In this first year of ENR Scholars, I have learned a wide variety of knowledge and have had a lot of interesting and fun debates. I have learned a lot of good survival knowledge such as how to handle different animals, weather conditions, and general knowledge of how to survive. However, I would say that the most important thing I learned what the history and early, key figures of the environmentalist movement and what each of them did to shape the modern-day movement. Learning about influential writers such as Rachel Carson and Aldo Leopold and what their writings did to inspire our leaders and people who are trying to save the Earth and its resources. Learning about the men who had the passion to protect nature and preserve it for future generations such as John Muir or Henry David Thorough.

This year I have learned the value of being outside and just relaxing in nature. The transition to college has been rough and very stressful. Being diagnosed with anxiety didn’t help much with trying to control my stress, while also dealing with school, relationships, and covid. Understanding the importance of enjoying nature and being present has helped me deal with this stress quite a bit. I also understood the importance of having time to set aside for yourself and just be alone. Whether it is in my room or the library or outside. It is essential to separate from people once in a while and get back in touch with your mind and thoughts.

I have learned a lot about relationships in the past year. This year I got into my first long-term relationship with my girlfriend. Understanding relationships without any prior experience is like understanding how to swim in quicksand. The harder you try, the more you sink. I had to learn how to let go and not try to control people in my relationships. Letting go and just accepting people is hard to do, but once you learn to accept people for their differences and love them despite the things that annoy you, you can truly love them and experience the relationship for all it has to offer.

My favorite memory from the past year is telling my girlfriend that I loved her. I had never told a girl “I love you” before and it was extremely special. She has been a blessing in my life, and I enjoy every moment I spend with her. She has taught me a lot about myself and relationships. Another favorite memory I have is going outside with all my friends and hammocking. We all just went out and sat, talked, and threw sticks at each other. (All in good fun and no one was hurt).

In the next year, I am looking forward to getting deeper into my major require classes and learning more about my major. After taking Intro to Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife, I have become more passionate about nature and can’t wait to get deeper into my field. I am also really looking forward to my summer job as a camp counselor and being outside all day. I am excited about meeting new people and having connections with people who share the same passion for nature as I do. This next year will be better due to Corona being almost gone. Hopefully, we can get back to the traditional college experience and feel like a normal college student. Until then, I will do my best with what I have. All and all, this has been a pretty memorable and exciting freshman year.

It has been a wild ride so far for my first of college. It’s hard to believe it’s almost over and that we will soon be sophomores. This first year of scholars was not traditionally taught, but I have still learned a lot. Something I learned a lot from was during our debate of different environmental leaders throughout history and what they did during their times. It was interesting to see what people thought of their actions and how they are seen today. It is really good to see that we know what those people did to influence our modern-day environmental movement and how we haven’t forgotten their legacy. Their contributions have not been lost to time.

This month I have learned how to deal with tremendous amounts of stress and how to deal with it. I have had a lot of pressure building from trying to get good grades, summer job searching, and maintaining relationships with those around me. It hasn’t been easy, but I have learned new tricks and methods of taking things step by step. I have especially learned the value of being outdoors but more importantly, being present in those moments. I know I will sound like a poet, but it’s true that feeling the wind on your skin or hearing the birds chirps or just the simple act of being in the sun is like therapy for the soul. It is the best way to relieve stress and I’m glad I have a hammock and warm weather coming my way, because every chance I get to go outside, you can be sure to find me in the trees.

This past month I have been dealing with trying to find my identity and purpose in the world. I know that that’s a heavy question and is crazy for an almost 19-year-old to figure out, but it has been weighing on me a lot. I just want to be able to say, “This is what I was born for and this is what I’m going to do,” but I know that it isn’t that simple. That what college is for and I know I will take some time, but I’m confident that as I get further into college that that purpose will come to me and I will be happy doing it.

Last week I was offered an interview to become a nature director at a summer camp and farm called Camp Procter. They are also an organic and sustainable farm that also hosts a summer camp for kids and their families. They are very focused on sustainable living and growing your food responsibly and sustainably. I am looking forward to interviewing for them. I would love to teach kids and families more about nature and everything in it. The staff that I have talked to so far seems like a great group of people who just as much of a passion for the environment as I do.

I look forward to seeing what this last month of school has for me, because whatever it is, I know I will make it through. I am also hoping for the best with the job at the camp. Wish me luck!

I wanted to look for jobs that were in the realm of field technician surveying and studying animals out in the field. There weren’t any that fulfilled all of the things that I wanted, but this is one that caught my eye as a good starting job into the world of being a technician in the field.

