This Year of Service was a really fun and very engaging experience! See my synopsis here!
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Career
Resume: eportfolio_resume-1fkure0
I’m yet to have any sort of internships, however my time staffing with the iBELIEVE Foundation has taught me skills involving working with others, teaching others, and guiding others to a higher understanding of important concepts and ideas through immersion rather than lecturing. Not only have I done staffing with iBELIEVE, but I also helped to start up the iBELIEVE-affiliated student organization at Ohio State called iBELIEVE University, and remain the president of the organization to this day. We provide a place for iBELIEVE college students at Ohio State or in the Columbus area to network, remain connected with themselves, and stay involved with iBELIEVE even after their time at summer workshop is over or when they aren’t staffing.
Artifact 3
Save The Crew; it’s been a rallying cry for soccer fans in the city of Columbus, the state of Ohio, and across the United States as all Major League Soccer fans throw their support behind saving the original team of Major League Soccer, the Columbus Crew.
On October 17, 2017, Crew investor-operator (owner) Anthony Precourt announced his intentions to move the club to Austin, Texas, unless the city of Columbus would provide land for a downtown stadium; this announcement, coming out right at the end of the regular season and the dawn of the MLS Cup Playoffs, knocked many Crew fans down, leaving us all thinking thoughts like “how could we ever stop this, we’re the little man here, we’re David fighting against Goliath, we don’t stand a chance.”
Flash forward to October 12, 2018, mere days shy of one year (one long, stressful, but accomplished year) since the Austin announcement, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced that he was part of a group of investors close to purchasing the club with the intention of keeping the club in Columbus, where it rightly should be. Precourt would be granted the operating rights to a new MLS club in Austin, with the Crew staying in Columbus with their players, their history, and everything. Every ounce of work put in by every Columbus Crew fan had paid off, with our beloved club staying in Columbus.
Now, you’re probably curious how this could possibly connect back to my academic career, or my life as a student; that’s what I’m here to tell you about. The men and women behind the Save The Crew movement organized several community events that shaped the way we view the movement, helped the community, and spread awareness not only of the Save The Crew movement, but also of the community issues they were helping with. For instance, STC put on several free soccer clinics for kids, performed various types of drives (food, supplies, etc.) to provide help to those in need, and worked with Columbus refugee organizations to get them anything they might need and provide them with free tickets to watch the Crew play since soccer is the favorite sport of many. None of these are major, world-changing projects; they’re all things that make a small impact but all add up to create a great impact as a whole.
I look to these small projects creating a large impact and connect it back to my life. You don’t have to go out and donate $10,000 to a charity to have a great impact on people; doing small things like holding the door for someone, paying others compliments, or anything along those lines, can create a ripple effect and cause an overall great effect to happen in the end. Even academically, it’s not cramming the night before that is going to get you where you want to be and achieve what you want; it’s doing a little bit of studying every night, it’s going to that one extra study session that you may not think will do much, it’s going the extra mile on the homework that may only be worth 10 points, but will help you be ready for your exams when it’s time.
Anybody who knows me knows soccer is one of the most important parts of my life, and I am as big of a Columbus Crew fan as there is; this long year of saving the Crew has taught me to always cherish what you have while you have it, because it may not always be there, but to never stop fighting for what you care about, as well as that small things can have a major impact in the end. Who would’ve ever thought that a group of soccer fans could band together and create a worldwide movement to stop their billionaire owner from moving their beloved club? I know I was a little skeptical at first, but I was ready to fight from the beginning, and here we are a year later.
Artifact 2
Backpacks: one of the handiest and most essential things for a college student. They carry your books, your laptop, your water bottle, everything you need for class. Everything is already there. Despite being used every day, in every weather condition, carrying pounds upon pounds of materials, backpacks never seem to break down. It may seem silly, but we can learn some about ourselves from our backpacks. We carry our own emotional and physical weight, in our everyday lives through means such as stress. But at the same time, despite carrying these burdens, all the things we need to succeed are right inside also. We go through good times and bad times, just as backpacks go through good and bad weather, but the most important things is that we don’t break down. We may wear down a little bit, but we do not break. These lessons are all things I’ve realized from something so simple as a backpack which I’m trying to apply now to my time here at OSU. No matter how rough the situation may seem, you’re going to be just fine and everything inside, everything you are, will still be there and be in good shape.
