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About Me

| Laura Gaines

Hello! My name is Laura Gaines, I’m a third-year Statistics major with a minor in dance. Along with being a part of the Honors Program and working for the Honors and Scholars Center as a student assistant, I am the Director of Scholarship with Phi Sigma Rho, co-founder andMembership and Events Coordinator of Momentum Contemporary Ballet, and a member of the Wexner-Ratner Cohort.

Along with being deeply involved in the arts and my scholastic program here at tOSU, I love rock climbing and other outdoorsy activities, and have become very involved with the climbing and off-campus trips the Outdoor Adventure Center offers. I also enjoy taking trips around the Columbus area to explore different activities and foods!

I hope you enjoy exploring my portfolio and get to learn a little about me through my page.

Year in Review, 2019

| Laura Gaines

2019 G.O.A.L.S.

2019… what a year. As I reflect back on this year, I will do so in the context of the Honors and Scholars Program goals, and hopefully I will be able to see both personal and professional growth since this time last year.

Global Awareness

Spring 2019 semester I was asked by one of my professors to join a writing cohort she was starting for the Fall 2019 semester, and I accepted. This grew into the Wexner-Ratner Cohort, a small group of students led by my professor and a grad student who watch and write reflective pieces about the performances that the Wexner Center for the Arts puts on. These pieces have had many varying themes, and all of them reflect the performers’ experiences. In fact, the first piece we watched was about an African performer’s experience in America, her culture, and her pride in it. This cohort has exposed me to many different perspectives, many with international reaches, and has helped me to see different views from many different cultures. As the season continues, I anticipate to be exposed to many more perspectives, and look forward to learning and responding to them.

Original Inquiry

As I mentioned, I am a member of an arts cohort, observing and reflecting on various performances. Through this cohort, I have been able to address and explore a vast quantity of questions, many either related to the arts or politics, that I would not have thought of otherwise, and have been able to learn a lot from my own reflections and those of others in my cohort.

Additionally, I have helped to co-found a new on-campus dance organization, Momentum Contemporary Ballet, and part of our goal is a semesterly performance. Spring 2020 semester we will be having our first performance, and this semester I have been working on choreographing a piece for the performance. I have never choreographed before, so this experience has helped me to explore myself, my physical limitations and those of others, as well as how I connect emotionally to music and how I express those emotions through my choreography. I believe that as I continue and start setting the piece on our performers, I will learn even more about them, how they connect to the music and interpret my movement, and the connections that music and dance can make between people who potentially don’t know each other, and even those who do. I am excited to see where this personal and interpersonal exploration takes me as the project progresses.

Academic Enrichment

I have always strived for academic excellence, and I continue to do so. Spring 2019 I switched my major to statistics, because I believe that this major will both challenge me academically and help me to reach my goals professionally. It allows me to dive in-depth into the subjects that interest me, and I will continue to challenge myself to do my best in the courses that I take. Additionally, I have chosen to fill all of my General Education requirements with courses that interest me and fulfill the requirements, as well as being academically rigorous and helping me to enrich my academic experience outside my major.

Leadership Development

This year has been especially key to my leadership development in college. The first leadership experience I became involved with this year was becoming one of the inaugural members of the Wexner-Ratner Cohort. I have, along with my peers, have helped to develop the group and will continue to help shape it for the first year of its existence (and potentially longer).

I also helped to found Momentum, which has been an ongoing project with a few of my friends (but one other in particular) since July of this year. The two of us in particular have done much of the heavy lifting in terms of starting the organization, getting it registered on campus, figuring out the logistics of how the group will function next semester, and everything in between. Additionally, I will be staying in a leadership position in the organization as the Membership and Events Coordinator, meaning I will be handling the logistics of scheduling and communicating all classes/club meetings/performances, as well as tracking membership and the growth of the organization.

Most recently, I was elected to be Phi Sigma Rho’s new Director of Scholarship, which will be a great way for me to get experience as a leader in a pre-established position. I will be helping with many of the aspects of scholastic achievement in our sorority, and I look forward to learning and growing the position as the new year starts.

Service Engagement

As a member of Phi Sigma Rho, I have a semesterly service requirement, so I will definitely be participating in community service for the rest of my time at Ohio State. Previously I’ve volunteered at animal shelters in my hometown, so I hope to find an animal shelter in the Columbus area that I can volunteer at. Additionally, I plan on talking with the other members of my sorority to find out what other opportunities there are to provide service in the Columbus area.

 

In all, 2019 has been a year of growth, of discovery, and of change. I not only have joined and founded various organizations, I also have learned a lot through them, and I hope to continue this trend of learning and developing my personal and professional skills as I begin the new year.

G.O.A.L.S.

| Laura Gaines

2019 G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness

Spring 2019 semester I was asked by one of my professors to join a writing cohort she was starting for the Fall 2019 semester, and I accepted. This grew into the Wexner-Ratner Cohort, a small group of students led by my professor and a grad student who watch and write reflective pieces about the performances that the Wexner Center for the Arts puts on. These pieces have had many varying themes, and all of them reflect the performers’ experiences. In fact, the first piece we watched was about an African performer’s experience in America, her culture, and her pride in it. This cohort has exposed me to many different perspectives, many with international reaches, and has helped me to see different views from many different cultures. As the season continues, I anticipate to be exposed to many more perspectives, and look forward to learning and responding to them.

Original Inquiry

As I mentioned, I am a member of an arts cohort, observing and reflecting on various performances. Through this cohort, I have been able to address and explore a vast quantity of questions, many either related to the arts or politics, that I would not have thought of otherwise, and have been able to learn a lot from my own reflections and those of others in my cohort.

