This year, my first year at Ohio State, has been  one I will never forget. I have made so many new friends and shared some fantastic memories. I think being in the Dunn Sport and Wellness scholars program has played a very big role in enjoying my first year. Because of the scholars program, I was able to make friends with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met and share memories with them that will last a lifetime, and wouldn’t have had this opportunity without the program. One of the biggest life lessons I have learned from being in DSWS is the power and bonds I have made from living together in a very tight knit community. Some of the other scholars programs are larger, so they don’t get to know each other on the level we do. We all live on the same floor and have very tight bonds that most people in college don’t get to experience. I am so thankful for this community that we have in Morrill and has made my first year at college so much better. When I came in to college, I was a relatively quiet kid, and I knew I wanted to change that in college. I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to make very many friends because of this. I really think DSWS played a huge role in the friends I was able to make at the beginning of the year. I have gotten very close with a few people here, and all of them are from DSWS, which I probably wouldn’t have met if not for the scholars program. Since the beginning of the year, I really think I have become more outgoing and my confidence has increased. I really think I have opened up my mind to new ideas since the beginning of the year as well. In high school, I very much stuck to habits and what I knew, but since coming here, I am much more adventurous, doing things just whenever and wherever it takes me. I have absolutely loved my first year at OSU and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

In my first semester of college, I have had some of the best and most memorable experiences of my life. The one that sticks out the most is going to all of the football games, especially when we beat Penn State. Going to your first buckeye football game in Ohio Stadium is really one of the most mind-blowing things I’ve ever seen. It was so much fun to enjoy all these games with the new friends I’ve made so far at Ohio State, through the ups and downs of the season, we endured it together. I have also made a ton of memories just hanging out in my dorm because I have made so many new great friends in my first semester. I love my friends back home, but I feel like at college, you find a crowd you click with more because there is so many more people. In high school, you’re limited to however many people there are in your high school. I have had many nights just hanging out, having fun with friends, and talking until 4 am and I didn’t even realize because time truly does fly when you’re having fun.