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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL

Complete this proposal prior to your experiences start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month.

Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.

Basic Information
Full Name: Emily Hoff
Title of Project: Back2Back Internship
Thematic Area(s): Leadership, Global Studies
Expected Start Date: May 29th, 2017
Expected End Date: July 29th, 2017

GUIDELINES

1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the expected
start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months notice. Contact your
honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4
pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution, and
reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and pre-approved
experiences.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All self-designed international travel experiences require two months notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.

Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.
We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.
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1. Abstract

Briefly describe the experience. What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have
for this experience? What is your timeline for this experience?
*If you are proposing an international experience, provide an itinerary.
**If you are developing this experience from an existing opportunity (class with a study tour, campus
organization, co-op, etc.) that is not already an honors seminar or pre-approved experience, how will you
differentiate your experience from what is already required of other students?

When I was 13, a huge earthquake hit Haiti causing mass destruction and a resulting epidemic of cholera.
I can clearly recall sitting in my warm bed with a solid roof over my head and being so frustrated could
do nothing of value to help these people. Fast forward 6 years and countless similar experiences later; I
was a freshman in college, sitting in my dorm, ruminating on my frustrations of my inability to help
during the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa. Needless to say, my desire to help those in need has been
present throughout my whole life. This experience will be meaningful to me because its something I have
always dreamt and prayed about doing. Im able to give up my time and my summer to serve, to be the
hands and feet, and to act, not just watch. I travelled to Mexico for one month last summer, and it was
the best experience of my life. By being able to go back again for two months, I will be able to build on
relationships I developed and skills I learned, developing me into a global individual who leads, loves, and
understands others well.

Ill be working in Mexico with Back2Back Ministries (B2B), and international orphan care organization
based in Cincinnati. Back2Back partners with childrens homes/orphanages to support their existing staff
and to invest into the lives of the kiddos living there. B2B has sites across the world, including Mexico,
Haiti, Nigeria, and India. Summers at B2B sites are incredibly busy, as multiple mission trip groups come
to travel and serve each week. As an intern, I will work with one specific childrens home in Monterrey,
called Casa Hogar Douglas. At Douglas, Ill be responsible for planning/organizing for the week, leading
manual labor projects, facilitating group activities with visiting people and children, and a plethora of
other small responsibilities. Back on the B2B campus, I will be the go to person for visiting group-ees,
able to answer questions and address concerns that they may have. Ill also be responsible for preparing
food, organizing the pantry, keeping the kitchen clean, and doing the grocery shopping.
In summary, during my 2 months in Monterrey I will be an extension of the full time site staff
coordinating and facilitating the groups experiences while loving and investing in the children we serve
at Casa Hogar Douglas.

Some of the goals I have for this experience include:

1. Personal emotional and spiritual growth
2. Learning trauma competent care giving
3. Growing in community with the people I am surrounded by
4. Journaling and reflecting every single day

Itinerary:
May 29th: Fly from Cincinnati to Houston to Monterrey, Mexico. Travel to Back2Back campus
May 30th- June 1st: intern training
June 2nd June 30th: work with Casa Hogar Douglas, site staff, and visiting mission trip guests
July 1st- July 6th: break week, no visiting mission trip guests fun activities around the city of Monterrey
July 7th July 28th: work with Casa Hogar Douglas, site staff, and visiting mission trip guests
July 29th: fly from Monterrey to Houston to Cincinnati

Advisor Feedback
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Must Include: Required Revisions: Effective:

Brief description of the experience

Personal connection to the

experience

Identified goals for the experience

Timeline from start to finish

*Itinerary (international
experiences only)

**Explanation of differentiated
experience from what is required of
other students

2. Experience Advisor

Identify an experience advisor and provide their contact information. Explain why you chose this person and
how you plan to utilize your advisor for this experience.
Note: Advisor(s) should have knowledge or expertise in an area related to the experience. Honors advisors,
undergraduate students, and family members cannot be experience advisors.

