Columbus Experience

For my Columbus experience, my HES mentor group and I went to a cafe called ”Fox in the Snow” in Italian Village on October twentieth. We had lunch at the cafe which for me, consisted of a coffee cake and cappuccino. The food was absolutely splendid and the cafe’s interior decor was very unique and inviting. The staff there was also very courteous and brought our food out promptly. As we ate, we talked about the college of engineering, classes we liked and disliked, and things we looked forward to in the upcoming semester. I enjoyed taking a break and spending time with my HES mentor group instead of doing homework, which I typically work on at that time on Sunday. It was very satisfying to get out of the house on a wonderful, sunny day. I had so much fun and I would not hesitate to do it again if I had the chance to. As for the cafe, the food was wonderful and conveniently priced so I would recommend it to anybody who finds themselves in that area with some free time on their hands.

 

Year in Review

My freshman year at Ohio State has come with its numerous peaks and troughs. Peaks included joining exciting clubs, making new friends, and keeping my grades up. Troughs have included some disappointing test scores, having to wake up extra early to commute to school, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. As discouraging as the troughs may be, I tend to only focus on the positive points of the year. I believe that I was blessed with an unbelievable opportunity at Ohio State, so even through the difficulty I have encountered, I would never take this experience for granted.

There are countless things that I experienced in year one that I would like to build on in the future. Two of these things stick out to me specifically. The first is the importance of time management. I noticed this year that I felt much more accomplished and comfortable when I managed my time well. The second of these things is that how you study is just as important as how long you study. Because time management is so important, as a student you must find a studying method that is most suitable to your schedule to ensure you retain important information in a timely fashion. I believe that taking this information into the 2020-2021 school year will be highly beneficial to both my mental health and academic success.

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.]

Career

[“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 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.]

Significant Experience

During my life, I have had many enriching experiences that affected me as a person, ranging from vounteer work to sports and to academically rigorous coursework. One experience that stands alone though, would be playing football in my junior year of high school. I learned more about myself in that span of 10 months than I ever had before. When I was a sophomore and freshman, my high school had an abysmal football team, one that we were not very proud to be a part of. Things began to change when we got a new football coach my junior year. Under him and his new coaching staff we won 4 games that year, 3 more than we had won total in the 3 previous years. What was important for me about this experience was that I learned how to motivate myself on the field and off of it. Before that year I was a mostly A’s student but I never applied myself in school, I mostly coasted off of my talent. When I started to take harder classes that year I was much more prepared for them because playing football taught me how to motivate myself. The same motivational techniques I used then still apply to me today and I continue to utilize them to push myself academically.

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About Me

Hello! My name is Mohamed Elbana and I am a freshman studying Aerospace Engineering while participating in Humanitarian Engineering Scholars. I also participate in 2 clubs, those being the AIAA (a professional and college organization for aerospace engineers) and Formula Buckeyes. My interests are aerodynamics, math, cars, and football. My dream job is to be a business owner and engineer. I love math and physics but one thing that I have learned through the various occupations I have had is that I like to make my own hours and work on my own terms. I prefer to have my fate in my own hands rather than someone else’s. Also, owning a successful, self-reliant, business means that you can focus on other ventures and enjoy more leisure time. Although I highly value these aspirations, I also have a passion for problem solving for which studying engineering helps me fulfill that passion. That is what draws me toward engineering.


TOP 5 STRENGTHS (CHARACTER ASSESSMENT)

  1. Spirituality. This was high on my list, as I think it should have been. I was raised very religious by my parents and I intend to stay that way for the many years to come.
  2. Curiosity. I believe that this strength very much corresponds with strength 4. It’s a huge part of why I’m studying engineering.
  3. Judgement. Regarding judgement, I believe that this strength was placed in the right spot. I always try to make calculated and educated decisions whenever I do anything.
  4. Love of learning. As much as I love studying engineering, I think that I also love learning in general. I have always enjoyed going to school, whether it was middle school or college.
  5. Humor. This is likely the strength I connect with the most out of my top 5. I always tend to find the comical aspects of most predicaments I find myself in.