The strengths I received from the StrengthsQuest test, in order, were:
Achiever
Developer
Harmony
Positivity
Arranger
My first strength was Achiever, meaning that I work hard and take great satisfaction from being busy and productive. This strength is definitely advantageous as an engineering major! My second strength, Developer, means that I recognize and cultivate the potential in others. This is helpful in regards to group projects, as I enjoy to help my teammates improve. Harmony was my third strength, which entails that I don’t enjoy conflict and would rather seek areas of agreement. My fourth strength was Positivity and this means that I am enthusiastic about what I do and am happiest in being my true self. My final strength, Arranger, indicates that I like to organize and maximize productivity, which is also very advantageous to have as an engineering student with an intense workload.
Coming to Ohio State, I knew there was an overwhelming amount of clubs and organizations to get involved in! The Involvement Fair on the Oval left me even more excited to try new activities and meet new people during my first semester of college. The club that I have been most involved with here on campus is the women’s club water polo team. I was a competitive swimmer for twelve years, and played water polo for four years during high school. Because of this, I thought joining the club team here at Ohio State would be a great experience, and I was definitely right! So far this semester, water polo has been a great activity for me to be involved in throughout the challenging transitions and hardships of the first semester of college. It has been a great way to have a fun, healthy break from studying and stress. Water polo has provided me with awesome, encouraging friends who I can look up to and come to for help or guidance with anything. It requires me to be responsible and manage my time wisely. I am thankful to have found such an amazing club to help me through my first semester at Ohio State, and I am excited to see what else it has to bring for the rest of my time at Ohio State!
For the week of October 31st, 2016, I was named player of the week! Here is why my teammates and coach believe I earned it:
“Our player of the week for this week is freshman Lauren! She has proven herself quickly by making practice a priority and having great attendance, always asking questions to better herself despite her previous experience of the sport in high school, and always challenging herself in the pool by doing things outside of her comfort zone! Congrats, Lauren! We are excited to see you continue to grow in this sport!”
Being a part of this team inspires me to work diligently to achieve my goals! In addition to improving my skills as an athlete, club water polo has taught me that success only comes with hard work, which can be translated to any aspect of my life, including my academic career.
[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]
[ “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.” 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” 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.]
For my senior year of high school, I decided to be a part of a brand new class called Voice of Witness. The class was inspired by the passing of a beloved teacher, whose kind, empathetic heart forever left a mark on every person she met. However, the word “class” is not the word I would use to describe this life-changing experience. Not only was I, along with fifty-nine other peers, a student, but an interviewer, editor, and author. We spent the school year interviewing our fellow peers, staff members, and other members of our diverse high school community and collecting their life stories. Our main goal was to spread empathy throughout our school and beyond, by spreading an appreciation for the multitude of backgrounds, hardships, and lives that belong to the people we are surrounded by every day. As interviewers, we recorded and transcribed all of our interviews. We then took our transcriptions and turned them into a coherent, well-organized story, portraying the struggles, achievements, advice, and life of our interviewees. After countless rounds of editing and perfecting, the collection of all of the stories was bound together in one single book entitled 111th and Roberts: Where Our Stories Intersect. Going into this class, I did not know what to expect. I knew we would be writing and publishing a book, which immediately drew my attention. Throughout the year, I became more and more satisfied and honored to be a part of such an amazing experience. Holding the book in my hand on that long-awaited day in May symbolized all the hard work and achievements we gained throughout the year. I took a huge step out of my comfort zone, interviewing people on the phone and in person who I had never met before, asking them for the story of their life. I learned how to be an effective interviewer and know what questions are appropriate and when to ask them. I further developed my skill of time management through the hours of transcribing and editing. Above all, as quoted from page seventeen of 111th and Roberts: Where Our Stories Intersect, “In the beginning, we all thought the book was the goal. The book alone would change things, but we realized the book is only a beginning, not an end result.” Although the book may be a tangible representation of everything we worked for that year, the true achievement was something intangible. We had the conversations that changed the lives of those involved. We sparked an interest throughout our community to take the time to talk to and empathize with the people around us. We inspired people to keep everything in perspective. This book will always be “an open invitation to continue to share those stories and the stories we all have.” Personally, this book holds a special place in my heart. It taught me way more than I expected it to, and most importantly, continues to inspire me to focus on what is truly important in this life.
For more information and a deeper look into our journey from the first day of class to an official, published book, visit:
Lauren DeAngelis is a first-year Environmental Engineering student at The Ohio State University who also plans to minor in Spanish. She is from the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She is passionate about her family, friends, and faith. She believes the relationships you build over time are important in everyday happiness and academic success. She aspires to make the most out of her college experience by getting involved and participating in as many events as she can while still working hard to do well in the classroom and earn a degree in engineering. Her goal for her future career is to be able to work to improve society and our world, wherever the engineering degree gives her that opportunity. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys swimming, water polo, and making memories with her family and friends. She is also dedicated to service, as she has been on multiple mission trips to different places in the United States, experiencing the different lives of those less fortunate than most and striving to make as much of a positive impact on their lives as they do to hers. One program she is involved in at Ohio State is the Humanitarian Engineering Scholars program, where she enjoys the opportunities presented to give back to the Columbus community. Aware of the fact that time flies by, Lauren is confident that she will enjoy her years at Ohio State and will be able to say they were some of the best in her life.