Katie Zayner, site staff in Monterrey Mexico

Phone number: +52 (81) 2353 5697
Email: kzayner@gmail.com

I chose Katie Zayner as my advisor because of her experience serving the orphan child in Monterrey. She
spent many summers interning in Monterrey while she was in high school, and moved down to work full
time after she graduated from college. Shes now married with 4 kiddos, one who was adopted from a
childrens home in Monterrey.
I plan on utilizing Katie as a resource both before I head to Monterrey and while I am there. As part of
the internship, I meet, debrief, and reflect with her at least once a week. She will help me process and
internalize a lot of the unique things I will experience in Monterrey child abuse; a new culture;
exhaustion; etc. Additionally, shes available to answer questions/ give advice before I depart for
Monterrey.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include: Required Revisions: Effective:

Experience advisor name and

contact information

Description of why advisor was

selected

Specific plans to engage with

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advisor

3. Connection to Learning Outcomes

List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you
make progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your
progress. Include an estimated time commitment for those activities.

1) Demonstrate a sense of empathy, respect, and appreciation for others to build meaningful cross-
cultural collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity.
a) This outcome will be addressed simply by the nature of this experience. I will be traveling abroad
for 2 months, working closely with individuals live in a different country and have had very
difference experiences than I have had. By journaling and reflecting every night on the stories
shared with me, while simultaneously sharing my life and stories with theirs, I will be creating a
mutual respect and relationship with those who are very different than me.
b) I will be reflecting during each of the 62 days I will be in Mexico. I anticipate this time of
journaling and reflection to take 30 minutes to 1 hour each day.
2) Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared projects or goals.
a) Part of my role as an intern is leading group projects at Casa Hogar Douglas. Ill be responsible
for planning, organizing, delegating, and ensuring the project is completed efficiently and
properly. It can get very hot during the summer in the middle of Mexico, so motivation and
encouragement is paramount in the success of some of the projects I will be responsible for. Some
specific activities I will engage in is leading group projects, encouraging my team members, and
ensuring everyones thoughts are heard.
b) Its difficult to estimate a specific time frame for this outcome. I will be working on projects for
my entire time in Mexico.
3) Identify personal strengths and areas of growth and evaluate opportunities to maximize skills and
abilities.
a) I plan on internally reflecting and recognizing things that I excel at and things that are not my
strengths. By doing this, I will be able to identify areas for growth while simultaneously
recognizing where I need to ask for help, guidance, or input. Because I will be in Mexico for over 2
months, there will be countless situations I will be in that can lead to personal growth ad
development.
b) The reflection part will take place each day, for 30 minutes to one hour. The growing, stretching,
and maximizing my skills part will take place each day I am in Mexico.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include: Required Revisions: Effective:

3 learning outcomes explicitly

identified from any thematic
area(s)

Examples of activities and

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explanation of how each will assist
the progress towards the chosen
learning outcome

Estimated time commitment for

each activity

4. Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes

List 2-3 academic resources you plan to use. For each, describe how it connects to your learning outcomes and
how you hope that it will contribute to your learning during this experience. You must have at least one
resource connected to each learning outcome; a resource can satisfy multiple outcomes. Please include the title
and author/creator for each resource.
Note: Academic resources are professional/academic works that can be used to assist your understanding of the
topic. Some examples are books, research journals, documentaries, or videos.
1) Poverty Cure directed by Jonathan Moody
a) This documentary series focuses on the value of smart global aide global aid that empowers
individuals to rise out of their situation and become independent, self-sufficient citizens of the
world. This is very important to know before travelling to do global aid work abroad. In order to
build meaningful cross-cultural collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity, you need to
respect and understand the concept of help that hurts.
2) The Power of Teamwork: Harvard Business Review Maggie Craddock
a) This article talks about how developing teamwork styles and mutual trust can be transformative
in leadership and teamwork. This is relevant to my learning outcomes because I will be facilitating
large groups of people from various backgrounds with various teamwork/leadership styles.
Knowing how to work together well will make me more efficient and effective as I lead.
3) The power of rest and reflection: Daniel Rubin at TEDx
a) This video/presentation dives into the transformational power of reflection. By watching this
video, Ive prepared myself for reflection and the importance of prioritizing reflection and rest in
a busy schedule.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include: Required Revisions: Effective:

1-2 academic resources connected

to the learning outcomes

Title and author of each resource

Description of how resources will

help make progress towards
learning outcomes and execution of
experience
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5. On-going Reflection

The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning
outcomes. Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection
questions/topics you plan to use to guide your reflective process.
Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs,
songs, and journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection
to other areas of involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.