The job wants the applicant to have a diploma in environmental science and to have computer literacy and some previous experience with research. It does not go into depth about the skills needed to get this job, however, most jobs are extremely competitive which leads me to believe that they want more than just a baseline.

I will first and foremost need to finish my 4 years and get my bachelor’s degree. This itself will not be easy, but I will work hard and try my absolute hardest. I want to get the best GPA I can and receive as many accolades as possible. I will need to study a lot, get involved with groups, receive tutoring, and get guidance from academic advisors and teachers.

Throughout college, I will need to get as much experience doing fieldwork in any capacity. I want to work with animals and study them and get experience cataloging and surveying habitats and different animal. I will probably need to start small and work my way up in a lab setting. I could do this by asking professors if they would need any help and work as an assistant or just intern. After working as an intern for a while, I would try to get an internship or be on a research team at either the OSU Stone Lab or the wetlands lab on campus.

After gaining experience and learning-related skills I want to work at a larger level such as with a state’s parks system or maybe for the national parks system working to survey animals and the environment to ensure proper habitat and population to keep the ecosystem sustainable. For instance, I knew someone who worked for the Montana State Wildlife Department as a field technician. I would love to do something along these lines. Being out in nature and studying wildlife would be my dream.

In addition to these, I would probably need to get more experience with computer programs and especially with the systems they use. I would also need to get better at using Microsoft Excel. I am already proficient with a computer and know a little bit of coding with the JavaScript language. I am sure advancing my skills with that could prove very useful in that line of work as well.

In class, we learned more about climate change and discussed different causes and ways it affects us. It was interesting to hear other people’s opinions on how we could potentially solve our problems. It was also fun debating people. Speaking of debating people, the debate we had the first week was incredibly fun to be a part of and get to argue the opposite side of my opinion. It is always fun to hear people debate and just listen to their points and make rebuttals in your head.

I learned a lot about myself over the break and coming back to campus. I have gotten better at looking at my tasks one at a time instead of looking at them as a huge thing conglomerate. I can section off my time and assignments into small fragments that allow me to effectively get work done while also maintaining my mental health and not overwhelming myself. I have also learned that being by yourself and not having people around is essential to growing as a person. It provides you time to think, decompress, and meditate on your future goals and dreams.

Currently, I am struggling to get a consistent schedule that satisfies all the things I am juggling in my life. I want to have the time to work on myself and study, while also having the time to enjoy quality time with the people I care about. I am also struggling to understand who thought Calculus and more importantly, the Squeeze Theorem was a good idea to invent and apply to life.

I think I have achieved a lot over winter break in my personal life. Things like reconnecting with a family member, growing closer with my girlfriend, and working harder to improve my work and study habits. I ended the fall semester with a good GPA and considering how much I struggled, it was worth it to get that GPA. I cannot complain about January too much, it was a great start to the year considering 2020, but luckily that is all behind us and a brighter light is leading the way ahead of us.

Brayden Cross

I’m not going to lie and say that my transition into college has been easy by any means. The change in my life was a particular challenge for me and one I thought I was ready for. It turns out that I wasn’t prepared at all for the curveball life was going to throw at me. I knew the schoolwork was going to be hard, but with Covid making everything harder, it has been extremely difficult. It was easy making changes like having a roommate or getting up a little bit earlier than I normally do or learning a new classwork system like Carmen. However, the biggest change came in the ability to interact and attend class. I never thought I would say that I want to attend class, but I do, now more than ever.

I love the scenery from Morrill Tower and being able to live on the west campus. I enjoy the food more than I thought I would, and I enjoy all my professors. I have met a few incredible people including my roommate and suitemates and a few other guys and girls. Above all, I met my incredible girlfriend here. Although this isn’t traditional college by a longshot, the thought that I am a buckeye fills me with the hope that I will have a better sophomore year and on. I like knowing that the possibilities that await me in the future are bright and numerous.

I never really believed in college burnout and just thought that it was like normal burnout, but I have never been more wrong. In a post-Covid world, the motivation to do anything immediately plummets, and I’m left struggling to do even small assignments. Classwork is extremely hard to keep up with and it all just feels like busywork. I need to be in a room dedicated to learning for me to pay attention to. I find myself easily distracted and not paying attention to critical lectures and various other zooms. I also struggle with meeting new people outside my circle and feel like I am not making that many new friends. Hopefully, this will turn around more when we can socialize in person.

