Final Reflection

This semester has been the most challenging yet most rewarding period of my life.  My biggest challenge was being okay with things being uncomfortable.  I addressed this through personal prayers for strength and encouragement from my family members.  Through my Exploration lectures, I had the opportunity to explore the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Human Ecology and Education, and Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.  I chose these colleges to explore because I wanted to learn about which major and minor combination would be a good fit for my dream of getting into Speech Language Pathology school.  I still believe that the Speech and Hearing Science major is the best fit for me after these lectures.  However, I now am considering a minor in Education also.  The most beneficial part about attending lecture was being able to ask someone face to face questions I had about the colleges.  The only complaint I had about the lectures was that I wished they would have covered scheduling more in depth because it was still a very overwhelming process.  I think Speech and Hearing Science fits my strengths because I am a helper and better at science and math.  I enjoy studying about why things work the way they do.  I also have a huge passion for helping people, especially children.  The Speech and Hearing Science major will set me up for achieving my goal of eventually being a certified SLP.  A career as an SLP would combine everything that I want in a career.  Next semester, I want to officially declare my major with the help of a Speech and Hearing Science advisor.  Overall, there is not much I would change about my first semester.  It did have its ups and downs.  However, these challenges have forced me to grow in ways that I never would have expected.  If I could tell myself anything, I would say that it’s going to be okay.  I am excited for the rest of my future here at Ohio State.

Informational Interview

I had the honor of interviewing Karen Stevens on October 12th, 2017.  She is an occupational therapist for the Oakwood school district.  I spent the whole day with her and asked her a few questions.

 

KB: What is a typical work for day for you?

KS: For me, everyday is very different.  I float between multiple schools in the district.  At all of the schools, I take the students out of their classrooms and work with them.  The treatments I give depend on the child’s disabilities.  Most of the time I’m working with them on their fine motor skills like handwriting.

 

KB: What qualities do you think a person needs for this occupation?

KS: A big one is flexibility.  Treatments might not work well for some people or teachers won’t be happy about you taking the kids out of the classroom, so you have to be able to just go with the flow.  Being compassionate and loving helping people are also obviously very important.

 

KB: What has changed in this field throughout your experience in it?

KS: In the medical side of occupational therapy, the overturn of patients has increased.  People used to stay in hospitals longer, so you would see them for longer. Also, the amount of paperwork that has to be done has increased.  Neither of these have had huge effects on me, but they definitely have been changes.

 

KB: Do you ever do anything related to work at home?

KS: I do some preparation and paperwork at home but not a ton.

 

KB: What is the best part of your job?

KS: I  love how rewarding my job is.  I have seen many of my past students out in public doing well.  I know that I cannot claim all of the credit for their success, but it a great feeling seeing them.

 

I knew that my cousin Lynn was an occupational therapist, so I emailed her first.  She actually now works more from the management side, and she thought it would be more beneficial for me to observe someone who still gives actual therapy.  Lynn recommended Karen to me because she thought she would be a good, local option.  I really enjoyed my day with Karen.  Talking with her made me realize that I would love a career in the therapy field.  Now, I am almost certain that I am going to major in speech and hearing science.  I was shocked to hear about how the career has changed over the years.   I think I need to job shadow another occupational therapist in the hospital setting before being able to make a confident decision.  For me, the speech and hearing science and pre-OT webpages were very helpful with major exploration.  They gave me with knowledge about the courses that I needed to take as well as graduate school requirements.  Also, this semester I took the Introduction to Communication and Communication Disorders class which gave me a lot clarity on what the speech and hearing science major is all about.  Overall, I think this interview has really helped me out, and I am very grateful for it.

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

College Transition Lecture Reflection

           Transitioning to college has stirred up a variety of emotions for me.  Originally, I was worried most about leaving all my friends and family.  Now, I am most worried about the classes.  I am nervous that I will not be able to keep up with the pace of the content or that I will study the wrong things.  I am most excited about all the different opportunities that Ohio State has to offer here.  I am from a small town, so I am excited to try new things and meet new people.  In high school, I took AP and accelerated courses.  These classes taught me good studying habits that I think will help me in all of my classes here.  I am interested in College Mentors for Kids, OUAB, and the church H2O.  The advice from my exploration lecture to manage your expectations resonated most with me.  People always say college is the best four years of your life, but they do not mention that it does not start off as the best instantly.  I have been struggling with this, so that advice made me feel much better.  I am very excited for my time here at OSU.

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]