As I sit in my dorm, listening to my music, I have realized that I have been staring at this page for over an hour. I’m terrible at these about me sections, but I have decided to use this space to reflect on who I am and who I want to become.
My name is Sarah Gartland and I am currently living in the Morrill Tower at the Ohio State University. It still feels so crazy to say. I never expected to feel at home on such a large campus, but no other school has made me feel as safe and confident as here. I am from Strongsville, a good two hours north of campus. I lived with my mom, dad, two brothers, a cat, and of course two dogs. The beagle, Brittney, who decorates the majority of my dorm currently is my little baby who I miss more than anything.
You could say I am a big momma’s girl, as everything I have achieved has been due to her support and her moral standings. I have become independent, thirsty for knowledge, and impatient to be the change that I want to see in the world. Just like her. This could be seen in my past academic achievements, in my volunteer work on an organic farm in Cleveland, and in my full time position I acquired at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in the Horticulture department (I was the youngest on the team at the time.)
I had been lucky enough to complete my freshman year of college in high school due to college credit plus. As a result, I am now able to focus intently on my major of chemistry and begin pursuing my minor in agriculture. I have so many plans academically that I wish to accomplish at OSU that I am worried that 3 years will not be enough for me to finish it all. However, I think that is simply my nerves getting to me.
My main goal is to begin research on campus with the aid of my professors. I have never had the opportunity to perform my own experiments, nor have I written a scientific paper from scratch. In the long run, I would like to work for a company that deals with agricultural and botanical chemicals. I plan to produce more environmentally friendly herbicides and pesticides. I am excited to work with professors who can begin steering me and encouraging me to achieve these large dreams. All of these things make me itch with excitement and I cannot wait to dive head first into the process.
I am also excited to become a more well rounded individual due to all of the worldly classes OSU has to offer. I cannot wait to expand my horizons, expand my network of friends, and use my newfound knowledge in my everyday life to create a better future.
I am balancing my time as an Environmental and Natural Resources Scholar as well. I love the environment, and I have a deep connection to protecting it. Throughout my years, I have found myself being drawn back outside and wondering how I could save its beauty for future generations. I believe ENR is my first step in creating the sense of leadership that I can use in the future to promote environmental activism. I am so excited to volunteer cleaning up the campus, to speak with others with the same thoughts, and to create a lasting impact that promotes the wellbeing of nature.
There are so many different things that I wish to accomplish, all of which takes time and persistence. It makes the world seem so large. But when I look over my shoulder I see my bunk mate typing away on her portfolio as well, with just as big of dreams and hopes. It makes me realize the world is just the right size after all.
