• Please refer to at least four readings, videos, or activities that helped you learn this and explain why.
  • Section1 
      • How is Your leart? Trauma-Informed Pedagogy—Community Building Resources OneHE/Equity Unbound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9A-VM8iawc)
        • What I learned from this talk is that most people are not actually aware of their psychological health except when someone or a situation triggers them to think about it. For instance, most students did not know how their psychological health was until Imad questioned them—not just by asking, ‘How do you feel?’ but by specifically asking, ‘How is your heart?’ This made me realize that people often need an external way to recognize and reflect on their psychological well-being.
      • How language shapes the way we think I Lera Boroditsky I TED (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=RKK7wGAYP6k) 
        • I learned from Lera Boroditsky’s TED Talk to what extent language influences people’s perception of space, time, numbers, colors, gender, and even actions, which affects how people navigate, count, and categorize. For instance, I feel that the most influential example that showed the extent of this effect is Boroditsky’s example of how different languages describe accidental actions. In Spanish, people say, “The vase is broken,” unlike in English, where we usually say, “He or she broke the vase. Her example defined for me how each language has a direct influence not only on our spoken language but also on how people recall memories.
      • War in Translation: Giving Voice to the Women of Syria Lina Mounzer on the Urgency of Telling the Stories of Conflict By Lina Mounzer (https://via.hypothes.is/https://lithub.com/war-in-translation-giving-voice-to-the-women-of-syria/) 
        • The reading War in Translation: Giving Voice to the Women of Syria by Lina Mounzer helped me feel deep sympathy for people who suffer in war. I learned how war does not only kill with bombs and bullets but also through the lack of basic needs like food, electricity, and medicine. Mounzer’s daughter did not die from an explosion or a car bomb like many others in her family. Instead, she died because the siege had cut off medical supplies, and there were no child-size incubators in the city. Her father tried everything to save her, rushing from one hospital to another until he found an incubator in another town. He came home feeling relieved, but when he went back, he found that she had died. This example made me think many times about what could have been done, but I found no answer. It made me truly understand the suffering of people in war and feel deep sympathy for them.
      • Day of Learning 2013 – Binna Kandola: Diffusing Bias (https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/day-learning-2013-binna-kandola-diffusing-bias) 
        • I was surprised by how much I learned from the talk Day of Learning 2013 – Binna Kandola: Diffusing Bias. In the past, I was not able to recognize my own biases. However, after listening to Kandola, especially when he stated that all humans have biases and that the world is not divided into biased and unbiased people, but rather into those who realize their biases and those who believe they have none, I gained a new perspective. Kandola explained that people who think they have no biases are often the most biased because they never reflect on their decisions or behavior. This made me realize my own biases and helped me become more aware of how they influence my decision-making and, ultimately, my behavior.
  • What questions do you still have about these topics, and how might you use your Soliya experience to enrich your knowledge?
        • 1
          • To what extent does language shape our perception, and are we able to separate our thoughts from our native language’s perceptions?
          • How can I focus on reducing my biases in daily life and increase my objectivity? 
        • 2
          • I think Soliya will increase my knowledge by exposing me to various perspectives through discussions with people from different cultures. By engaging in open conversations, I will be able to detect how biases operate in real time, observe how language influences communication, and hear personal stories of struggle.
  • Section 2 
  • What have you learned about yourself and the way you view the world so far?
          • I have learned that I have biases that I was not aware of before.  In fact, Binna Kandola’s talk helped me realize that everyone has biases, and those who think they do not are often the most biased. This made me more aware of my decisions. In addition,  I learned how language shapes thinking, which changed how I see cultural differences.
  • What questions do you still have about your own self and how you present yourself to the world? 
          • How do others see my communication style?
          • How much does my culture shape my personality?
  • How do you expect your identity to affect your Soliya experience as you interact with people from other cultures?
          • As I went to many schools as a student and had to immerse myself in multiple environments, my background and experiences will make me able to interact with others effectively. I might have different assumptions, but I will try to listen and learn from others. I also believe that my communication skills will help me express my ideas clearly.
  •  How might you use the Soliya experience to enrich your self-knowledge?
          • Talking to people from various cultures will help me gain a clearer understanding of my own views, see things from new perspectives, and reconsider them. It will also make me more aware of how I present myself and how others perceive me.
  • Section 3 
  • What have you learned in terms of interactions with people who are different from you?
          • I have learned that active listening is key to meaningful interactions in understanding different points of view, which helps me challenge my own assumptions and communicate better.
  • What questions do you have about how to become a better “global citizen”?
          • I wonder how I can contribute to coming up with cultural gaps and addressing misunderstandings in global conversations.
          • How can I reassess my own biases and assumptions to better understand and respect different cultures?
  • How would you like your Soliya experience to help you learn to be a good “global digital citizen”?
          • I will do my best to engage in respectful, objective, and productive online discussions, especially when encountering opposing viewpoints.
  • How might you use your Soliya experience to enhance your ability to interact with culturally different people?
          • By interacting in open conversations and understanding different perspectives, I aim to improve my ability to communicate across cultures in both personal and professional settings.
  • Section 4
  • What do you expect would happen if the issue of Palestine came up in Soliya?
          • I expect it to be a sensitive topic with strong opinions from different perspectives. Therefore, there could be many disagreements, but also opportunities for meaningful dialogue; I believe that one of the most important factors is these conversations is that all people are respected.
  • What would you like to do if you were able to direct the discussion?
          • I would prefer a respectful and open conversation, focusing on understanding different perspectives rather than arguing or encountering people. 
  • What kind of support might you need? 
        • I believe I need some instructions in managing sensitive discussions and achieving respectful conversations.