Additionally, I have helped to co-found a new on-campus dance organization, Momentum Contemporary Ballet, and part of our goal is a semesterly performance. Spring 2020 semester we will be having our first performance, and this semester I have been working on choreographing a piece for the performance. I have never choreographed before, so this experience has helped me to explore myself, my physical limitations and those of others, as well as how I connect emotionally to music and how I express those emotions through my choreography. I believe that as I continue and start setting the piece on our performers, I will learn even more about them, how they connect to the music and interpret my movement, and the connections that music and dance can make between people who potentially don’t know each other, and even those who do. I am excited to see where this personal and interpersonal exploration takes me as the project progresses.

Academic Enrichment

I have always strived for academic excellence, and I continue to do so. Spring 2019 I switched my major to statistics, because I believe that this major will both challenge me academically and help me to reach my goals professionally. It allows me to dive in-depth into the subjects that interest me, and I will continue to challenge myself to do my best in the courses that I take. Additionally, I have chosen to fill all of my General Education requirements with courses that interest me and fulfill the requirements, as well as being academically rigorous and helping me to enrich my academic experience outside my major.

Leadership Development

This year has been especially key to my leadership development in college. The first leadership experience I became involved with this year was becoming one of the inaugural members of the Wexner-Ratner Cohort. I have, along with my peers, have helped to develop the group and will continue to help shape it for the first year of its existence (and potentially longer).

I also helped to found Momentum, which has been an ongoing project with a few of my friends (but one other in particular) since July of this year. The two of us in particular have done much of the heavy lifting in terms of starting the organization, getting it registered on campus, figuring out the logistics of how the group will function next semester, and everything in between. Additionally, I will be staying in a leadership position in the organization as the Membership and Events Coordinator, meaning I will be handling the logistics of scheduling and communicating all classes/club meetings/performances, as well as tracking membership and the growth of the organization.

Most recently, I was elected to be Phi Sigma Rho’s new Director of Scholarship, which will be a great way for me to get experience as a leader in a pre-established position. I will be helping with many of the aspects of scholastic achievement in our sorority, and I look forward to learning and growing the position as the new year starts.

Service Engagement

As a member of Phi Sigma Rho, I have a semesterly service requirement, so I will definitely be participating in community service for the rest of my time at Ohio State. Previously I’ve volunteered at animal shelters in my hometown, so I hope to find an animal shelter in the Columbus area that I can volunteer at. Additionally, I plan on talking with the other members of my sorority to find out what other opportunities there are to provide service in the Columbus area.

Year in Review, 2018

| Laura Gaines

2018 G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness

During my time at Ohio State, I intend to study abroad at least once, to help me get first-hand experience with other cultures and learn about different people’s perspectives. Additionally, in my day-to-day life I try to communicate with people of different backgrounds and different perspectives, and learn more about them and what they experience, because I recognize that my experience is far from what others may go through and I strive to learn more about people and their lives to better understand the world.

Original Inquiry

As an Honors student, I take a fairly rigorous course load, but these more challenging and smaller classes allow me the opportunity to speak up and ask questions during classes, as well as dive more in-depth into topics that interest me. Also, as I intend to specialize in Social Science Analytics, I will be doing research and writing a research thesis later in my college career.

Academic Enrichment

As I mentioned previously, I am required to take higher-level academic courses as an Honors student, and I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to challenge myself in all areas of my scholarly life. I intend to take Honors and upper-level classes not just in my major areas, but also in areas where I may not be focusing, but I still have an interest in learning more. I also try to allow experiences outside of the classroom teach me, perhaps not academic lessons, but lessons nonetheless that can help me grow and learn as a member of the Ohio State community.

Leadership Development

I have always and will continue to strive to be a leader in many areas of my life, whether it’s in the classroom, doing service, or just as a friend. I always try to be as helpful as I can when others ask for assistance in any area of their life, and I also try to lead by example, by helping the community or even something as simple as not being afraid to ask a question during class. That being said, I also do my best to be a good listener when others have ideas, because not even the best leaders have all the answers, and I always try to make others feel respected and their voices heard.

Service Engagement

For many years, I volunteered at animal shelters, Habitat for Humanity, and my church, along with various other organizations in my community, and I hope to continue volunteering in the Ohio State and Columbus communities while I am here. I also hope to participate in the philanthropic events that Ohio State puts on, such as the various BuckeyeThon activities, and I intend to join some of the student organizations that give back to the community in the upcoming semesters.

Hocking Hills FYE Trip

| Laura Gaines

My Hocking Hills FYE trip was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I nearly didn’t go on the trip, because I’d never been camping before, and I was worried that something would go wrong and I’d have a bad start to the beginning of my college career. But, I finally decided to go, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

We spent four days in Hocking Hills, Ohio, and did so many incredibly fun things. I went camping for the first time, we went on hikes, we went ziplining, horse back riding, paddleboarding… I could keep listing everything we did, but that honestly isn’t even the part that matters. I made some of the best friends I’ve ever had on that trip, and even though we’ve only known each other for a semester, I can’t imagine what college would’ve been like for me if I hadn’t gone. We spend so much time together, and even the people we don’t see quite as often still say hi and are friendly faces to see walking around campus.

I also learned the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and trusting that you’ll be okay wherever you end up. The trip leaders were amazing and helped all of us STEM majors learn what we needed to know to be responsible and respectful while we were outside, and they really helped us bond. I’ve never seen a group of thirteen people become so close to each other so quickly, and it really wouldn’t have happened if all of us hadn’t taken that leap of faith.

In short, the Hocking Hills trip was an experience that I’ll always be grateful for, and it really made the start to my first year of college even better than I could have imagined.