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Year in Review
This year has been an amazing ride, I couldn’t be happier with my first year at Ohio State, even if it did end abruptly. One thing I learned from a class that impacted me was studying human relationships to the environment from a faith perspective. I took a class, “Religion and Environmental Values”, that gave me a new, worldly perspective of the environment and how it is connected to faith communities and spirituality. I learned that a large contributing factor that causes people to care for the environment is rooted in spirituality and their religious and moral values. This impacted me because I had never known how deeply religion and the environment were intertwined, and it was amazing to study. Something I learned outside of the classroom is that the city is there to be explored! Columbus has a lot to offer, and all it takes is a bus ride down high street to see some amazing places. The same can be applied to campus; a 15 minute walk across campus is no big deal. Living in Merrill Tower, the farthest west dorm there is, taught me perspective- campus is big, but it becomes a lot smaller when you realized walking a little bit is actually nice, reflective time you can have to yourself. Something I learned about myself is that I am a lot more self sufficient than I thought. Living on my own and taking complete care of myself showed me how capable and mature I am. Not that I didn’t think I was going into college, but I definitely confirmed it for myself. I had an awesome and productive year, and I’m proud of myself for taking things into my own hands and handling my responsibilities well. I definitely changed as a person through all of the responsibilities I took on, it made me a more well-rounded person and allowed me to develop my prioritization skills. A few favorite memories I have from this year was going to Stone Lab, the ENR camping trip, and going to play sports with my friends. Playing a game of volleyball after a long week of classes were some of my favorite memories. Living so close to the RPAC made me and my friends a ton of great memories. Another favorite memory I have is going to my first football game. It always looks so crazy online and it was awesome to be a part of it finally. Next year, I’m looking forward to buying football tickets and sitting with all my friends, living in Blackburn House right next to Scott dining hall, and all my classes. I’m getting into my major courses and I’m very excited to start studying policy. I’m also looking forward to continuing my internship and finding an on-campus job hopefully! I’m looking forward to taking what I have learned from this year and applying it to next year! I know my organization skills and studying skills will be perfected. I know I’ll be more ready for the fall semester and I’m so excited to jump in!
G.O.A.L.S.
The Columbus To-Do List I have chosen to complete this semester is “Coffee and Tea”, and I am really looking forward to finding new places to study or bring my friends and family to when they visit. I am a huge coffee person and really like how cozy a coffee house can be, so I am looking forward to discovering new spots on and off campus. Columbus is an urban setting and can be intimidating for a freshmen who is outside of their hometown and without familiar faces; that being said, this semester, I hope to feel more confident in exploring the city outside of campus and learn how to park and drive in an urban space. There is a wonderful city I have at my disposal and I should take advantage of the opportunities I have while I attend OSU.
My first adventure off of campus was with a few of my friends to Stauf’s Coffee Roasters, and it was worth the short trip there. It was located on Neil Avenue just outside of campus; short enough to be an afternoon trip but long enough that I had to drive. Thankfully, my brother has a car on campus and let me take it for the afternoon. The coffee house had a great atmosphere and my friends and I enjoyed the experience. The iced mocha’s and blueberry muffins were very good and I would recommend anyone to visit. The most confusing part of the trip was parking, but I found a spot after a few minutes of searching, and it was fairly close to Stauf’s. My favorite part of the experience was walking into the coffee shop and watching all my friends look around; it was an unfamiliar place and most of us rarely get off of campus, so it was a cool moment and we were lucky we had the convenience of having a car. I learned how easy it is to get off of campus; it only takes an hour or two to have a new experience off of campus and learn some new things about Columbus. I also learned how to park in and navigate through a new part of the city.
For the second part of the Columbus To- Do List, I took a trip to the Short North with a few of my friends. First we went to Jeni’s Ice Cream and then to Out of the Closet thrift store, and Rocket Fizz the candy shop. My favorite place was the thrift store because there were so many interesting pieces of clothing and great deals- I got an urban outfitter’s branded shirt for 98 cents. I learned that Columbus may look intimidating, but exploring is so much easier than I thought. I was putting off taking a trip to the Short North because I thought It was going to be an hour commute and a terrible walk and bus ride. We ended up busing to the Union and taking one city bus down to the Short North, it was so easy! I am definitely looking forward to going back and spending a proper day there instead of the short visit I had. I have not had time to explore another part of the city, but I was inspired to and will in the future. I would recommend to another person doing the Short North trip to go earlier in the day, especially in the winter. It gets dark very early now and, although the city is beautiful at night, the shopping mood is during the day and we started to shut down and get tired when it got dark. At Jeni’s we sat down with our ice cream and enjoyed looking at some wall murals and street art from the window. At the thrift store, we had fun looking at all of the surplus mugs and sweaters for the winter. Out of the Closet actively donates a portion of their profits to LGBTQ+ organizations, so it was a great way to give back to the community while getting clothes for cheap. The Rocket Fizz candy store was especially fun because of all of the crazy flavored sodas that they sold. It was a super fun place just to look at, I didn’t end up buying any candy. The most confusing part of the whole experience was the bus routes, but once I went through the process I realized how easy it was. My favorite part was seeing all of the amazing street art and building designs in the Short North. I am really looking forward to going back to more shops and restaurants and would totally recommend all of the mentioned shops to a friend if they want to get away from campus for the night!
