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Dalton News
Students Virtually Participate at Global Online Academy Catalyst Conference
The annual Global Online Academy (GOA) Catalyst Conference (April 23-26) is a platform for 350+ students in 76 GOA schools from 18 countries and 27 US states to showcase student advocacy efforts addressing real-world problems.
Some project topics from GOA (e.g., Bioethics, Medical Problem Solving, Digital Photography, Climate Change, and Global Inequality) foreground opportunities for advocacy in all areas of our lives —in our own communities, neighborhoods, and homes. GOA is eager for students to leave this experience knowing that they can become community-based activists. Dalton student participants were Tyler Roonprapunt ’21, Melina Piazza ’22, Caroline Kaplin ’22, and Charlotte Sadelain ’22. Some student reflects follow:
Melina Piazza ’22 Presentation
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Tyler Roonprapunt ’21 Presentation - Won a GOA citation award!
“For my catalyst project, I wanted to inform my community about a national crisis. Hydroxychloroquine, often referred to by its brand name “Plaquenil,” is a drug that is used to treat malaria and autoimmune disorders such as Lupus. On March 19, optimistic statements from President Trump and media sources suggested the potential benefits in the use of Plaquenil for the treatment of COVID-19.
This raised widespread interest in the drug and within a few days of Trump’s initial statement, doctors began prescribing this medication to their friends and families. Inequitable hoarding has led to severe Plaquenil shortage, and now Lupus patients who require this medication for long-term maintenance have difficulty obtaining it. Even with new studies that show Plaquenil may not be effective in the treatment of COVID and may even have serious side effects such as cardiac arrhythmia and liver abnormalities, people continue to hoard Plaquenil, primarily because there is a lack of better alternatives.
While I hope that there will be stricter regulation on Plaquenil distribution, this may happen too far in the future. So when considering how I could affect change, I wanted to take tangible and immediate steps towards achieving this larger goal. This begins with raising awareness. I performed a study as a part of my research and found that when people were informed that Lupus patients could not obtain their medication, they became more hesitant about trying to obtain Plaquenil. In this way, I hope we can dissuade hoarding.
As a community, I believe we have the ability to address this crisis by sharing information and sticking to our own moral code in this global pandemic."
Click here to read more.
Charlotte Sadelain ’22 Presentation
“As I've been learning more about climate change and my own contributions to it, specifically through my GOA course, Climate Change, and Global Inequality, I've spent a lot of time trying to find ways to reduce my individual carbon footprint. I aim to share the resources I’ve found, the experience I have had, and the solution I propose through my page in the Catalyst Project. I would like people to know the very real and quantifiable impact they have and that the decisions they make in their daily lives really do matter — including what they eat and wear. Luckily, there are many easy, habitual changes we can make that are impactful without being difficult or tedious. Thus, I hope the presentation and my solution shed light on those changes and successfully empower readers to act positively as global citizens and to fight for our futures and our beautiful Earth, just one meal/shirt/lightbulb at a time.”
Melina Piazza ’22 Presentation
“The question I was trying to solve in this project was “How can Medicare further support the elderly below the poverty line who can not easily afford public healthcare?” I hoped my audience would further acknowledge and understand the inequities of the public healthcare system. Medicare coverage is the cheapest option for the elderly, and yet is still unobtainable for 10% of our community. Luckily enough there are many ways you can help! A direct solution could be fundraising where all the proceeds would go to charities like NAFC, which attempts to ensure that everyone, no matter their income, has access to affordable quality health care. There are also many indirect ways you can tackle this problem. Although donating clothes or toys may not seem to be related to this issue, donating gives access to anyone to purchase items for a lower price. Finally, you can donate your time. Volunteer and do your share to help the less fortunate.”
Story submitted by Director of Community and Global Partnerships Yom Fox, Tyler Roonprapunt ’22, Charlotte Sadelain ’22, and Melina Piazza ’22.
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