Posts

Reflection on Freshman Year

My first year in college hasn’t been the typical experience, but I feel that it has had a positive impact on who I am nonetheless. In terms of my classes, I feel that I have been impacted the most by my sociology and history classes rather than my major specific classes. During my first semester, my American food history class opened my eyes about what I am eating and where food comes from, completely changing my attitude to what I want to eat and boosting my desire to learn how to cook. The environmental societies and natural resources class I took in my second semester had an equal impact on me, where I learned more about the interworking of the real world, like relationships between economic status and where pollution is located. I feel that these classes made me better understand environmental relations in both a direct and indirect way. One thing I learned outside of class is that I feel confident that I can better myself. In my first semester I wanted to become more involved, so I attended meetings for several clubs. This carried into the latter half of my second semester where I became more involved in restoration projects. Additionally, I have successfully completed my goals to become connected with an ultimate frisbee group and create and maintain a workout routine. Going into next year, I feel confident that I can do even greater things to better myself. The one thing I have been struggling to learn about myself the entirety of my first year has been if I want to change majors from environmental science to forestry, fisheries, and wildlife, and I am still not entirely sure. However, I have learned that I still want to pursue a career by working in nature, be it a forester or a something more specific like a bug scientist. So in the meantime, I will be continuing my route in environmental science while keeping my interests open along the way. Looking back, my favorite memory from the past school year is of an event that happened during my second semester. Within the ENR Scholars program, we set aside time to go and play field games for a day. We played capture the flag and transitioned into soccer and frisbee. After this, I serendipitously met up with one of my high school friends and played ultimate frisbee for a while. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but I remember it a a series of fortunate events that made my day above all others. Looking forward to next year I, like most of everyone else, am excited to attend in-person classes again. Additionally, all of the clubs that I wanted to attend will be more available next year so I will have more opportunity to be involved. As I have mentioned in past reflections, I am confident that my college experience will only get better from this first year, and since this first year has still been a positive and transformative experience, next year will definitely be incredible.

Reflection on March, 2021

March has been a pretty good month for me, especially with the sunny and warm days returning alongside springtime. My new favorite class is definitely my Earth science class since it covers such a broad range of topics that I think are really interesting. This month, we learned about glaciation and water erosion on mountains, which by itself can seem pretty boring. However, looking at the pictures of mountains and valleys given in class made me really appreciate the natural world more. This was boosted after learning about climate change and its effects on increased glacier ablation. I also really want to travel more often, specifically to mountainous areas. The only real struggle I had this month was that I managed to injure my back somehow, which made it so that doing anything from walking to even sitting down very painful for half a week. With most things being painful, it wasn’t enjoyable to do anything really. However, I missed being able to go outside everyday, which lead me to learning that I truly like the idea of being an environmental scientist. Along with some other influences, I learned that I want to start being more involved with outdoor activities or services. As the campus starts to open up more next semester, I aim to become much more active with these types of activities. One thing that I achieved this month is that I secured an internship for over the summer, which was one of my goals for this year. At this internship, I would be working at a green house and help with growing and retail, while learning about the industry and all of the science that goes into growing plants. I have recently been rather interested in plant growing, especially so during high school, and am really excited about this position. With a plan for summer, I feel rather confident in my expectation that college will only get better.

Career Plan

I haven’t spent much time thinking about what I want to do after undergraduate school, but I have thought about potentially doing government work. This lead me to looking into job postings from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and I became interested potentially working as an environmental specialist:

To qualify for this job, I either have to be promoted from a more entry level environmental specialist position or have 4 years experience in environmental science related activities: like ecological assessment, research, knowledge of data collection technology and processing. and knowledge of environmental laws/regulation. I will also have to supply my college transcript and multiple references of past work experience. With three more years of college ahead of me, I believe that I can gather the experience I need to realistically apply for this job.

To prepare myself for this job, I have made a to-do list of all of the experiences I need to cover the hard skills required for this job:

  1. Gain experience in working out in the field
  2. Gain experience in handling technology/working with data
  3. Have proof of understanding of Ohio environmental laws and regulations related to the position
  4. Have a pre-existing connection to the Ohio Environmental protection agency

In order to efficiently gain all of this experience before graduation, I will have to find both opportunities during the summer and during the school year. Gaining experience in the field is a small, but necessary, start to being able to become an environmental specialist. I can do this through most types of summer internships at a variety of places, preferably in ecological assessment or restoration. Consistently having summer internships at a variety of places could also give me experience in data collection and handling technology, but if needed, I could find a research opportunity during my junior or senior year and gain experience there. Next I will need a good understanding of Ohio environmental law. This may be the hardest task on my to-do list as legal work does not interest me as much as other experience I need. However, I should be able to take a class in environmental law as I progress through my major. One bonus experience I need to have a better chance of securing the position is to be affiliated with EPA. I can achieve this through a summer internship with the Ohio EPA (some of which I am already applying to), which will also give me valuable experience in all of the other qualifications I need to fulfil. As a realistic goal, I will aim to secure the Environmental Specialist 1 when ever it is available to eventually be promoted to Environmental Specialist 2.

