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