Career
The career I want when I graduate college is to be an environmental lawyer and work for a firm trying to protect nature. The job posting listed on https://careercenter.ohiobar.org/job/environmental-and-public-law-associate/50841313/?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic is for an Environmental and Public Law Associate position with Eastman & Smith Ltd.. The job requirements are to have at least 3-5 years of environmental service, be registered to practice law in Ohio, have a legal research background, the ability to multitask and solve problems, to have a strong work ethic and to be very organized. I plan on acquiring all of these skills by going to law school after I complete my undergraduate degree here and passing the bar exam. To gain experience, I can work for the EPA or other firms that do not require previous experience, and take internships with professors. During law school, there will be opportunities to do law research as well so I can complete that job requirements. The abilities to multitask and problem solve come with experience and working in multiple places. Communication skills also will develop as I continue on that career path. After 3 years of gaining experience, not including law school and undergraduate school, I should have great communication and problem solving skills. I also plan to join to Ohio State Pre-Law Association to meet people with the same interests as me. I hope to find a firm to work for long-term so I can settle down in the city of that job opening and build up a pension from my work as well.
Enneagram Personality type:
The Enneagram personality type I was given is the Type One Reformer/ Idealist personality. Type one personalities are often perfectionists and strive to reach a moral high ground. They have a mission and passion in life that drives them to be the best versus of themselves and are often very self-motivated and controlled people. They have an innate fear of being corrupt and desire to be good and balanced. I do think that the test was accurate, because I do refer to myself as a perfectionist. I know I am very self-motivated and I always push myself ahead of others. I do strive to have good moral awareness but I tend to stay out of conflict, oftentimes it doesn’t help anyone to argue. Based on the test, in order to improve my level of development I should work on being more hopeful; I have a hard time being an optimist and it would benefit me to take a better attitude going forward. In addition, I should relax and walk with less haste in life, I usually want things to happen immediately for me. As a teacher and leader, I should expect others to grow at their own pace, they do not have to stay on my track. At Ohio State, I can take this knowledge and use it to maximize my growth in my academics by learning to accept that some things are out of my control, but appreciate that my self-motivation has landed me at such an amazing school. However, some relaxation will benefit me as I often over-work and exhaust myself.
Interview
I chose to interview Emma Dalan for my Alumni Interview assignment. She was a Microbiology major who graduated in 2018; she currently works as a research assistant at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. While at Ohio State she was an Environmental and Natural Resource Scholar and a part of the Club Rowing Team, Running Club, Peers Reaching Out, and Women’s Rugby Team. Emma said her favorite thing that she got to do through ENR Scholars was go to Hocking Hills on the camping trip; that happens to be my favorite as well. She said her favorite class was Microbiology because she felt connected to her professor and the professor really cared about the students. It is really important to start building relationships with professors because opportunities always flow from that. Her advice for me as an undergrad was to get involved as much as possible and to be proactive about finding opportunities to research or get experience. Right now at Texas Biomed she is working on gene editing, Alzheimer’s, and bipolar disorder research; the biggest competitive advantage she had over other applicants was her experience. She worked in an immunology lab for 6 months and a genetics lab for a summer. She got those positions by emailing professors and word-of-mouth. The biggest thing to do to prepare for the professional world is to try to get experience prior to applying for the job. A lesson she took away from her first job is that the professional world, especially in research settings, has a smaller community feeling, so it is very important to have a strong network of friends and family to rely on. The biggest thing I learned from Emma was to talk to as many people as I can, whether that be professors or students, and create a network that I can use to expose myself to new opportunities. Ohio State has endless clubs and student organizations to choose from and take advantage of, so I should start building up a system around me and bettering myself that way.
About Me
My name is Caitlin Funk and I am currently attending The Ohio State University, my major is Environmental and Economic Development and Sustainability. My home is in Strongsville, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. I was a good student and had a job at a suit store all through high school. I got into sustainability and the environment fairly recently, but quickly realized that it was my passion. My AP Environmental Science teacher sparked something inside me for the environment and now I will be studying it full time. I have an extensive background with the sciences, that precedes my education at OSU. I took AP Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science. As a learner, I am driven, determined, and hardworking. I work best in groups, and get along with others easily. At Ohio State, I hope to network and build a reputation in the environmental professions. During the summer, I hope to have an internships in Cleveland with a corporation working to clean up the city. Academically, my goals are to be consistent and manage my time as best as I can, I would like to maintain a good GPA while still being involved in the clubs and activities here, such as the Mountaineers. My interest with the environment comes from a sense of urgency and passion, the environment is getting worse at an exponential rate, so I feel like I have to make a difference any way I can. I’ve always loved to camp and kayak and be in nature and I can always be found at the gym or running somewhere. I feel that sustainability is such a crucial concept today, I want to preserve the world for future generations, so that they can enjoy the Earth as much as I do.
Social Medias:
LinkedIn- Caitie Funk
Instagram- Caitiefunk