Posts

A Sophomore Year in Review

I’m a junior now with graduation just around the corner. These past two years have just flown by; they weren’t kidding when they say college goes by in a blur. Sophomore year seems so long ago…yet also just yesterday. Quarantine has given me a lot of time to reflect on the past year, the highs and lows, the tears and triumphs, and I’m going to put some of those reflections into words here.

To be honest, sophomore year was not a blast. If I were ever to be asked about what year I’d like to redo in college, I would point to my sophomore year without hesitation. Going in I had such high expectations for myself; I wrote a list of things I wanted to accomplish: get involved with a cultural club and explore my roots, start research with a professor, ace my exams, become an executive member in a club, and volunteer within the Columbus community. Unfortunately, the year didn’t go exactly to plan.

What went wrong? Well, I can’t really pinpoint the one thing that pushed me off track; it was more like a series of bad habits and unhealthy choices. But even though I may not have experienced the year I wanted to, the year I had still taught me a lot.

In recent years, I have found myself wanting to learn more about my background and cultural heritage. I took a placement test to begin Chinese courses; I attended meetings for CASA and APIDA; I even joined an Asian youth group. In the end, I never found the space in my schedule to sign up for Chinese, and COVID has made meetings difficult. But instead of taking Chinese classes, I began watching and listening to Chinese movies and music. Instead of relying on Zoom club meetings, I turned to my family and international friends to learn about how they grew up. In times of social distancing, I know I still have these resources to widen my global awareness.

For the past few summers, I have been performing research on brain stimulation at a nearby air force base. The work was difficult, but I learned about the ups and downs of the research process. Even though I didn’t manage to connect with a research mentor on campus, I have grateful to have the opportunity to continue with my research with the team at base. I will look for remote research opportunities from OSU, but if that doesn’t pan out in these uncertain times, I will continue research with my base mentor.

To challenge myself and to explore other courses, I opted to take CSE 1222 and MATH 1172 on top of my course load for biology and art. Unfortunately, this endeavor did not pan out well as the rigorous coursework and ensuing pandemic left my GPA a little worse for wear. Despite these losses, I am grateful for the wake-up call that told me my previous studying strategies and habits weren’t working. I was able to take time during the quarantine to review notes and create a new study plan that I hope will provide better results as I take on more challenging courses like RELSTDS 2370H, ACCAD 5001, HISTORY 3365, all classes I hope will broaden my academic knowledge.

During my first semester at OSU, I had the honor of joining the Boo Radley Society, a service-oriented club, as a general member, and then a captain. It was fun working alongside like-minded friends with the same goal of spreading kindness. Learning from fellow captains and leading my own group contributed to my understanding of what it means to be a leader. While I wasn’t selected for an executive position this past year, I am still grateful for the leadership opportunity I was given. I hope to continue to improve my skills as a leader and will try again this coming year.

I was involved in Semester of Service during which I volunteered with Mozaic, a safe space for the trans community. While it was only for a short period of time, I learned a lot about a community I never had the chance to interact with before. Because of the pandemic, it’s been hard being to engage with the community like that again. Even so, I hope to find online and remote opportunities that will teach me more about my community.

While my sophomore year was full of deviations from the initial plan, it still gave me different experiences that contributed to my growth.

 

 

 

 

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.

Global Awareness:

In the coming summers, I hope to participate in study abroad trips to different countries to experience different cultures. Ideally, I would love to be able to be able to go to China to teach English. On a recent trip to visit family in China, I realized that I had been missing out on a diverse and colorful culture. That trip opened my eyes to the fact that there is so much for me to learn and experience.

Original Inquiry:

I hope to apply to STEP in order to fund a research project in environmental science or to pursue an artistic endeavor.

Academic Enrichment:

I plan to take rigorous honors courses to enrich my academic experience.

Leadership Development:

I am currently a member and a captain of the Boo Radley Society. I hope that I can continue being a leader in not only the Boo community but other clubs as well.

Service Engagement:

I plan to go on at least one Buck-I-SERV trip in the next three years. In addition, I will continue working with the Boo Radley Society and try to volunteer with other organizations.

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

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  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.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique.  Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. 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.]