Reflection Essay

I’d like to say that I knew what I was getting into when I had decided where I was going to college, but I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me at The Ohio State University. I had no idea that I would get the opportunity to work with children and show them different experiments to develop their interests in the STEM—that’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—fields, or that I would eventually be the second chair tuba player of the Ohio State Wind Symphony. I have changed in so many ways since I started college, but I believe that these changes will help me to succeed in life.

After being admitted to OSU, I kept trying to find groups or clubs I could participate in on campus; I yearned to be a part of something meaningful. When I learned that I had been accepted into the OSU Scholars program, I was ecstatic. All that was left to do was to submit my preference of specific program. Yet, that seemed to be the hardest part. Being a double major in music and a science, I was torn between the STEM Exploration and Engagement (STEM EE) Scholars and the Arts Scholars programs. I knew I would be able to find friends in both, and be able to have new experiences that would allow me to grow as an individual, but I did not know which path to take. After what seemed to be an eternity of mulling over the decision, I came to the conclusion that since I was still uncertain of what STEM major I wanted to pursue, I would apply to the STEM EE Scholars program in order to aid my decision. Since Being accepted to the STEM Scholars, I have changed my STEM major three times, from Mathematics to Astronomy and Astrophysics, from Astronomy and Astrophysics to Physics, and then back to Astronomy and Astrophysics. I am glad to say that being in this scholars group has allowed me to investigate the options of each major and receive opinions of others on such majors. It has allowed me to explore different career options, as well.

I always knew that I would want to be a teacher someday. Whether I am or not, I will be content with my majors; however, if I am able to be a teacher someday, I will be able to convey to students the joys of STEM. I will do my best to explain the material in the way that the students will understand the most, in a way that will hopefully ignite a spark inside those who can someday see themselves becoming a STEM major. If I do not end up being a teacher I aspire to be a knowledgeable figure who can assist students, much like myself, in deciding what path to take in college.

Being in the STEM EE Scholars program has provided me the insight I had previously sought to be able to decide what path to take in furthering my academics. I believe that if I had not been a part of the program, that I would still be unsure about which major I should pursue, uncertain about what path to take in life. But because of the STEM EE Scholars, now I have a goal, a dream which I know is within reach.

G.O.A.L.S. Essay

Since I became a member of The Ohio State University STEM EE Scholars, I have been exposed to the G.O.A.L.S. of Honors and Scholars. Each one has played an important role in my first year on campus, but two have stuck out to me whilst studying at Ohio State. Since I am a student pursuing a double major in astronomy and astrophysics and music, I have been working towards enrichment of my academic career by broadening my fields of study. I have also been asked to create my own experiences and questions through original inquiry in order to learn about the world around me and how I play into it.

Being a double major, I have a lot of material I must learn in order to complete my studies. I must master topics in the fields of math, physics, astronomy, and music, and I must broaden my studies through various general education classes. I am a member of the OSU Wind Symphony and a semi-active member of the oSTEM club, and I am always looking to take part in new experiences. Over the summer I will be taking a class, Astronomy 4194, that will prepare me and other students to run the OSU Planetarium. This class will not only expose me to other people that are pursuing the same major, but will prepare me for running the planetarium whilst teaching me about new aspects of my major. Over the next few years of school, I will take classes from the various fields mentioned above, delving more in depth to gain a better understanding of the material I need for my majors. I will learn how the universe works and how to dissect it in order to explain it to others, I will learn new aspects of music that will assist me in becoming a better musician and student, and I will learn more about the world we live in so that I may grow into a respectful and knowledgeable citizen.

For both of my majors, I will be expected to ask questions and attempt to solve them based on what I already know. Regarding music, I will be asked how to improve my playing ability after recognizing what I can improve on, and then I must apply it to my everyday practice. Regarding astronomy and astrophysics, I will be presented with challenges every day that I must think outside of the box in order to solve, and then I must be able to explain my methods of solution. But in addition, I will also ask my own questions about the universe that we live in and attempt to solve them based off my own knowledge alone. When the time comes, I will be asked to write a thesis based on a topic of my choosing. Through original inquiry, I must find and develop my topic in order to show my level of mastery for my academic areas of study.

Whilst at Ohio State, I have been exposed to the G.O.A.L.S. of Honors and Scholars. However, they do not apply only to Honors and Scholars; I will continue to incorporate the different G.O.A.L.S. into my life, consciously and subconsciously, so that I can further my academic career and my membership in this world that we live in.