Reflection On January, 2021

Being back on campus has been very refreshing despite my worries of an all online semester. Of all of my classes this semester, the most daunting one is definitely organic chemistry, although it has been really interesting so far. One interesting thing I learned from the class is naming (relatively) large hydrocarbon molecules given their structure. It makes me think of how strange life is when thinking about it through the lens of chemical reactions and individual molecules. Another class I am taking is my introduction to forestry fisheries and wildlife, and it has lead to something I am continuing to try and learn about myself. I wanted to see if I would like forestry while taking this class, but so far the online nature of the class as well as its broadness hasn’t inspired me with anything. I’ve learned that I still want to know about forestry, but I am struggling with actually getting a feel for it. One thing I am looking forward to is the possibility of an arborist internship over the summer, which would definitely help me, but I will wait to see how the semester and this class pans out. One thing that I achieved was finally just going to the gym. I have been struggling with the idea of getting into a routine and having to learn gym etiquette (on top of COVID-19 regulations), so I was at the point of just having to go there to finally have the confidence of setting up a full routine. Because of this, I am going to follow through with my plans from last semester and get into the habit of working out daily in the following months. Overall, this month has been very exciting has and I am looking forward to the potential of an ever improving college experience.

Reflection on Autumn 2020

My first semester at college has been very eye opening academically, but I feel like I have yet to experience a “true” college experience. Looking back to how well I acclimated to college,  I’d say I have become much more independent. By the end of the semester I could successfully plan out my work day, especially when being in an asynchronous class, while balancing school involvement and other interests. Because of this, I felt like I have become much more productive, even during times where it can feel like it is difficult to be productive. Even with its limitations, I found several enjoyable things about college life, especially on the OSU campus. One general thing that I like about OSU is just walking through the campus. It may seem like a criticism since I had to consistently walk across campus, but it always seemed like there was something new everyday. Another aspect of OSU that I like is the large amount of opportunities to get involved in activities and clubs on campus. Even with in person activities being limited, there was still an plenty of online activities to go to. This just makes me more excited for whenever I can have the true college experience. My first semester has been kind to me as I have had several in person classes, but I am fearful that I will struggle with my all online second semester. I found that I have struggled the most this semester when my classes all switched to online teaching. The walks I talked about were less frequent, and I felt that it was not the true college experience I would have hoped for. Additionally, I have struggled with a bit of uncertainty on both what I want to do as a major and how the rest of my school year will turnout. Other than this, I feel like I have made a couple of notable achievements to start out my college career. I was really proud of the work I did I my Introduction to Environmental Science class, specifically on a research poster I created. I am proud in the effort I put into making figures and the research I did, and I think it could be a start to evolve my interests in environmental science. As a goal for my second semester, I want to be more active physically. One plan I have is potentially joining a club or team for ultimate frisbee. I played in high school and I feel that I didn’t spend enough time playing my last year. I also want to be generally stronger and healthier, so I am planning on setting up a workout routine for both running and going to an OSU gym. These are simple goals, but they may be difficult to both get started on and sustain. Looking toward my second semester at OSU, I am optimistic that my college experience will only get better as I become more adjusted to college living and discover new opportunities for my future.

Alumni Interview

As a part of the ENR Scholars program, I interviewed an ENR Scholar Alumni to know their experiences within the program and form insights on my own college career. I interviewed Kate Gorman, who was apart of the leadership council for SENR Scholars and majored in Forestry Fisheries and Wildlife, about her time in ENR scholars and her professional experience after graduation. Firstly I learned about how Kate’s experience in the Scholars program and Leadership council created strong friendships between her floormates and helped develop leadership skills faster, which helped her greatly in seeking employment. Now knowing its potential of offering great experience, I am considering the possibility of being a part of the leadership council for my second year in the scholars program. Not only would it improve my soft skills, it may help me network into finding more opportunities at OSU. Next, I learned about the process of switching majors and how easy it was for Kate. This reassured me as I am still not quite sure if I will be switching majors or not. I also learned about Kate’s professional development throughout college and graduation, where she had several jobs in laboratories and mentioned that one’s professional development almost always leads people to jobs or opportunities that they did not expect. Kate added on to this by saying that she had a lot of control over developing her career and that one never stops learning after college. This also reassured me and inspired me to open and try out as many opportunities for me as I can throughout my time at OSU. Finally, I asked Kate about the interview process and how someone should prepare for an interview. Kate summarized her interview experiences as being like a professional conversation to test one’s personality and fit into a company and that it is not just the employer interviewing someone, but both people are interviewing each other. Due to it’s conversation like nature, Kate also emphasized the necessity of bringing questions both to show one’s interest in the company and to get a better understanding of the position itself. By thinking this way, Kate said she was much less nervous during interviews. After learning about Kate’s experiences in ENR undergraduate and after graduation in the professional world, I will definitely adopt some of her ideas about seeking more opportunities and securing them by bringing a better mindset into a potential interview.

Reflection on October, 2020

The month of October is my last full month at school this semester, and I feel like I am really starting to get used to the college experience (at least the COVID college experience). Throughout this month, my Environmental Science class has continued to be the most interesting class so far. We transitioned from the impacts of pollution into studying the earths biomes and water resources, and specifically, I learned about the dynamics of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans and their impact on Earth’s ecosystems. After learning more about ecosystems and forming a two-year plan for my classes, I learned that I am leaning toward picking ecosystem restoration as my specialization. In creating my two-year plan, I also considered the possibility of switching my major to Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife but I am still unsure. Starting with my two-year plan creation, an overarching theme of this month that I struggled with mentally was thinking about my academic and professional future. I found it exhausting at times working on professional development assignments like updating my resume and setting up profiles on job board websites. The anxiety of thinking that I haven’t done enough for a perfect resume yet synergized with the loom of searching for employers and potential jobs/internships, and made me lock up mentally. However, I have reassured myself that it is still just my second month in college. One thing I have achieved from all this worry is the courage to sign up for the career fair event in hopes of finding a summer opportunity. One of my first year goals is to secure an internship for next summer and I hope this is a starting point for something special. Overall, this month has led me to exploring what I want out of my college experience more than the last.

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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.]