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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness:By attending the university, I have a new appreciation for diversity and an individual’s unique differences. Before coming to OSU, I lived in a very urban environment where minorities were the majority of the city. Because of this, I have always been surrounded by people that were similar to me. With people from my city, I could always relate to them in some kind of way whether it was through ethnicity, the conditions we lived in, the violence in the area, the language in terms of “slang”, etc… everyone was relatable in some way. Attending the university and living in a new environment (Columbus, OH) for almost four months now, has opened my mind to realize that I am no longer placed in an environment where everyone is able to relate to each other. I am in a new environment with new people and the diversity especially at Ohio State’s large campus- means I have to make sure I am not being ignorant of one’s culture through my actions or words. By being at Ohio State University, it has taught me to educate myself and be more aware of accepting everyone’s unique differences.
  • 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:

    In my first semester of college, I was placed in a second-level Spanish course instead of taking Spanish 1. This was since I passed the first course through a placement test and received credit which was taken during my orientation. For my first semester, I took the Spanish 2 course. Although, it was a challenging course since I have not taken Spanish for more than a year and do not speak it at home. I was able to grasp the content of Spanish 2 but the Professor taught in Spanish which made it very hard to comprehend the material. After meeting with the professor multiple times, I was encouraged to meet with a tutor to practice my Spanish. Ultimately, I was able to practice Spanish and boost my grade in that class,

  • 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

Artifact #1: Lady of Justice Statue

The lady of Justice statue is one of my artifacts as it reminds me of why I wanted to be in law in the first place. In a sense, I desire to be the lady of justice, I want everything I do to bring justice to the people that deserve it. It is not fair how people are committing street crimes like theft of food or trespassing even when they are homeless and hungry but white-collar crimes committed by the wealthy still go unnoticed. This is the kind of justice I want to bring to the world and that statue reminds me of my purpose in life.

 

Artifact #2: My OSU Acceptance Letter

Getting acceptance into The Ohio State University has reassured me that I am capable of anything I put my mind too. Every time I look at my acceptance letter, I remember exactly why I am here and what exactly I have to do to successfully get to the next stage of my life. I remember that I need to stay focus and use the resources that OSU provides me with to get engage and create connections that will help me begin my career as a criminal defense lawyer.

About Me

Greetings, I am Ariana Cruz, a student at Ohio State University and welcome to my ePortfolio.  I am a first-year student studying Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies with aspirations of becoming a criminal defense attorney. My academic interests include law, math and science, specifically, biology and forensics. While in college, I have certain goals for myself while also obtaining my degree. One of my goals for college is to keep a high grade-point average, which is vital for getting into a good law school. Another goal is to give back to the community. I always felt it is essential to realize your blessings and to help those who may not be as fortunate as you. I am devoting myself to service back through non-profit organizations, food pantries or university clubs/organizations. My next goal is to obtain numerous leadership opportunities to practice skills that will further develop my character and will also benefit while applying to graduate school, jobs, interns, etc.. My last goal is to earn an excellent score on my LSAT and get into law school before I graduate. As I reflect on myself, I realize unique aspects that separate myself from others. I believe the aspects that I have learned before coming to college has already taught me skills such as leadership skills, professional mannerism and dedicated/ persistent that other college freshman maybe just now learning.