Year in Review
My first semester at The Ohio State University went much better than I ever expected. First off, I am very pleased with my GPA after my first semester! Second, I’m proud to be the president of the currently in-the-works iBELIEVE University student organization at OSU. iBELIEVE U is a part of Patrick Klein’s overall iBELIEVE Foundation, which gives Appalachian students leadership and communication skills to take into college and life; I was actually lucky enough to go through the iBELIEVE program and it truly has set me on a path for success in college and life, and I’m proud to be bringing its ideals to OSU through iBELIEVE U. Finally, I spent last semester as a member of the OSU Athletic Band, and remain a member this spring. This past summer, I tried out for the OSU Marching Band, but unfortunately did not make it. While this hurt for a day or two, I used it as a springboard to go out and set my sights on the future and next summer, when I try out again, I will be better prepared and ready to give it another go. Athletic Band has integrated me right into the OSU Bands lifestyle, and I could not have had a better experience. I got to go watch and enjoy so many sports I never would have gone to watch otherwise; some of these included volleyball, ice hockey, and even field hockey! I’ve taken quite the liking to watching ice hockey actually, it’s really quite enjoyable! Overall, my first semester was so great and I cannot wait to see what is coming this spring semester. I’m likely most excited to get iBELIEVE University established as an official student organization and start spreading the word about iBELIEVE and the great work being done! Here’s to another great semester!
G.O.A.L.S.
G.O.A.L.S is a crucial part of the Honors and Scholars curriculum, and I’ve been taking steps already to set myself up to align with each of the parts of G.O.A.L.S., and you can find them below!
Global Awareness: For global awareness, I’ve been working with the iBELIEVE Foundation, run by Ohio State’s own Patrick Klein, to learn more about the backgrounds of different Appalachian high school students from all areas of Ohio and the other Appalachian states, and to teach them skills about communication, leadership, and problem solving.
Original Inquiry: Original inquiry is something I’m still working on, but I’ve been taking steps toward pursuing my love of music and learning more about it by being a member of the OSU Marching Band.
Academic Enrichment: Being a member of the OSU Marching Band has truly enriched my academic experience by giving me opportunities to learn new things and experience new places and activities, like when we got to travel to Dallas, TX, to support the Buckeye football team versus Texas Christian University!
Leadership Development: My work with iBELIEVE has helped me to not only develop my own leadership skills through staffing summer leadership workshops and running our iBELIEVE University student organization chapter at OSU, but also to help those high school students of Appalachia to develop their own leadership skills.
Service Engagement: As part of the Mount Leadership Society, we performed many service events through our first year, and an integral part of the second year experience is the Year of Service; my Year of Service has been assisting iBELIEVE with their operations and running our student organization and continuing to staff leadership workshops/retreats/summits!
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.]
Artifact 1
These, to the normal person, just look like a simple pair of red and black Nike tennis shoes. To me, these shoes have much deeper meaning. These Nike shoes were there every step of the way in pursuit of my dream of making the Best Damn Band in the Land: the Ohio State University Marching Band. Throughout the summer of 2017, these shoes were on my feet every Tuesday and Thursday from early June until the end of tryouts in August. These shoes marched an innumerable amount of yards, countless numbers of Ramps, and the soles have nearly worn out after only one summer. These Nikes were there until the final step of tryouts; I gave every single ounce of energy in these shoes until I had no more.
Unfortunately, this was not enough. This year, I did not make the Ohio State University Marching Band. The heartbreak I felt after not having my name called with those who made the band was unmatchable. This is what I dedicated my whole summer to, this was my passion, and to not make it? Devastating. But when I look back now, I think about these shoes and not necessarily whether or not I made it. These shoes have been beaten up, worn out, and stretched every which way throughout the course of a whole summer. Of course they remind me that I didn’t make it, but they also remind me of the journey I took to get there, of all the time and effort I dedicated toward making it. These shoes drive me forward and remind me to embrace the journey while you’re in it, because the destination isn’t always guaranteed. These shoes will likely see even more steps next year when I try out again for TBDBITL, but this time with greater focus on the journey and not the destination. “Life’s a journey, not a destination.”
About Me
Ryan Exline is a first-year from Jackson, OH, majoring in Zoology on the Pre-Dentistry track. He plans to complete his undergraduate study, enter into dentistry school, obtain certification to practice orthodontics, and return to his hometown to open an office. Ryan loves music, sports, and involving himself in extracurricular activities. In high school he was the president of the Student Council, the captain of the varsity soccer team, a section leader in both band and choir, a staff member for the iBelieve Foundation and Ohio Association of Student Councils, and graduated at the top of his class as valedictorian. Ryan also helped to facilitate a free youth soccer camp for children in his community during high school. At Ohio State, he is involved in Mount Leadership Society Scholars as well as the Ohio State University Athletic Band. Additionally, he is passionate about learning and developing as a leader. He hopes to obtain an internship during his time at Ohio State to gain valuable experience in his field. When not in class or studying, he enjoys playing and watching sports, playing music, and volunteering. Please contact Ryan if you have any questions.