Opportunities for Growth

The Dunn Sports and Wellness Scholars (DSWS) program and community has opened an incredible number of doors for my own personal growth, several of which I have chosen to pursue here at Ohio State. Had it not been for the community here, and the connections that I have made within it, I would never have become involved with BuckeyeThon at Ohio State, an organization that is now near and dear to my heart, and that has provided me with an amazing opportunity for growth as a leader. Through the connections that I made as a freshman in the Dunn Scholars program, I met several people who have since encouraged and helped me in my endeavors to become a General Body member of BuckeyeThon, and to utilize the opportunity as a chance for personal growth as a leader. Be it through our advisor, Brendan Greisberger, or through the upper classmen that still act as peer leaders for me, they opened the doors that led directly to my involvement with the organization and have inspired me to continue pursuing the goals I have for myself as a member of the group. Additionally, the leadership training I have gained through the program has opened numerous doors for me as a potential future leader within BuckeyeThon, the scholars program, and the university as a whole. Similarly, through the peers and friends I have met in the Dunn Scholars community, as well as through Brendan, I have been given numerous new opportunities to attend new seminars, classes, and retreats centered on the idea of personal leadership growth both at Ohio State and within the Columbus community.

Year in Review

A memorable experience from my first few weeks at Ohio State would be my experience at the move-in weekend events put on by my scholars program, the Dunn Sports and Wellness Scholars. During our move-in weekend, I participated in the variety of team building and ice-breaker events that the program organized. The events ranged from a relay race, to a pickup soccer game, to even forming a human knot with a group of strangers who I’d just met. For the event, we were divided into teams of about 8 people and assigned to 3 second year team leaders. The events helped us to meet new people within our community and was a genuine bonding experience for all involved. I was able to build new friendships and connect with many people who have similar likes and interests. In addition, it was an awesome opportunity to meet older members of my Scholars community in a neutral and friendly atmosphere. The most memorable activity from move-in weekend is undoubtedly the human knot. With my teammates and team leaders, we instructed to stand in a circle and grab the hand of two people in different parts of the circle. We then had to work as a team to then manipulate our positions until the “human knot” was untangled. While it did lead to some awkward and up-close encounters with my newly met teammates and friends, it was hilarious watching everyone awkwardly stepping over and under each other’s arms and other body parts to try to undo the tangled mess we found ourselves in. In it’s entirety, move-in weekend was an incredible and memorable experience for many reasons.

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.]

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

An artifact that is reflective of my experience at OSU so far would have to be my team t-shirt from DSWS move-in weekend. The t-shirt represents both the experience I had during move in weekend with my teammates, as well as many of the characteristics and values that I have come to embrace since the start of life at OSU. The shirt represents the memories of the events that I participated in and the bonds that I made with my teammates and with my team leaders. In addition, the humorous nature of the shirt, it’s a “bro-tank” with a cheesy team slogan on it, brings back the happy memories of my first weekend at Ohio State. The shirt’s connection to my scholars program also connects it to the values that I have gained from DSWS. The shirt is a representation of the teamwork and sense of community that run deep within my scholars program. Through the program I have met countless new friends, and have been able to become a part of a large and diverse network and community of intelligent and hardworking people. All of which began on a hot, sweaty day bonding and teambuilding with a group of strangers that I had met only a few hours before. In a matter of a few days, we grew as a group, and built bonds that turned into the strongest and most important friendships that I have here at Ohio State. The neon green bro tank that my team leaders handed out on day 1 is a constant reminder and representation of my beginnings here at OSU.

About Me

My name is Nate Erickson, and I am a student at The Ohio State University, and a member of the Dunn Sport and Wellness Scholars Program. I am from Cortland, Ohio, a small town between Youngstown and Cleveland. I am the oldest of 3 children and grew up in the stereotypical small town, American family. I am currently majoring in anthropology while also pursuing pre-physical therapy studies. I have a deeply ingrained passion for helping people, which combined with my love of sports, has motivated me to pursue a career as a physical therapist. Anthropology, while being a field that has interested me since I was in high school, also provides a diverse and beneficial background for this field. In addition to my studies at Ohio State, I am actively involved in Scholars programming, as well as participating in a variety of organizations and service projects around campus. I also participate in numerous intramural sports on campus as a way of keeping in shape and continuing my passion for fitness and wellness.