My sophomore year of college has turned into being a time of great growth for me, personally and professionally. Whilst a lot of my second year coursework has included a lot of business core classes, I have had the chance to begin my major (Operations Management) and minor (Business Analytics) coursework as well. I really enjoyed both of these classes and am very excited for taking more of these classes in the next two years. Last summer I began a student internship with the Facilities Information Technology Services department at Ohio State. I worked 38 hours/week all summer and then have worked about 4 hours a week the whole school year. This job has been a good experience for me by allowing me to work in a professional environment, handle important data, and experience what it is like to work roughly full time in the summer and then find a work/school/life balance during autumn and spring semester.
Additionally, I feel like my non-major related coursework and experience participating in the STEP program have allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the world around me and the humanities. I took both of the Business HR related classes, Marketing, and a Comparative Studies / Intro Humanities course this year, so I have really had a lot of class time to discuss and try to understand people and our world. The STEP program and my second year in the Business Scholars Program both offered good time for self discovery and understanding of my goals and values. Through these things, a peripheral aspect of my second year has been learning to improve my understanding of the humanities and myself.
This year was my second year in The Ohio State University Marching Band as a member of M-Row. Being in the marching band has brought me incredible opportunities and experiences, incredible friends, and has helped me develop who I am. The constant challenge to compete against my peers for a spot, work hard to learn music and drill for shows, and the nervousness that comes with performing in front of 100,000+ people has helped me gain confidence in myself and my capabilities. Band really emphasizes working as a team towards a common goal. I also participated in the BuckeyeThon dance marathon with the Marching Band for the second year, which was a very meaningful and thought-provoking experience. I am thankful that OSU has events like this that contribute to such important causes.
This year I have also started to spend time training at Olympic Weightlifting. I am still learning the basics and getting stronger, but it has been something I’ve done sporadically in the fall and then about 4 times a week all of spring semester. Through this kind of training I have found another big passion of mine– training / the fitness industry. For the past couple years I have been picturing myself in a consumer product goods industry, but have been saying that in a pretty broad manner. At this point, I am beginning to narrow that concept into the idea of working in a big consumer fitness company, something like Rogue Fitness. I know that my image of my career will likely change and focus over the next several years, but it feels good to have a career concept that makes me excited about my future.
I like this picture of my weightlifting shoes paired with my Ohio State socks as it pairs two of my interests together, shows my lifting shoes, and isn’t an awkward picture of lifting.
My second year of college has had some bumps and bruises, but I feel as though I am coming out of it as a better me. I am learning a lot in my classes, making incredible memories, and gaining some focus on what I want to do in life after college.