Nashville is the home of country music, but the nearly two dozen ODI Scholars and international students who traveled there over Spring Break found much more. During the five-day trip, hosted by the OIA Global Engagement department and ODI CRISP unit, students explored the connections between Nashville’s entertainment industry and social justice, delved into the city’s history, and connected with local industry professionals.
Sponsored in part by CRISP corporate partners Aldi, Enterprise Mobile, IGS Energy, and JM Smucker Company, the trip was organized into three types of experiences: history and civil rights, corporate industry, and service.
Students learned about Nashville’s history and social justice roots through tours of the Broadway Historic District, Country Music Hall of Fame, Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library, and National Museum of African American Music—an aspect of the trip that was especially meaningful to Jacob Jones, a second-year Morrill Scholar and finance major.
“To be in Nashville and learn the history of everything was so cool. It was stuff that you wouldn’t see on social media or that people don’t talk about on the daily,” Jones said. “Getting that knowledge firsthand was definitely beneficial because now I can share that with others.”
Other parts of the trip focused on professional development through corporate visits. Students visited Nissan’s headquarters and Nissan United agency, where they witnessed the behind-the-scenes creation of a Super Bowl commercial targeting Spanish-speaking car buyers.
They also toured an Amazon sortation center and second corporate headquarters, and some students met with an Ohio State alum Erwin Raphael, Amazon's Regional Director of Operations and co-founder of the Lantern Network, a CRISP partner that provides mentoring opportunities to young adults.
For Dedra Robbins, a second-year Young Scholar majoring in strategic communication, connecting with Raphael was particularly impactful. “He expressed to me and another student that he saw potential in us, and he encouraged us to apply for the Lantern Network Mentorship Program, which I did apply for and interviewed with,” Robbins commented. “That was a great experience and made me feel like I got a really big gain out of the trip.”
The service portion of the trip took place at Rose Park Middle School, where students completed various school improvement projects such as planting flowers, replacing air filters, building cabinets, decorating bathrooms, and writing encouraging notes to the middle schoolers.
Other activities allowed students to simply have fun and connect, such as visits to Pins Mechanical arcade, the Ryman Auditorium, and Nearest Green Distillery. Meals also introduced students to Southern cuisine, from fried chicken to BBQ.
While students emerged from the trip with a greater understanding of Nashville’s history and professional resources, they also returned to Columbus with deeper ties to one another: “I made some great connections, not only through the networking of the different programs that were planned, but just with peers on the trip as well,” Robbins said. “I would definitely encourage everyone to apply next year. Either you’re going to find out you know someone who’s going, or you’re going to meet someone who becomes your friend.”