Throughout my 9 weeks in Monterrey, I plan on keeping a blog. This blog will be shared with all my
friends and family, as well as anyone who would like to stay abreast with my adventures and experiences
serving in Monterrey. Because Ill be interacting with so many different individuals during my time in
MTY, from visiting guests to local staff to kids living in the orphanages, I will be intentional about
writing down one individuals story each day. Not only will this hold me accountable to writing and
reflecting, this goal will prompt daily intentional conversation with the people I am surrounded by. Some
questions I will use to reflect in my blog and story journal include How does this change my perspective
on ___? How does this compare to my thoughts or experiences? What does this mean for me going
forward?
Additionally, I plan on creating a video compilation of my days in Monterrey. By taking a short 10 second
snap shot video of each day and compiling it all into one video at the culmination of my trip, it not only
will be a reflective trip down memory lane for myself, but it will be a great resource to show individuals
when sharing my experiences.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include: Required Revisions: Effective:

Method for ongoing reflection

Reflection questions/topics clearly

specified

6. Sharing Your Learning

Describe how you plan to actively share what youve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience.
Consider signing up for the UHP Impact Forum held each April. Explain why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning
portfolio or social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.

Because this experience will take place over the summer, I plan on signing up for the UHP Impact Forum
for the upcoming year, 2018. Here I will share my experiences, how I grew as an individual, and how
others can get involved in this organization or another similar organization. I chose this specific audience
because I know many UHP students are passionate about the same things that I am. They recognize that
there is a lot of need in the world and they can actively be doing something about it- they just dont know
where to start. I was in this same position many times. By sharing my experience, I will be able to connect
UHP students with the appropriate resources so they can pursue something similar I also plan on sharing
my learning with my friends and family who will be following my blog.
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Advisor Feedback
Must Include: Required Revisions: Effective:

At least one method to actively

share take-aways/learning from the
experience

A specific audience and why the

audience was selected

7. Budget (if applicable)

Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.
*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per
week you plan to participate.

Airfare: ~$850
Food/lodging/day to day activities: $1,240

Source: email received from internship coordinator

Advisor Feedback
Notes: Required Revisions: Effective:

Detailed budget of expenditures

with sources to justify budget
estimates

*Indicates the number of hours per

week and number of weeks of
participation

THEMATIC AREA LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning Outcomes for the Community Engagement Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Identify and differentiate multiple ways to contribute towards the development or achievement of the
communitys goals.
Develop a thorough understanding of the world view, beliefs, experiences, self-consciousness, or history
of community members through collaboration.
Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service mutually enhances
individual growth and the common good.
Explain how education, advocacy, mobilization, or public policy can influence social issues and
transform communities.
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Learning Outcomes for the Creativity Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new connections, and ask
questions.
Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an existing
competency/medium.
Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or community in a creative
process.
Articulate the broader significance of a creative project and the value of its contributions.
Learning Outcomes for the Global Studies Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
4) Develop practical travel skills that promote safe, stimulating, and productive travel throughout your life.
5) Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits and world issues.
6) Articulate the interdependence of professional fields to address current and impending global issues such as
technology, the environment, human rights, or politics.
7) Demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity by acknowledging the impact of their own identity and
the experience of social norms, customs, or beliefs that are different from their own.
8) Demonstrate a sense of empathy, respect, and appreciation for others to build meaningful cross-cultural
collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity.
Learning Outcomes for the Leadership Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Formulate and manage a shared vision and develop goals towards its achievement.
Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared projects or goals.
Develop strategies to identify and respond to challenges and obstacles.
Identify personal strengths and areas of growth and evaluate opportunities to maximize skills and
abilities.
Synthesize the current trends related to a specific issue or field and evaluate how thought-leaders are
currently addressing them.
Learning Outcomes for the Research Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Demonstrate the ability to locate, interpret, and critically evaluate primary sources appropriate to field.
Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and organize data for analysis.
Analyze and interpret the meaning of results.
Produce dissemination appropriate to the field in order to share the results or impact of the research.
Articulate the broader significance of the research project and its relationship to other fields, research
and ideas.