers and use their racial background as an asset. Additionally, college students have limited opportunities to engage in long-term service to local communities. The Heads Up Teen Mentoring Program was begun in September 2019 to provide local Black teens access to Black role models committed to helping them achieve their goals. We currently serve five local Black teens and pair them with five Black graduate student mentors. We engage in monthly group and one-on-one sessions with our teens to provide safe spaces for teens to build life skills and decompress. In this essay, we reflect on how our service as mentors has impacted both our teens and ourselves. We focus our reflection on how we are addressing challenges brought on by the COVID-19 and longstanding police brutality pandemics. Specifically, we have found virtual ways to continue group engagement such as virtual game nights, virtual escape rooms, and weekly challenges using group messaging. We also hosted a virtual healing session for our teens addressing systemic racism with a licensed psychologist and added monthly check-in sessions where teens can unload their stresses. We have learned that our teens struggle through these pandemics in ways similar to us, except they lack safe spaces to unpack these challenges. Teens value having a mentor to talk with who is genuinely interested in their growth. We, as mentors, value the opportunity to invest in Black youth and appreciate this service-based opportunity to develop leadership and mentoring skills. Offering virtual programming to address teens' concerns has been a mutually beneficial form of service by creating a safe space for both teens’ and mentors’ development and well-being.