I have achieved a good sense of time management and being able to research things and find answers to problems I have. Having a roommate and several suitemates gives you good people skills and lets you socialize with new and interesting people. I have gotten better at being able to see the big picture and looking at things long-term instead of individual moments. Inversely, I can enjoy important or special moments, because I know that the good times this year are few and far between. I don’t mean to sound morbid, but with the state of the world and more specifically Ohio, it’s hard not to be a downer more often than not.

My goal for the spring is to change some of my habits and get into a slightly better groove. I also want to get a better hold of my grades and work harder on things I am involved in. I want to meet as many good new friends as I possibly can and spending as much time doing what I love to do. I also want to spend as much time as I can with the people that are important to me. Above all, I want to just enjoy life and not feel as hopeless as this semester makes me feel. I know things will get better; I just have to wait.

The topics we have discussed in class so far this month have been very interesting. I think recycling was the most intriguing. Learning what types of plastics Columbus and OSU do and do not accept has been very useful and essential knowledge as we do our part as students to create a more sustainable future. It was awesome to hear OSU’s plan to become more sustainable and how we can do our part as buckeyes. I also thought learning about the resources we have available to us, such as the Columbus recycling webpage, will help us effectively dispose of and separate trash in the future.

In the past month, I have learned how resilient I am and what I can overcome. I have learned that I need help with classwork and with understanding topics, whereas in high school I did not need as much. I have had to learn that there is no shame in asking for help and that it is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of wisdom.

There have been quite a few new challenges in my life in the past month, that I have never had to deal with before. Whether it is about schoolwork, family issues, or friends, I have had to find new ways to navigate them as I am growing into adulthood. I have had to learn time management and how to say no to some fun activities to study or catch up on work. I have struggled a lot with trying to figure out what to do with my future. I often get worried that I am running out of time to make a decision on my major and specialization, but I am reminded by people above me and my peers that there is no rush and that I have time.

I have been achieving good grades recently in all my classes and feel prepared for the rest of the semester. I have also been getting ahead in all my assignments and really decreasing the work buildup every week by getting it done as soon as the assignment comes out. I am more aware of when stuff is due and have made a good mental map and schedule of when and how to do my tasks. I continue to get close with my friends and have achieved levels in our friendships that I know will continue to grow. Overall, it has been a very good month, and hope that the next one is even better.

I interviewed Andrew Wilk for my alumni interview reflection. He is in his second year of his master’s program and is currently involved in studying the effects of wildfires on salamander populations in the southern parts of Appalachia. He majored in FFW with a specialization in fisheries and wildlife. However, he started out wanting to study engineering, but quickly realized he wanted to do something with biology. His switch to biology led him to his interest and an eventual switch to fisheries and wildlife, so he could play an active part in researching and helping animals. He shared about his time in scholars and talked about his friends and many fun memories he made while in the program. He talked about his involvement and internships in multiple wildlife and conservation groups and services, like the Water Quality Council for the city of Columbus or the Smithsonian Conservation and Biology Institute.

Andrew was exceedingly insightful into what the ENR core classes would look like and what you can learn from them. He talked about what resources could help prepare me for fieldwork and if I did eventually want to do research, who I could reach out to to get involved. He was involved in multiple clubs including Archery Club and OSU chapter of Fisheries and Wildlife Society, where he served as vice president for a year and president for another year. He stressed the importance of getting involved with clubs and organizations that can get you connections and insight into your desired field. He discussed the need to stand out to professors by being in clubs tied to SENR, asking questions in class, and by getting to know your professors. He was very helpful in helping me understand the professional and job world within the ENR majors.

I learned that it is incredibly important to shake hands and learn the names of as many people as I can, because you never know where an opportunity or job could arise. I should get involved with as many clubs, organizations, and research teams a possible over my four years here, to get my name out and to show my skills and passion for environmental science. It is okay to mess up in research or your job if you can receive criticism and react to it with integrity and modesty. Admit mistakes and do not be afraid to ask for help or clarification. It is better to ask for help multiple times and do it right, rather than mess it up and ask for forgiveness. I will try to put myself out there and get involved with groups and organization that I normally would not associate with. I also learned that when I interview, I should be confident, ask them question and be very formal. I should also know my resume very well and be able to answer their questions with ease.

Overall, I would say that my conversation with Andrew was extremely helpful in getting me more acquainted with not only the ENR world, but with scholars and how I can play a more active role within it, such as by being a mentor or by staying on LC. He was very wise and very enjoyable to talk to.