Journal #5

My first semester of Ohio State was full of excitement and adventure. Coming to this college I was really nervous about the size and the rigor of my coursework, but after a few weeks I was able to adjust. I was able to achieve my goal of getting involve in campus through hall council. During high school I was involved in almost every after school activity, so I didn’t want to lose that at Ohio State. My first semester has taught me that college can be hard, but its 100% doable.

I definitely plan on being in architecture scholars next semester because I love what we do in the class. I will keep my active membership in scholars by attending each and every group meeting that we have after this semester. Since I declared my major to city and regional planning, I’m very excited to get those classes started in my major. My classes during first semester didn’t stand out to me because I felt lost in what I wanted to do, but after I declared I became excited for my classes for next semester.

During next semester I don’t plan on getting a job, because I’ll be working over winter break and saving up money. I’m choosing not to get a job during my first year because I want to focus on my grades as much as possible. My main goal for second semester is diving into my major courses and finding the path for my future. If possible, I want to find someone to shadow in the field of study that I want to major in. My goals relate to the goals of the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S discussed at the beginning of the semester because I plan on bettering myself as a person by striving for academic success. To help reach my goals next semester, I will try to stay more organized throughout the semester. I know that staying organized will help me succeed in the upcoming semester because my life and environment will be clutter free.

Columbus To Do List: Part 2

For the second part of my Columbus to do list, I decided to visit some locations under the food truck category. I chose these locations because they were all relatively close to the campus area. The first location that I paid a visit to was Mikey’s Late Night Slice. Getting to this location wasn’t difficult at all. Unlike the other locations, Mikey’s Late night slice wasn’t a truck, so it was extremely simple to track down. From outside you might think there building is a large space, but you quickly learn how small the environment is when you walk in. When entering the restaurant, I was quickly greeted by a smiling face behind the table. After looking at their menu for a few minutes, I ordered the cheesy breads sticks. It took less than 5 minutes to get my food, and overall I was very satisfied with my meal.

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The second location that I visited was Al-Tubasee Street food truck. This food truck specialized in a variety of gyros. When visiting an actual food truck, I would recommend pick a nice sunny day. Preparing food from these trucks tend to take time. My order took about 8 minutes to make, but it was definitely worth the wait. Despite the high price of the food, I still enjoyed my experience with this food truck. My only negative takeaway from this visit was the pricey cost of the food. One Gyro at this truck can range from $8-10.

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Jeni’s Truck was the third place that I made an attempt to visit on the list, but sadly it had gone out of business. Judging by the environment of their original location, I can see how they closed for the rest of the season. From going to the location I learned that surrounding environment is the most important factor for the success of a food truck business. Considering that their specialty was ice-cream, it would make sense for them to not get business in this type of weather. I was very disappointed to find out that the food truck was closed, so I deiced to visit the Jeni’s ice cream at 714 N High street. I

The next stop on my list was made at Junior’s taco truck. Compared to the other locations that I visited on my list, I believe Junior’s Tacos had the best tasting food. Although every food truck has its own specialty, I definitely noticed the authenticity of the food. I ordered the classic chicken taco form the truck and I wasn’t disappointed at all. My only negative critique would be the small portions and expensive price of the food. One regular taco at this truck was $2 and I honestly think that’s just a little too expensive for a taco. Besides the quality of the food, I wouldn’t recommend going to this truck alone at night. This truck was stationed at a poorly illuminated area that wouldn’t be safe if you weren’t with friends.

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Mya’s fried chicken food truck, located on 3400 N high street, was the last location that I attempted to visit on my list. When I arrived at the location, the food truck was nowhere to be found. From this failed attempt I learned that not all food trucks will always be at their location during their hours of work. I was really disappointed that I wasn’t able to visit the truck, but I plan on making another attempt in the near future.

Overall, I learned that food trucks can be very good, but at the same time they can be extremely expensive. Completing this activity thought me that Columbus is full of many different things to do. Going to these food truck locations involved taking the COTA bus, so I was also able to learn different ways of using the bus system. Through this project, I found a deeper love for Columbus and all it has to offer. The biggest piece of advice that I would give someone completing this is to go to these sites when the weather is nice. Weather conditions are crucial when going out to food trucks.

Journal Post #2

       Out of the many buildings that were discussed in the PBS video, I believe that Ford Plat in Highland Park, Michigan has made the greatest impact on our environment and American history. In 1910, architect Albert Kahn and businessman Henry Ford designed the perfect factory that would help to launch ford automobiles above all other competitors. Kahn’s design for the building brought in new ideas of better working environments for employees. Implementing more natural lighting in the design of the plant provided workers more comfort and energy to continue production throughout longer shifts. This building revolutionized the working environment for many factory workers. Ford plant in highland park was built for the purpose of improving employee comfort and maximizing productivity.

       With the introduction of Henry Ford’s grand assembly line, I believe that this building has made the biggest impact on our environment. The enormity of the plant allowed Ford to make most of the models at one location rather than having products transported to different buildings, and potentially adding more cost to production. This building type definitely added to our social understanding of a working environment of mass production. Kahn’s ideas for the ford plant created the building blocks for industrial architecture in America. An example of this building style that I can identify in my hometown would be the Matthew 25 Ministries factory in Blue Ash Ohio. This building is very spacious, similar to the ford plant and the overall design of the factory also caters to workers of all ages that come to volunteer for the organization.

Welcome Week Post

My first impression of Ohio State was that the campus was absolutely amazing. When I set foot on campus for the first time, I just knew it was the school for me. This school is filled with plenty of new people to always meet and new areas to explore. I truly value the the perfect balance of green space and city life that this campus offers. Personally, I really enjoyed welcome week and all its events. I was able to quickly learn how lively and upbeat this campus is.

Welcome week was a great way for me to get acclimated to the college environment. During this time, I was able to chat with many of the faculty members and learn things that I never knew about Ohio State. Eventually welcome week dwindled down, and it was time to start classes. My classes were very much similar to what I had originally expected. I predicted that I would have to constantly use my time wisely, and that became very true. I know it hasn’t been that long ago since I left my family in Cincinnati, but I can honestly say that I consider this University as my new home.

I’ve been so lucky to have great roommates that make this new environment felt like a home away from home. With the wide variety and diversity that this student body has, it’s almost impossible not to learn something new everyday about a different cultures. Thanks to all my new friends, it has been incredibly easy to adjust to my new life and schedule away from home. I know that I’m going to enjoy everything about this campus and this year.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Columbus To Do List Part: 1

The location that I decided to explore with my friends is Mikey’s Late Night Slice. This restaurant was listed under the food trucks section of events. I decided to select this location because I loved the idea of eating pizza from a food truck. When it comes to attending this food truck, I’m really looking forward to experiencing the food and the atmosphere. A major deciding factor for this location was the price of the pizza. Out of all the places that we looked at, this pizza food truck was the cheapest. It might seem a little silly that cost was our deciding factor, but money is your main tipping point when you’re a college student.  I’ve also heard from some friends that it’s a nice place to go and hang out, so I’m deciding to take their word for it.

My hope is that they have a unique variety of pizza since they are open late at night. I also hope that this assignment helps me to explore this new environment that I live in. I’ve seen lots of different stores around the short north area, but I’ve never had an excuse to actually go inside of them. This assignment will also be a great way for my roommates and I to bond over some pizza. Back in Cincinnati I loved to drive around late at night and explore new place, so I personally feel like this assignment will do me a lot of good. Another location that I’ve visited was Goodale Park. Goodale Park was an amazing place to go with friends because of its welcoming environment. I highly recommend the park for anyone that’s looking for a nice outdoor location to relax at.