1st Year Reflection

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.

My First Semester at OSU

Overall, this semester has been great. New friends, new classes, new experiences; all good. If I had to talk about “fears” I had before college, the two that stick out to me the most are classes being too hard and not having enough food options (I’m vegetarian). These fears are long gone. I found that classes are not as “impossibly difficult” as my some of my former high school teachers used to lament, my grades are fine and honestly I’m less stressed about grades now than I was in high school (perhaps now I value the fact that I’m actually learning more than my letter grade). And as for vegetarian food options, I’ve found that I can get food at practically any place on campus. So far, my experience in the Arts Scholars has been quite positive. The community is great and I’ve got to do things I wouldn’t be able to do as easily had I not joined the program. Moving forward, I’d like to be a bit more involved in the Arts Scholars, maybe by submitting art for the next gallery we do.

Engage the Arts Topic Reflection

As an artist, I tend to gravitate toward bolder pieces, so it’s no wonder that both Jenny Holzer’s colorful installation in the Wexner Center for the Arts and the 2019 origin film “Joker” are my inspiration for my Engage the Arts Project.

I first came upon Jenny Holzer’s art installation during a trip to the Wex with my arts seminar group. The piece itself is a section of walls covered in loudly-colored wallpaper; on the wallpaper are various provocative paragraphs detailing opinions on issues in society. The bold colors were what first caught my attention, but the opinionated, unfiltered prose were what really drove my inspiration. Upon seeing the new blockbuster film detailing the origin story of Joker, I thought that the bold and unapologetic protesters in the movie resembled the human embodiment of the messages in Holzer’s art installation. This, and the fact that the director of “Joker” provided a realistic narrative that doesn’t shy away from mental health inspired me to blend both pieces (“Joker” and Holzer) in my project.

For this project, I plan on doing a digital illustration, for I have been exploring the medium quite a bit lately and would love to combine such great pieces of art on the platform.

My First Week at OSU

As my first week here at Ohio State University has come to an end, I can only think of how amazing the university is. Welcome Week was filled to the brim with tons of opportunities for students to participate in university life and feel more at home, and the effort that the university put into these activities made me feel more welcomed than I ever have at any school. The involvement fair in particular was incredibly impressive. Both ovals were filled to the brim with thousands of clubs, and it seems as if the whole university attended. Standing on the edge of the oval and looking into the sea of thousands upon thousands of people was definitely one of the sights that I’ll remember most about my first few weeks of college. In addition, the diversity of the clubs allowed me to find several that fit my interests perfectly. As a vegetarian, I was really hoping to find at least one club dedicated to that part of my lifestyle, and I was able to find two! This event in particular really reaffirmed the fact that OSU was the right community for me.

In addition to the involvement fair, the clubs on campus made sure to host plenty of fun events for students to help de-stress before classes started. I remember that I saw both a stand-up comedy show and an improv show, which was the first time I had ever seen either things performed live before, and they were both amazing! I had not laughed so hard in weeks! Additionally, this was the first week that the Ohio Union Activities board introduced Wednesday movie night, showing “Avengers: Endgame.” My roommate and I went together and had a great time, and we really appreciated all the free food that the club provided as well. I also found out that the Jonas Brothers will have a concert soon at the Shottenstein Center on campus, which I was fortunate enough to get tickets for both myself and my friend to go! These events definitely sparked my excitement for my future at the university.

Before coming to The Ohio State University, I had a lot of expections, some positive and some negative, for the university. As far as the negative ones go, I remember that I was worried that because the campus and student body were both so massive, I might have trouble finding a place for myself. However, that negative expectation was quickly erased by my experiences in the first week, and I was very pleased to find that the size of the university was not something to hinder me, but something to aid me in finding endless opportunities. As a whole, my first week here at OSU was a very positive and inspiring time, and it has made me excited for what is to come in my college life.

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.

[ “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 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.

  • 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 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.]