Year in Review, 2017

In my second year here as a Dunn Sports and Wellness Scholar, I was again reminded how this program lives out the legacy of its founder, Mike Dunn. Though I never met this man, I feel like I have. As DSWS members, we often hear his lessons carried on through people who knew Mr. Dunn. One of the biggest takeaway points from these lectures is his idea of “living your dash,” or making the most of all of the moments between your birth year and your last year on this earth. This program lives out this idea by exposing its members to a plethora or fun, lively and enriching activities. These activities won’t boost your GPA or make you any more money once you’ve completed them, but they will provide you with memories that, when you sense your dash is nearly through, will mean more to you than any transcript could. An example of one such activity this year was the second-years’ trip to Hocking Hills. We stayed in a beautiful log cabin, and though the trip was only a day and a half, it felt like a week (in the best way possible). We knew that our time together as scholars in the program was coming to an end, and that brought us closer than ever. We may not have gotten too much sleep that weekend, but we got to know each other even better and all in all had a blast. Mike Dunn would be proud to know that we were living our dash to the fullest that weekend. This is just one of many examples of the DSWS program focusing on fully living out that proverbial dash.

 

Year in Review

One memory I will be talking about occurred about two months after I arrived on campus. While we were asked to write on something that occurred in our first few weeks, this event is particularly memorable for me, and the first few weeks now feel like a blur! On October 25, I ran in the Ohio State Four Miler. My friend’s dad helped put on the race, and he offered me free admission into the event. As the race began and ended around Ohio Stadium, I had little excuse to decline this offer.

The popular narrative about student health in college is an unfavorable one. Having heard said narrative, I had some apprehension about becoming out of shape while living on campus. However, as I rounded the corner into the stadium to finish the race and saw my time, I knew that I could overcome the stereotype of college students disregarding their health.

I saw that my health was not dependent on my cross country teammates and coaches pushing me on a daily basis. Here I was, in a completely new environment, away from those aforementioned people, and thriving with respect to my health. Health has been a huge priority for me ever since I overcame being severely overweight in middle school. Thus, feeling like I had a grip on this part of my life was a huge weight off my shoulder. Having had a successful first couple months in the classroom, I could now say I was capable of holistically handling college.

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.]

Artifacts

When you walk into my study room, you’ll see a race bib with writing scribbled on it. This bib has survived the many times I’ve cleaned my room since that fall afternoon. The bib lives on because it represents probably my favorite morning of my Freshman year of college. The race was not just any race; rather, the jaunt featured famous former Ohio State football players and finished on the 50 yard line. For a life-long Buckeye nut like me, these conditions were enough to make the morning a special one. When you add on the fact that I ran the four mile race that morning at 5:45 pace, for a time of 22:59, the morning becomes a legendary memory.

The most rewarding races in my life have been the ones that didn’t come easily. No matter who you are, and how mentally tough you think you are, you’re always making a decision during a race. Do I want to coast to a decent time, or am I going to voluntarily torture myself in pursuit of greatness? I chose the latter option that morning. Looking back, I’m so glad I did. I finished 15th in that large race, placing among the extremely tall and athletic looking men garbed in all of the latest racing gear. I’m proud of that race because even though I had long-since retired as a interscholastic runner, I gutted out a very good time. To make matters even better, I got to enjoy the morning with a friend of mine who’s dad was involved in setting up the race. She had never seen me run, and receiving her congratulations was a great feeling. No feeling, however, can top the mental congratulations you give yourself after making the hard, and right, decision during a painful race.

About Me

I am from Worthington, Ohio, and my house is only a 10-15 minute drive from campus. I’m a business major, specializing in Human Resources. I chose this path because I know that a business degree provides you with a wide scope of opportunities in the job market. The Human Resources specialization seemed like a good fit for me because I enjoy and have skills in interacting and communicating with people. I enjoy working with others and employing my “soft skills” much more than I do working with numbers. I enjoy running, playing basketball, and exercise in general. I have an interest in brightening others’ days in any way I can. I try to be an optimistic and uplifting presence. Back at home, I live solely with my mom. We’re very close; I had her hand me my diploma at graduation! I have a great group of friends, many from my high school cross country team. I have 3 best friends, and we all enjoy watching and playing sports together.