Year in Review

I think that over the course of this semester my scholars program has provided me with opportunities to develop personally. This being in the areas of personal emotion and how to regulate it. The first time that this really came to pass was the week that we had Dr. Maryanna Klatt come to speak to us during our weekly meeting time. She did a talk over over wellness going much more beyond physical wellness into mental wellness. She discussed topics of mindfulness and mediation which had been something that I had been interested in for some time. Hearing this topic from her and everything that Ohio State offered in relation to it made me realize that I was able to pursue this fascination here. It made me explore the different classes and minors that Ohio State has to offer and in the end actually made me change my minor all together. I ended up because of this meeting switching to minor in the biological basis of behavior as it would give me the scientific background as to how emotions work. This would in turn allow me to see and understand an important aspect of my life and enabling me to apply the knowledge I would be obtaining into my pursuit for mindfulness and emotional intelligence.

The biggest life lesson my involvement has taught me is the importance of genuine relationships. This was forged through the numerous events and activities we have all done together and how we as a program stress the importance of communication and leadership. The leadership class my freshman year was the first time these topics were ever introduced to me and over the course of the two year program they have time and time again rang true. I have seen how being a leader has affected my student organization involvement and how effective communication has allowed us, as scholars, to get through difficult tasks whether that be beating challenges at team building camp during welcome week or even when finding a phone that had been dropped off of a cliff. While these topics and moments allowed us a group to grow they really caused me to flourish individually. This being because these ideals forced personal growth as I was pushed outside of my comfort zones in many ways which I will be forever be thankful for.

Coming into DSWS freshman I was someone that was very sure of himself, one track minded and that only wanted to achieve getting to graduate school. I was in all honesty kind of self-centered but because of my experience in the program and how I have been able to grow I am now no longer that way. As I leave DSWS I am still proud of myself but in a different way. Before I was proud of what I was accomplishing academically but now it is because of how I am able to touch peoples lives and how working hard will allow me to better others later in the future. Now I am not only focused on school but how I can personally develop in turn allowing me to better be able to empathize and relate to others. Finally, as I leave I can honestly say that my goal is no longer about me but focused on others. My time here has changed me greatly and because of it I want to work to better others not myself and I will always be thankful for the personal change that this program has caused within me.

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Cold brew coffee in a cave during the second year retreat

Introspective leadership developement

When coming into the Dunn Sports and Wellness program I expected and received a strong community of like minded people. However, what I didn’t see coming were the leadership opportunities and the personal development that would change who I am becoming today. In my first semester at Ohio State we went through a leadership development course where for the first time I was challenged to look at myself introspectively. I was told to asses my strengths and weaknesses which up to that point in time I didn’t even know about myself. It was something that helped teach me who I was and where I needed to improve. After the assessment it was brought to light that while I was very much so a person centered around logic and meticulous thinking that I lacked more developed abilities in building relationships and fostering growth in those around me. This really allowed me to see who I was then and set in motion a process to become who I want to be. Seeing this made me want to work on these areas so I began to take steps to do so. I decided to become a mentor in my scholars program and even joined student organizations where I ran for office which is something that would have normally been outside my comfort zone. This also allowed my leadership qualities to flourish as I began to develop better relationships with those around me. Without having the opportunities that this program has offered me I wouldn’t be becoming the leader I someday want to be whether its among my peers or in the workplace.

Year in Review

One of the most memorable moments from the beginning of school was definitely taking my first round of college level midterms. I had taken college courses all throughout high school but being offered through my school itself they still to me always ended up seeming to just be another high school class. It wasn’t until September of this past fall semester that I realized it was now a whole new ball game. They were so much more difficult as the questions were really in depth and were trying to push at whether or not you actually knew the information, not just how well you could memorize a piece of paper like in High School. It honestly shook me as during this time I received my first C ever on a test. It made me reevaluate how I was learning and forced to me to change my habits. It first started by having to actually sit down and read the textbook. After these exams I realized that for me to learn the information I had to read every page and take notes on them as well. On top of that I had to view every power point and that was for just classes that didn’t have any applied math. For those, such as chemistry, it took effort beyond reading as I had to additionally do practice problems to learn how questions were going to be asked. It was one of the hardest things I have have had to do but it taught me the value of hard work and that the long nights and hours studying pay off on the grade card and eventually will pay off as I look to shape my future.

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.]

Artifacts

The image linked and or shown above comes from Thompson library at the Ohio state University. It is a picture from the grand reading room, which just so happens to be my favorite room on all of campus. It is something that is important to me for many reasons. First off is because of its beauty. To me it seems to be a very classic looking room with all of the wood work, and ornate artwork that is done in the molds on the walls and ceiling. It screams sophistication and age which are to great things I link with Ohio State. The university is amazing and has over time become one of the best , in my opinion, in the world and this room specifically is just one way that the university shows this historic character off. The second reason I like it is because to me it represents a tremendous opportunity to learn. Not only is it surrounded with books but with people and these are people that are trying to achieve academically and make a difference in the world. So I see this as a hub for those of us in the beginning of our academic journeys, as a spot where can get out feet underneath of us and take flight with all of the possibilities that this University has to offer. It has always been a go to spot for me whenever I need to hit the books or when I just want to sit back and marvel at the the fact that I get the chance to go to college and continue to learn. So overall it just encompasses the beauty and marvelousness of such a great place to learn, live, and thrive.

About Me

My name is Miguel Disbennett and I am from a small rural farming town that is located approximately 30 minutes east of Columbus. Growing up in a small rural area a strong sense of community became very important to me from a young age. Being able to communicate, problem solve, and work alongside the others became parts of my personality. These traits were instilled in me and have become core values to who I have shaped into today. While in college I hope that I am able to reach a true sense of independence and be able to leave knowing I can make it on my own. I also hope to achieve substantial growth through learning in the classroom, doing research, and being involved all around the university. I am in college to pursue a higher education in the field of study that interests me so that I can use it to not only help myself but to help others. I hope to have the opportunity to be engulfed in knowledge on these topics and to take away information that will stick with me for all of my life. While in high school I developed a love for music as I was a part of band and choir. I participated throughout my freshman year but it ended up being something that I put aside to be able to focus more on my academics. Aside from music I became interested in science. This all started my sophomore year when taking Anatomy and Physiology. It had been something I thought would be a cool subject that then turned into a passion after getting to dive into the course and really see what it was all about. This is what shaped me to originally pursue a Bachelors degree in exercise science with a minor in human nutrition. However, throughout this year past year I learned that my real passion was Biology and that is why I have switched to majoring in Microbiology. I hope this education helps to grow my passion for science and that it really lets me dig into all of the amazing opportunities that Ohio State offers to really make a difference in the community and someday in the world. Aside from academics I also hope to contribute to the OSU community by getting involved in student organizations and volunteering my time to help others on campus but also to help those in need of assistance in the community and around the world.