I was recently appointed Treasurer of the Undergraduate Finance Association after an application and interview process. I am honored to hold this position next year and look forward to growing in this role next year. I will have the responsibility of managing the financial accounts of the organization, as well as directing the organization as a member of its e-board. I am very excited about this new position and am looking forward to growing my leadership abilities.

This past semester I had the honor of participating in the 2nd annual Accenture Innovation Challenge. I was put in a group with 3 other Ohio State students and we were tasked with creating and presenting an integrated solution for the case file provided to us by Accenture. The case was released to us the morning of the project. The case revolved around promoting better retention for millennial volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. We provided a broad array of solutions including an integrated Snapchat account along with “gameifying” the volunteer experience. Although my team did not win the competition it was a fantastic learning experience. I learned how to better work as a team in a professional environment under a deadline, along with practicing my presentation skills.

I completed a research paper overviewing the underlying causes and consequences of the period of “white flight” in Cleveland during the mid 20th century. I focused on analyzing why this major demographic shift occurred in such a rapid and extreme fashion, as nearly 250,000 whites left the city limits within 40 years. The socioeconomic catalysts behind the shift worked in both directions, having dire consequences on the black community in Cleveland. This research paper opened me up to a new perspective on blight in the inner city as well as analyzing why these dramatic demographic shifts occur.

As a final project for my Business Skills & Environment 2292 class, I prepared and completed a group presentation covering a business ethics evaluation of Apple Corporation’s decision to refuse the FBI’s request to unlock the iPhone of a perpetrator from 2015’s San Bernardino attack. The process of evaluating both sides of the decision and developing a sophisticated and concise view point on the matter was especially valuable in developing my own ethical view point. My group and I decided that we agreed with Apple’s refusal because of the snowball like consequences that would have followed in its wake in terms of personal privacy and world security matters. To add fire to our decision, when the FBI finally unlocked the phone after doling out in excess of $1 million to a private unnamed contractor, no valuable evidence or information was found on the phone. Completing this analysis, as well as presenting it in a concise and convincing manner, was a fantastic learning experience, providing me with practice for my ethical analysis and presenting skills.

My Millennium Goals Project focused on environmental sustainability in South America, more specifically Brazil. Our presentation provided detailed look into the background, objectives, progress, and future goals of the environmental initiative in the rapidly developing nation. The information we collected while preparing the project offered us a new perspective into the underlying factors that caused many of the environmental crises that Brazil and the rest of the world face today, along with the methods and policies that are being employed to curb them. My work on this project provided me with valuable learning experiences involving not only the development of a research profile and presentation, but also collaboration with fellow students. The value of this learning experience is in conjunction with the value of the information I gleaned my research, which spurred an interest in the environment that has led me to take a corresponding course next semester.

The Environmental Science Bite project, commissioned by my Environmental Science 2100 professor, Brian Lower, was a very fruitful learning experience. I had to write an abstract, prepare an extensive report, and peer review two other reports. This helped me develop not only my writing composition skills, but my ability to configure and present information that I have no previous knowledge of in a coherent and convincing manner.

The project involved writing a one thousand plus word article reviewing a specific issue affecting the environment and its systems. I chose the acidification of the Great Barrier Reef, a severe and well-researched issue that has been affecting the Great Barrier Reef since Industrial Revolution and the inhabitance of Australia as an industrial country

As an assignment in my Sociology 1100 course, I had to prepare a reflection piece regarding an article we were assigned to read and review, which went over Goldman Sachs involvement and lack of punishment in the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession. This is very relevant to because I have a special interest in the proliferation of corruption and developments that led to the crisis because I lived through it and saw the consequences on the community, national, and international economic well-being.

Another reason why this reflection piece was specifically relevant to me and my life is that I am a finance major at the Fisher College of Business.  The field I am planning to be involved after I graduate from the Ohio State University was heavily involved in the development of the Great Recession and the Financial Crisis. The creation of derivatives and other slimy business and banking processes by Goldman Sachs and related firms were directly involved with my major. The lack of punishment and responsibility faced by the elite of Wall Street and the finance community was particularly distressing, leading me to make sure I approach my future career with integrity and respect.

As an assignment in my Sociology 1100 course, I had to prepare a reflection piece regarding an article we were assigned to read and review, which went over astro-turfing, a concept that relates to the involvement of industry insiders in outside grassroots campaigns. This concept was particularly interesting to me because I have always had an interest in corporations and government agencies in the development and growth of grassroots campaigns. What seems like a naturally and authentically grassroots campaign sometimes was birthed as the child of a board room meeting or advertising firm.

The instance of astro-turfing I researched was a fake blog made by an advertising firm hired by Wal-Mart to improve the image of the typically ill-represented corporation to the public eye. The blog recorded a couples travels around the country in a RV visiting various Wal-Marts and interviewing the employees about their experiences. The interviews all returned generally positive reviews, which were obviously not authentic. I thought this issue was very interesting and reminded to be skeptical about the origins of ideas pushed by the media and to make sure I am cultivating my own opinions on various issues.