It was a gloomy day when Animesh and I met. It still is a gloomy day, we did meet today after all. Looking out my window, I was surprised at how wet the Earth had become. Living in Morrill is like living in a vacuum. There is no sign of the outside world other than the prison like window in the bedroom. When I saw the rain pouring gently, I immediately felt more tired. But I continued to button up my flannel and headed down to meet with him.
He sat by the study rooms and I was excited but nervous to start. Talking is not always my forte. But, I did have a nice list to read off of.
Sitting down beside him, I decided to jump right in. Reading off the list, I said quietly, “How did you decide on the major you have chosen.”
He went into a story about his first year, his interest in engineering, and the classes he took. It was all amazing. Throughout the discussion I learned more about him, and I was happy to do so.
I had learned a lot by the end of the interaction, where we finished off with a photo and parted ways. He loved participating in ENR by being a mentor and I learned his dream job was to be a rock star or a game warden in Africa.
To me, the most important thing I had learned was that education at the Ohio State University was what you made of it. Academics could outweigh your social life at times, but it is still important to have fun and enjoy clubs. Campus was full of areas to study, such as Thompson and the outdoors, but it was also full of clubs to join, such as the wildlife and fishery club that I never knew existed.
I had learned that some classes were going to be hard. For us, calculus was a class we both bonded over struggling with. I learned that it is okay to fail and to realize that I cannot be good at everything. No one can be good at everything. But through extra effort, we can learn to become better.
Animesh spoke passionately about how college changed how he viewed himself and worked. That introspection hit me hard and I hope to use that same type of analysis to understand who I am, what I want, and how I can remain motivated throughout my academic career. I also hope to implement his enthusiasm for his future and his major into my life. Work always seems so much easier when it is something you are passionate about.
While he did not have many classes directed towards his FABE major, I could tell that he was passionate and informed about the topics he wanted to study. It was an amazing time learning about such an unknown major, for me, and I was so excited that he too was excited to share his experience.
Overall, it was an amazingly informative and fun experience. Had it not been for ENR, I may have never met such an intelligent individual.