Artifact #1

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This year, as a double major with astronomy and astrophysics and music, I was given the opportunity, by audition, to be a member of The Ohio State University Wind Symphony. Through this experience, which only five other freshman were also a part of within these past two semesters, I have grown more than I thought I could as an individual musician and as an ensemble instrumentalist; I have met so many new people, and I have been challenged musically so that I may continue to grow as an aspiring professional musician. I am pleased to have made music with such fine musicians and I look forward to continuing to do so in the future.

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

My name is Bennett Deshotels. I am a first year at the Ohio State University double-majoring in music performance and astrophysics. I aspire to become either a professional musician or a teacher/researcher. I attended Grapevine High School in Grapevine, Texas, where I participated in many activities. I was the tuba section leader for two years in a row, as well as being a part of the TMEA All-Region Bands for all four years of high school. In addition, I was the principal tuba player for the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra’s Philharmonic Orchestra. I was an active member of the National Honor Society as well, through which I got to volunteer in many events I otherwise could not have done. I am currently employed on a seasonal basis at Main Event in Grapevine, Texas until I move up here full-time within the next few years. Thank you for visiting my ePortfolio; if you’d like to find out more about me, just look for the “About Me” tab, or if you would like to find out more about my time at OSU, I will be updating this blog with up-to-date information as it arises.

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.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

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Hello and welcome to my “About Me” page! My name is Bennett Deshotels and I am from Colleyville, Texas. I am a student at the Ohio State University involved with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Exploration and Engagement, or STEM EE, Scholars. I am double majoring in astrophysics and music performance.

Ever since I was little I have always loved learning; I would read many fiction books, but I also read a plethora of nonfiction to learn about the world we live in. I loved reading about animals, the human body, meteorology, and most of all, astronomy. My love for astronomy has always followed me through many trips to planetariums or just looking up at the night sky or discovering more and more about what exists in the universe. However, astronomy is not my only passion.

After being presented with the option of learning to play an instrument at the end of 5th grade, I quickly decided to jump at the  opportunity. After playing trombone for a year, I switched to tuba, which I have stuck with ever since. My musical talent grew throughout the remainder of middle school, including ranking 12th in the region, TMEA Region 24, out of middle school tuba players. When high school auditions came around, I became the most nervous I had ever been. However, I realized that all my hard work had paid off when the results came out, showing that I had made the top band as a freshman. It dawned on me that it was the start of something great.

Throughout high school, I continued to challenge myself academically whilst furthering my music career. I ran into numerous challenges along the way, such as running into players more skilled than and losing my academic drive, but I always kept going and by the end of junior year, I was pushing myself harder than ever. I made the All-Region Band four years in a row, moving from 14th to 5th by senior year, only one chair outside of advancing to the auditions for the All-State band. And in school, I had managed to take 10 Advanced Placement courses and pass 8 of them, earning myself a total of 30 credit hours to put towards graduating with a double major. I was able to develop my leadership skills by being tuba section leader and a member of the band leadership team for two years in a row, and I hope to further develop these skills and more here at Ohio State.

 

My top five strengths are restorative, developer, significance, futuristic, and competition. People skilled in the restorative theme are adept at identifying problems and possible solutions to those problems, and those who are developers recognize and encourage the development of potential in others. Those talented in the significance theme are independent and want to be recognized as important in the eyes of others. Those who are futuristic are inspired with visions of what the future could be, and those talented in the competition theme measure their progress against that of others. I believe that my strengths exemplify who I am as a person and assist me in achieving my best work in everything that I do. 

My strengths delineate those of a person who is highly self-motivated. I am constantly identifying my academic problems and those of others and assessing ways to correct such problems, and I usually measure my success in doing so against the success of others. I have a vision of how I want to be in the future and can motivate myself to reach that vision through my schoolwork and various other objectives. 

I believe that knowing my strengths simply solidifies my current methods and gives me a sense of stability in knowing what I do well. In my aspiring career paths, I will be challenged to helps other with their problems academically or physically, or be challenged to do the same for myself. I believe that my strengths identify these possible careers as strong possible outlets for my strengths so that I can leave my mark on either the world or on the people that inhabit it. I will continue to develop my strengths so that I can apply each one to my everyday life.