Reflecting back on my first semester at OSU seems weird. It doesn’t quite seem possible that a whole semester has gone by already. I definitely learned a lot this semester: Thompson library has good bagels, RPAC smoothies are sub-par, the oval is a peaceful place to study, etc. As for my fears, most of them are gone. I was a commuter student this semester and so I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get plugged in or that I would have a hard time making friends. I made myself try out new groups and clubs and because of that I felt connected. I ended up joining an all female workout group called Chaarg and I love every second of it. I also was afraid of how different college would be academically compared to high school, but at the end of the day I buckled down and survived that too.

The scholars program was a highlight of my first semester. It was a place where I knew I had friends and people that had something in common with me. The seminar once a week provided a nice break to my frantic schedule and also provided me with useful information about life, campus, and my future. The fact that I had to meet a certain amount of points was also useful because it pushed me to try new things. I got to experience things like the Greek and Italian festivals, I was able to read a new book (Inferno), and just spend time with the other humanities scholars. I would love to stay in the humanities program so I can continue to go to cool events and also I want to be a mentor group leader. My group leaders were incredible and I want to be able to do that for other first year students.

I’d like to spend more time with my family, but I always have to study.

I’d like to read more, but my schedule is always too busy.

I’d like to travel more, but I’m always busy doing schoolwork.

I’d like to workout more, but I’m bad at holding myself accountable to actually go.

I’d like to spend more time in nature, but I’m constantly doing things around the house.

I’d like to spend more time with my family, and I always have to study. So I’m going to include my family in what I’m studying and engage with them about what I’m learning.

I’d like to read more, and my schedule is always too busy. So I’m going to work on directly scheduling time into my day to read.

I’d like to travel more, and I’m always busy doing schoolwork. So I’m going to find opportunities to study abroad and make the most of my holiday breaks from school to explore.

I’d like to workout more, and I’m bad at holding myself accountable to actually go. So I’m going to have one of my friends become a workout buddy to hold me accountable.

I’d like to spend more time in nature, and I’m constantly doing things around the house. So I’m going to exercise my dog by taking her to the park or walking in the woods.

Grace Meredith

What’s my story? That’s a loaded question. But my story is a story of freedom, life, and redemption. I grew up in a Christian home with an incredible family. I went to an incredible church. I really loved the Lord. Then I went to high school. I quickly fell into drinking and partying. I lived a double life. I captained the soccer team, I was a valedictorian, I had a job, I was involved, I was friends with everyone – I was a really good kid. But I also got black out drunk, did wild things, lied to everyone but my friends about it, and was often angry.

I got to a point where I just wasn’t satisfied. Was it fun? Yeah, a lot of things of this world are. But I had no purpose, there was no meaning to my life, I didn’t have an identity that was rooted in anything, my friendships lacked depth and authenticity, and I was hungry for something more. I knew the answer was Jesus. So I ran back to Him. And the past two years He has taken me to places I never knew I’d go – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I did missions work for 9 months in Thailand, Guatemala, and Zambia. I volunteer in an inner city high school in Columbus. I pray and worship and dance on Ohio State’s campus. I’ve been set free from this world. I’m no longer bound. I love unashamed. I have experienced the deepest and wildest love – the love of Jesus. And I want everyone to know it. He’s the answer. My story isn’t my story – it’s His.

After completing my first full week at Ohio State there’s a lot to think about. I was definitely scared about finding all my classes, but that fear was quickly diminished once I downloaded the OSU app. Honestly, my next biggest fear is chemistry. I haven’t quite found the solution or determined how exactly I’m going to survive. My professor (Dr. Fus) has a lot of great options available to help you learn how to better study and review and even have a peer mentor who has experienced the same things you’re going through. I would say overall though my week was great! I met kids in our scholars group who I know I’m going to become super great friends with and I’ve even met kids from other scholars groups who I like! The fact I have the opportunity to meet kids my age from all over the country or even the world with so many different life experiences and stories fascinates me. It makes me excited to meet people and even try a bunch of new things. It was exciting to be apart of this campus because it’s sort of in my blood. My grandparents and parents and siblings all went here and it was finally my turn. I was raised in a family where I already felt like I belonged here, but it finally became official; I’m a buckeye.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the Humanities scholar program. I was excited because I love culture, language, theater, religion, etc., but I didn’t know how all of those passions fit into a scholars program. When I was flipping through the events calendar I started to impulsively circle all the events because I wanted to attend so many. The reality that my chem lab/recitation is in the evening quickly burst that bubble, but I was still overwhelmed with how many incredible things I get to do through the program. My expectations for the scholar’s program is pretty high and I know that the bar I’ve set will be reached.

[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 is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]