Most of my fears regarding college have been proven wrong.  Not in the sense that what I was afraid of did not happen, but rather that what I feared was more manageable than I anticipated.  For example, one of my biggest fears was an increased coursework load and simultaneaously increased difficulty of said coursework.  I will admit that I am doing more than I did in high school, and most of it is of a higher level, but it is not actually that bad.  I guess I must have better self management skills than I thought I did.  Unfortunately being good in my classes does not translate to doing well socially.  I am about as isolated as I was in high school, but this is something I am used to, even if it is something I was afraid would happen.  One’s habits are hard to change, and mine are no different.

This week, I have seen humanities themes in my classes, exploring other cultures, their traditions and languages.  I take a class on musical cultures around the world, and the TA for my recitations is Latina.  Sometimes, she shares stories about how her upbringing has affected where she is today and drives her passion.  In my Spanish class, we learn not only the language, but also each chapter focuses on the culture(s) of a particular region’s countries.  Yesterday I read about Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.  I’ll admit, I don’t get out much, especially not this week, so I only have a few examples.

As a child I only knew I wanted to do anything but healthcare as my mother worked in a nursing home and was completely exhausted everyday when she arrived home.  I got a business degree but was never satisfied at my job.  Years later, I witnessed both my father and grandfather succumb to illnesses that made me want to help others and so I went back to school to be an RN.   Just two years ago I came to the James-OSU where I am a part of two amazing physician teams in our outpatient clinic for Lymphoma.  I wake up every day feeling inspired to make a difference in the lives of others.  I feel blessed to be a party of such an amazing place like OSU.

My first week here at OSU has been equally informative and fun.  Though I have not made any new friends, which I am not surprised by, I met some friendly faces and have been able to attend all my classes and even sign up for a few clubs on campus.  My classes, so far, do not seem unmanageable, although the workload of my Spanish class is greater than what I was used to in high school. Outside of the classroom, I have been to initial meetings for OSU’s Amnesty group and the Tabletop Gaming Association.  I am very happy to have signed up for them, but because both groups require a decent amount of focus outside of the meetings themselves, I might wait a bit before committing to any other extra clubs.

Besides clubs and classes, I am excited to see what else happens as the year rolls on.  I am both nervous and excited at the prospect of making new friends, new memories, and learning more about what it means to be a Buckeye.  

[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 includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  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.]