At the beginning of the 2015 school year, I started STEP, which is the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program for those who live on campus their second year at OSU. We were required to complete a Strengthsfinder test, and spent time discussing our different strong personality traits. I think I have become more confident in who I am as a person after participating in STEP, the International Affairs Scholars Program, and living in the Alumnae Scholarship Housing program.
My strengths test showed that I am a person who takes ideas and turns them into reality. I like taking action, meeting new people, and telling stories, sharing everything I learn with others. I have seen myself grow and mature in the past year professionally and with personal relationships. I did not expect to complete my first internship this year, but I did, spending five months writing for an independent publishing company. Commuting every week and taking the time to learn things in a different, professional setting introduced me to life after graduation. I learned how to communicate with many people of different careers, ages, and backgrounds.
This year, I have had more people open up to me and tell me their life story than I ever anticipated. Sometimes I asked people to share, and other times they started without any prompting. While I was on a spring break trip with my church group, one student I didn’t know very well told me the entire story of his life for three hours. After these recurring experiences and the work with my internship, I have been prompted to consider incorporating counseling or advising into my future career. I know that I want to work with people throughout the day and continuously interact with new individuals. Throughout various interactions I had the joy of meeting people who inspired me. I met a woman named Beatrice this year who has been traveling the world for her undergraduate degree, studying in Paris, at OSU, and then Cambridge. Meeting people of high achievement, with amazing goals for their lives encourages me to continue to follow my passions and dreams.
Among the numerous amazing experiences of this year, during my first semester, I experienced my first conflict with my roommate and I didn’t know how to solve the problem. She woke me up every night and I knew that her sleep schedule wouldn’t change so I tried to fix the problem myself by moving out. By the time we reached Christmas break, we hadn’t spoken in months, but I decided to talk to her and see if we could figure out a better system. I came back after break and we have since been on better terms and talk regularly. It was a big moment in teaching me about the powers of communication and how to work through issues with others.
Thinking back to my first year at Ohio State, it is unbelievable to see the amount that I have changed in a year. I am so happy to have made so many memories in my first two years and look forward to what the next two years of my undergraduate degree bring.