This past semester, which was my first semester of my sophomore year, I took a class that taught me very important lessons that I will use throughout my life. The class was Persuasive Communication, which I initially took, because it fulfilled my second-year writing requirement. However, this class quickly turned into one of my favorite classes at OSU!

In the beginning of the semester, we received groups with a social justice issue, my issue was the mental health of children and youth in Ohio. Throughout the semester, our group researched the problem and provided possible non-profit organizations that people could donate to to help solve this issue. At the end of the semester, out group presented a 50 minute presentation on the issue of mental health with children and youth and steps that could be taken to help solve this problem.

I learned many valuable lessons when working with my group. For instance, I learned that you need to find each group members’ strength and utilize those strengths. I also learned that communication in a group is vital in making sure everything runs smoothly. At the end of the semester, we found that our group was selected as the best presentation. This was an amazing feeling, because it made all of our hard work throughout the semester worth it. I selected a green ribbon as my artifact, because we handed out green ribbons throughout our presentation, as it was the color of mental health awareness for children and youth. The green ribbon reminds me of how the issue of mental health is an issue that needs to be solved in our society, and it reminds me of the teamwork that my group used throughout this past semester

Traveling and exploring the world is a goal of mine. I want to be able to see as many places as I can and get enriched in the cultures of other societies. When I was younger and I would travel to different states and to Mexico, I would bring an old, beaten up journal. Every night while I was on vacation, I would reflect on the day and talk about all of the memories that I experienced. It would be a great way to remember all of the activities that I did and all of the places that I went to.

Now, I am not great about journaling and reflecting on a day-to-day basis, but whenever I travel, I like to journal about all of the places that I see. It allows me to remember all the amazing events that have happened and put my emotions into something I enjoy. I definitely want to get better about reflecting daily, but my travel journal is a great tool to reflect in my quest to explore the world.

For me, it was somewhat difficult to stay organized growing up. There were a variety of events, practices and schoolwork that was going on that I had to keep track of. Often times, I kept the date and time of my activities and my due dates in my head, being able to remember them. Growing up, I got by through the use of memory, but coming to college, that quickly took a turn.

In the first week of college, I quickly realized that I had to thoroughly plan out my schedule to determine when things were due and the various dates of events were. I ran to the store, bought a $5 weekly planner, and I was on my way to true organization. I wrote out every meeting, every due date and every event that I needed to attend. It got to a point where I was so organized where I would plan when I would hang out with friends.

The few few weeks of college was definitely a time for self-growth. I learned that I needed to stay organized and on top of my work, a concept that can carry me through my entire career. I weekly planner proves as an artifact in the sense of organization as well as self development. It shows that I am constantly learning and trying to better myself for time life after college!

[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.]