Event 2: IA Alumni Presentation (Academic)

On September 11th I attended the IA Alumni Presentation about a Jacob Caproni’s research in Rwanda. The topic of his research was the after effects of the Rwandan Genocide. The presentation was conducted in the Glass Classroom in the Smith Lobby and there were about 30 people in attendance from my best estimate. Jacob began the session explaining who he is, his major, and why he went to Rwanda for research. Then he gave a brief history of Rwanda going all the way back to precolonial times. When he asked the room if anyone knew about the Treaty of Versailles and how it pertained to Rwanda and its genocide. My hand shot up and I knew this was the moment I’d make my sophomore year AP Euro teacher proud. After I answered the question Jacob joked, “hey you wanna come up here and teach the rest too,” in a humorous manner. Lastly he went explained how he got into the program and how other students could get research opportunities like that. One of my highest rank goals for college is to study abroad and due research abroad. I ate this information up and I’m always looking for opportunities to get overseas. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be in Rwanda myself or some other new horizon.

Event 1: The Greek Festival (Social)

On August 30th I went to the annual Greek Festival in Columbus and had a fantastic experience! Before hand, around 15 other students and myself had signed up for a paid for dinner at the Happy Greek restaurant on High Street. Afterwards we walked to the Greek Festival and I got to meet up with some of my friends who didn’t sign up for the dinner. At first we watched in awe young children dance to traditional Greek music before getting on the dance floor ourselves. We tepidly inched our ways into the main courtyard where everyone was dancing until one of the older festival participants took Naman and I by hand. She began to walk us through the foot work of the dance and after some time and some sweat we started to get the hang of it. Being an Anthropology Major and a member of IA, this was an ideal cultural learning experience. One of the chief tenants of modern Anthropology is participant observation, actually getting involved in the culture in which you were studying. I tried my best to participate by dancing, eating Greek desserts, and conversing with guides about the church mosaics. I believe this event was a chance to dip my toes into the pool of learning from people who practice cultures I know little about. I learned that you don’t have to be scared to join in and ask questions because people are often willing to share the things that bring them joy. I’ll never forget the two smiles the women had when they were teaching us to dance. The first smile was in humor about how hard we tried at first but we still hadn’t gotten it down. It was the smile parents give their children when they mess up in some goofy way. The second was a smile of joy and adoration after we really got into the groove. The smile of a parent immensely proud of something their child has done.

 

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.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. 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.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

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

[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.]

The Ballad of Hayden Bidinger

Read here for a story

But not one of grand glory

About a boy afraid of boring

Who’s life and charm you may end up adoring

 

Hayden is his name

He came from the city of Wrigley game

At home he would say

“O’ despite this big city

My stagnation is a pity

How can I brighten my day?”

So to escape life so lame

He came to OSU to change up the same, same

 

But the boy’s heart lies else where

He dreams to travel where other’s wouldn’t dare

So he joined IA

To help him find his worldly way

 

Through trials and tribulations

Heartaches and pain

There is nothing that can make Hayden’s energy wane

For it’s charged with love and fascination

 

This rhyme may be ending

but Hayden’s story has just begun

Thank you for your ear’s a lending

now see the pictures of Hayden having fun!