Looking back on this past year, so many things have happened. It’s crazy to think how much my life has changed since I started college here at OSU. Even though I haven’t completely committed to any club thus far, I’ve really enjoyed going to all sorts of different meetings; it still pleasantly surprises me just how many clubs and different interests are represented on campus. One of my personal interests that I’m pursuing at the university is learning foreign languages. Since the start of the academic year, I’ve been taking Chinese classes, and I am incredibly proud to know that I have gone from knowing little to no Mandarin Chinese to being able to speak and write it at an intermediate level.
Another interest of mine that I am so happy to have participated in this year is the Arts Scholars Program. I remember back when I was applying to OSU, I was unsure of applying for the program, but I am beyond glad that I did. Starting college without really knowing anybody was a really nerve-wracking thing for me, but thanks to the amazing community of this program, I was able to meet people with similar interests and make friends easily. Additionally, the program is a great gateway to not only explore local arts but the community of Columbus as a whole. The Short North Exploration trip the first semester was a great way to explore the arts hub and help us locate local galleries, and because of that trip, I was able to discover new artists (I love Jenny Holzer’s work, and her gallery was amazing!), and learn how to figure out the COTA bus system, which was something that I previously found quite confusing. Also I’m really grateful to Roman for doing the Columbus exploration segments of class, for I also learned about a lot of cool places in the city there too. Another part about the program that I enjoyed was the service opportunities. I went on the trip to socialize with the bunnies at the local rabbit shelter, which I wouldn’t have found out about otherwise, and I absolutely fell in love with them. In the end, there was so much to enjoy about my experience this year in the Arts Scholars program, and I’m excited to continue to participate next year!
Recently with the university switching to online instruction due to coronavirus, things have been a bit hectic trying to switch from school life to home life. It took me a while to adjust, but I think that due to this change in environment, I was able to improve my work ethic and time management, which is definitely a positive that I can use to help myself succeed next year.