Year in Review 2018

 

The Dunn Sport and Wellness Scholars Program has allowed me to grow substantially over the past two years. Our weekly meetings have provided me with multiple opportunities to grow my network, and develop on the professional level. Because of DSWS I was presented with the opportunity to work for the Rec Sports Department last summer. Through that job I gained valuable experience with customer service and improved communication skills. I believe that my experiences from last summer helped develop me and are the reason that I have my current job. I am currently the Student Assistant in the Occupational Therapy office of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at Ohio State. This job has been the highlight of my college career thus far. I want to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy, and this job allows me to take in so much information and knowledge from the field. This experience will really make me stand out when it comes time to apply to graduate school.

Through DSWS I have learned to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is a real challenge for me. I do not like stepping out of my comfort zone and prefer to do things I am familiar with. This semester I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to apply to partake in a Buck-I-SERV trip. I hesitated to sign up because of the fear of the unknown; I did not want to do the trip by myself and I was not sure what activities we would really be doing . Little did I know that this trip would be so impactful on my life. We went to the impoverished town of Biloxi, Mississippi and serviced the local community. We removed invasive species and served as mentors for the local school children. This trip made me realize how lucky I am and the impact that service has on a group of people. The community members were so appreciative of us.

3 DSWS members on the trip to Biloxi

 

Through the DSWS program, I have seen myself mature. I am more willing to try new things. I no longer care if my friends are doing it; if I think it will be beneficial for me, I am going to go out and do it. DSWS has brought me some of my best friends and unforgettable memories and I am sad that it is almost over. However, I know that the connections and bonds that I have formed will last forever.

 

Opportunities From DSWS

The Dunn Sport and Wellness Scholars program has given its students endless opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. Our professional speakers at the biweekly meetings and the huge alumni network on campus allows for huge individual growth. A specific way I grew professionally was through a job opportunity with the Rec Sports Department. Over the summer I was a Rec Sports Ambassador for summer orientation. This position allowed me to build on my customer service skills. I was challenged each day to connect to students with various backgrounds; it was my job to help them find their niche at Ohio State. I was there to make Ohio State smaller. This experience made me realize I have a passion for engaging with people; I am very people oriented. Discovering my passion for people reaffirmed my career choice of becoming an Occupational Therapist. I was also able to grow personally through the Emerging Leaders Institute last spring, which is also ran by the Rec Sports Department. This is a ten week program that focuses on the Social Change Model. Emerging Leaders Institue really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I really appreciate that it did. One thing that I have learned over my year and a half in college is that you have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. So I am really glad I had this opportunity in the spring of my freshman year because it has forced me to go out and try new things which has lead to my involvement on campus.

Year in Review

Coming to Ohio State, I was excited, but also a piece of me was concerned. I had always dreamed of being a Buckeye, and when move in day rolled around, my dream became a reality. I was going to be a part of DSWS, and follow in the foot steps of my sister Brooke, because that’s what I always do. But even with an older sister to show me the ropes, I was still very nervous. I was going to be living on the 13th floor of Morrill Tower. Not to mention in a quad. How unlucky? Four people stacked on top of each other on the dreaded floor number 13. The floor number did not phase me because 13 was my lucky number, however I was very concerned about the close quarters. I had visited Brooke when she live in Morrill Tower and she was in a double, and I thought that was a small space, and now here I was about to be living in the same amount of space as her with two extra people! This had me on edge. I had not shared a room with anyone since the age of five and had a queen size bed at home. I was not sure I was going to make it living in a shoebox. But let me tell you, living in that quad was so much better than what I expected. Many memories and lots of laughter were shared in our quad. And best of all I meet my best friend because of the “crappy” room assignment I got back in July. Floor 13 also turned out to be everything but unlucky. Being able to live with my entire scholar group on one floor was an unforgettable experience. Everyone’s door was always wide open. You could always walk to the hall and find a group playing cards or walk into a common room and watch a game. Put that together with the best housekeeper Doris, who got in on all the floor gossip, and there was never a dull moment. However, my favorite moment from the year was definitely our sleep over in the hallway. It happened during the first few weekends that we got to OSU and that moment really signified how DSWS is a family. Here we were, only knowing each other for maybe three weeks, and already piling on top of each other like we had been best friends for years. It was at this time that I realized I made the best decision yet and I cannot wait to see what else I will encounter during my time at Ohio State.

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

This past spring I had the opportunity to participate in a program through Recreational Sports called Emerging Leadership Institute (ELI). I am so grateful I chose to partake in this experience because it changed me for the better. ELI is a ten-week program that prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to begin making impactful and positive changes at Ohio State and around the community. The objectives of ELI are to enhance each participant’s personal growth and development, group dynamics, and community engagement. Through this program I was able to better understand my individual values and strengths. I gained experience in working collaboratively in diverse and challenging group settings. I gained a deeper understanding of the role of social responsibility  I have within my community. The best part of the program was the legacy project my individual cluster group proposed. We saw Homelessness as a major issue in Columbus, and wanted to do something about it. We created a plan to engage the students at Ohio State with the homeless in the Columbus area to “break the cycle.” We wanted the students to realize that the homeless people are humans too, and to break the stigma associated with homelessness. We decided the fear is the reason why people stigmatize homeless beings, an thought that face to face encounters with the homeless would break the fear. We decided that we would make care packages that include hygiene products, socks, wet wipes and food to give to the homeless on the streets of Columbus. We intended to do this at least one day per semester. ELI let me go out of my comfort zone and really made me push myself out. I am so grateful for all the new friendships I made too. It really changed my perspective. We would end each meeting with “what’s said here stays here, but what’s learned here leaves here,” and I cannot wait to impact others in the ways ELI impacted me.

About Me

Hello my name is Morgan Foster. I am from a suburb of Columbus called Plain City. I have been a Buckeye my whole life, and attending Ohio State just runs in the family. Both of my older siblings went to Ohio State and my dad is an alumni of the University too. I always knew that I wanted attend Ohio State; there were no other schools that I even considered attending. Here at Ohio State my major is Health Science and I want eventually pursue a career as an Occupational Therapist. In my free time I enjoy being active and attending sporing events. There is nothing better than watching Ohio State athletics. Here are some fun facts about me: I was born two months premature, I have never flown before, and I really love cows. I want to own a miniature cow as a pet one day because they are the most adorable things on the planet!