About Me

I am an 18-year-old first-year here at tOSU, and my current pre-major is Biological Engineering. I plan to get my Master’s after graduating, and I want to be able to apply my skills in a setting that will change the world for the better. In my spare time, I like reading, writing, and running, as well as playing video games and watching movies. I played trumpet in my high school’s marching, concert, and pep bands, and listen to classic rock, country, alternative, and old-school rap. I’ve also been involved in 4-H and FFA. In autumn of 2020, I will be serving on the HES Leadership Council, as well as a Peer Mentor for first-years in HES.

Attached: a picture of me in 4-H Shooting Sports.

G.O.A.L.S.

On October 20, 2019, my peer group went to Condado to get tacos. We left Drackett Tower a little after 6:00 in Dean’s car (which he is permitted since he lives off-campus), and were seated almost immediately when we arrived. We ordered on the menu cards provided, and none of us used our actual names, which was pretty funny. The atmosphere was really nice, and the tacos were quite tasty, even though I didn’t receive the refried beans that I ordered. We talked about random things going on in each others’ lives, including academic and relationship woes. I most enjoyed the deeper level of connection between myself and my peer group gained from just sitting down and eating together, spilling tea.

I learned some things about my peer groups, not least of which that our leader (Kaila O) is also a person that struggles with the same things we do in college. I also learned that Condado tacos, while expensive, are quite tasty and well worth the price. I would go back if given opportunity and transportation.

Character Alignment (VIA)

My greatest strength according to VIA is honesty, which is in the “courage” virtue category. I like to think that I am honest as much as I can be; if it’s going to be hurtful, I usually try to find another way to say something without masking the truth. I feel that honesty and communication are the key building blocks of any relationship (not just romantic relationships), and our relationships are what make life worth living. Honesty also builds into owning up for things you’ve done; taking credit when you deserve it and also accepting blame when it’s due.

My second greatest strength is perspective, which is in the “wisdom” virtue category. This one is all about being able to provide counsel to others and having methods of looking at the world that make sense. I am often someone that my friends go to for advice, and I almost always give the right advice, even if it is initially ignored. I do try to look at a problem from multiple angles before I give an opinion or course of action on it.

One of my other strengths is humor, from the transcendence virtue category. As someone who frequently gives advice and talks about touchy subjects with their friends, I also need to be able to lighten the mood, and humor helps with that. Laughter is a key part of enjoying life, and smiling feels good, too. Making other people experience those things brings me joy in my own life. I also try not to take anything too seriously, because that just detracts from one’s enjoyment of it. Some things aren’t meant to be enjoyed, but that doesn’t mean they have to pass without any glimmer of fun or happiness.

Judgment is another one of my strong traits, from the virtue of wisdom, and it ties into the two previous strengths fairly well. In order to give sound advice or have a decent perspective on something, you need to be able to weigh all the evidence in front of you in a reasonable manner and then make a rational decision based on that evidence. Similarly, sometimes things were not meant to be funny or enjoyable. A funeral would not be a good place to tell a knock-knock joke, etc. I don’t always make the right judgments for myself, but I am usually then able to create a secondary judgment to help me not be dumb in the future.

The last strength I’m going to talk about in this post is my ability to appreciate beauty and excellence. This, sensibly, is within the category of transcendence. I almost always am able to see what is going right in a picture, especially if it’s something I know about. This can range from a musical performance to a strategy in a game to just plain nature. I try to take time to look around and really look at what’s around me instead of just seeing it. This can often help clear my mind and put me in a better mood. There’s so much around us to enjoy, but we tend to stick to the same things; shaking things up by looking at something new is a good thing to do once in a while.

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.]

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

This is a picture of me with a shotgun during Shooting sports. The shotgun itself has value to me because it was my grandfather’s, and literally helped put food on the table when he was younger. It’s also extraordinarily light and fun to shoot, which I usually get to do the most during 4-H season. Shooting is one of the things that I enjoy and helps me relax, though you’d never guess that from my “about me…” After a long day or week, going out to the range and poking some holes in paper or shattering some clay disc’s would help me unwind and enhance my focus. I would often do my schoolwork a few hours after shooting, because it would give my brain time to recharge while still maintaining that sharpness and focus from before. In addition to this, I almost always tried to bring my academics into my shooting sports projects, enhancing my understanding and cementing my knowledge in that subject.