I have learned and grown so much over the past eight months during my first year as an Ohio State student. I got to experience so many amazing opportunities and grow as a leader, student, and friend.

I have grown the most over the last eight months through my time as a Mount Scholar. When entering the program, I was afraid my introversion would set me apart from the classmates, but the exact opposite ended up happening. I was able to be my true self and demonstrate the power and importance of being an introverted leader through multiple Mount Leadership Society sponsored activities. Two that I would like to highlight are my time spent on the Recruitment, Outreach and Welcome (ROW) committee, and my experience as a Lead Builder during our Legacy Week project.

Throughout my time on ROW, I was able to collaborate with my fellow committee members and create several memorable events for Mount as well as get to know my peers better and discover more about everyone’s leadership styles and personalities every week. Through Legacy Week, I was also able to collaborate with peers and build service projects truly from the ground up while hurdling multiple obstacles and working to keep morale high. These were both experiences unique to anything I’ve ever done before, and I grew exponentially as a leader from both of them.

Next year, I am looking forward to leading the ROW committee as a co-chair, and getting to learn to collaborate and lead in a whole new way. I would’ve never had the courage to apply for this position without the learning and growing opportunities that Mount provided me with this year. I also look forward to continuing my involvement in Cru, a campus-wide ministry program, and getting to know the Mount Class of 2020 through both of these experiences.

Although I was incredibly disappointed to see this year get cut short, I am so excited to know that I have a wonderful community and support system waiting on campus whenever we get to return. It is so exciting to see how much I’ve been able to grow in one year, and I can’t wait to see what another year will hold.