Several of the interests I have and programs I participate in align with the G.O.A.L.S. that OSU Honors and Scholars emphasize.

On the topic of global awareness, as a member of MSP and mentor on the Community service team of MSP I’ve had a wonderful experience interacting with people of different races, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, religions, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. Coming together in an environment that truly fosters inclusivity, social justice, and diversity is incredible. I strive to promote these core values in all aspects of my life, as representation is a crucial facet in seeing accomplishment and progress happen in our world. I also serve as a Collegiate Mentor for the Buckeye Student Leadership Program, in which we mentor seniors in high school that are minorities, from rural areas, and/or future first generation college students. We helped to inform these students on the college application process and give them the perspective of someone currently in college.

Within my major I have had numerous occasions of original inquiry inside of the classroom. For my criminology course I completed papers, one with a plan for effectively dealing with the homicide crisis in Columbus and the other evaluating the TCAP program designed to be an aide in the issue of overpopulation of prisons. Both assignments required me to think critically and put myself in the shoes of being a member of a task force actively trying to solve these issues. I also feel that this has given me a new perspective on thinking about many of the pertinent crime problems occurring in our society and added another skill to my repertoire. I’m also a participant in the STEP program this year. The main aspect of the program is creating a formal proposal to earn university funds in the pursuit of a topic of your choice. Additionally, the STEP program requires you to attend Personal Development Co-curriculars which range on a variety of topics, finish a financial wellness program, and attend an expo to view the completed projects by other students.

Overall, in many of the classes in my major I have had the opportunity to read several different scholarly articles and readings ranging from gender socialization to income inequality in America. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading court cases for my criminal justice class. Outside of the classroom, I had the opportunity to travel to D.C. over spring break of last year with Mount Scholars. We were able to meet with various institutions and interact with different government agencies and politicians. I even had the amazing opportunity of shadowing Congresswoman Beatty for a day. To expand my college experience and diversity of thought, I would love to study abroad while still in my undergraduate years. Study abroad gives an opportunity to learn more about a region of the world while also continuing to learn more about yourself. I also plan on doing research as a part of my degree to delve further into an area of sociology/criminology while learning more about research practices.

Mount Leadership Society Scholars has a clear focus on both leadership development and service engagement. In Mount we have different events that specifically foster leadership development, such as Mount Summit, retreats during the 1st and 2nd years, and biweekly meetings that focus on a set topic. Over the summer I assisted with orientation information sessions along with being a member of the summer planning committee for the Launch Week program, which we host for the incoming first years to help familiarize them with OSU and our scholar’s program. We also have many things that focus on service engagement, including monthly service projects that we participated in during our first year and a Year-of-Service project during our second year in which we concentrate our service in one or two service agencies in the community. I have the delight of working with Dress for Success, whose efforts are devoted to women’s professional development, for my year of service project.