I had too many highlights from my experience as an ENR Scholar to pick just one. Camping in Hocking Hills every year, the windy and treacherous hike at Lake Hope, learning how to rock climb, I have so many highlights. My favorite was probably the Lake Hope camping trip because I got so close to everyone on the trip.

ENR has given me so much. I gained all of my wonderful friends through the program, I learned how to engage in a community in a helpful way, I found the right major for me, I gained job shadow and networking opportunities, I learned countless outdoor and personal skills, I found better ways to manage my own wellness, and I found a community where I felt a strong sense of belonging fairly quickly in college.

For my Spring 2017 project, I travelled to the Everglades for a sea kayaking trip during spring break. We spent five days on the water, paddling by day and camping on a different island every night. It was easily one of the most challenging yet rejuvenating things I have ever done. I felt as though I found something I had been missing for a long time. Outdoor adventure has always been something I have tried to engage in, but this trip was on a whole new level. I learned many new skills, such as navigation, outdoor cooking, and effective packing. I feel much more capable and confident in my abilities. This trip sparked a new love of outdoor recreation that I hope to engage in for the rest of my life.
For new ENR Scholars, my number one piece of advice would be to engage with this community. I would never have gained as much as I have if it wasn’t for doing my best to be involved. Attend, the events that sound interesting to you, engage in the seminars, and try to get to know the other people in the program. Take advantage of the knowledge the upperclassmen have! They’re great resources and they’ll be eager to help you.

This year has been an extremely transformational experience for me. Being a member of ENR Scholars has broadened so many aspects of my life, personally and professionally. This picture demonstrates a few different things about this past year. This is from when we went to Waterman farm for apple picking to help out the farm and donate the apples to Mid-Ohio Foodbank. I learned so much about service this year. I learned how important service is to a community and how easily I can engage myself within a community and that there is always work to be done as long as there is a will. However, I also learned quite a bit about having fun while doing important work. Some of the apple picking required me (being one of the shortest and most able to climb in small spaces) to climb the apple trees to clean them of fruit. This activity really helped me to bond with the other scholars and to appreciate my work even more.

Our trip to Hocking Hills also taught me a few important lessons. I’ve always been interested in outdoor adventure but this trip gave me a whole new perspective, specifically because of our hike. Spending hours on a trail with so many interesting people brought up many different types of conversations. There was a lot of talk about the trail and the area and the conservation of such beautiful places. There was also a lot of talk about personal matters and I was so shocked by how quickly I got to know everyone. This brought me closer to the idea that one of the best ways to live is to keep an interest in the planet and the people because of how closely we’re intertwined. I also learned to put down my phone a little more and engage face-to-face as often as possible.

The ENR scavenger hunt in the short north was a wonderful way for me to get to know Columbus. I bonded with my group so quickly and walking through a completely new and undiscovered (to me at least) place was a whole new type of adventure. I learned how much I loved Columbus and that new cities and places are always exciting.

This year, through what I have learned through ENR Scholars and personal interests, I decided to change my diet and it has been an important transformation in my life. I had to re-learn how to eat so that I was healthy and felt good and I was thrown into a new world of exciting food since I cut out meat. This lesson has helped me become healthier since I have become more interested in food and to incorporate healthy habits in even more parts of my life.

Attending the dinner for Will Allen was a huge honor and showed me all that Ohio State and ENR Scholars has to offer. Within my first month of college I was given the opportunity to meet an influential author and revolutionary businessman. He gave such an inspiring speech and I met many members of the faculty. This opportunity was incredibly unique and inspiring.

During this year, I also became a Sierra Club Outings Leader. Through being inspired by ENR Scholars and my studies, I was inspired to follow my passions of outdoor adventure and leadership. Becoming involved with the Sierra Club has helped me to become involved in a transformational conservation organization.

Perhaps one of the most important things I have learned throughout this year is the value of my own and other’s voices. I learned how important it is to have a passion and to follow through with it. Progressive politics have been an interest of mine since the beginning of high school but I never realized how much a single person could change the world until I became more involved throughout this year. I have started to grow my confidence to truly follow what I care about.

The most important thing that I learned about myself this year was my place and my value in a community. Gaining meaningful relationships with so many different types of people has widened my horizons so much and helped me to see the many different cogs and mechanisms of a society on a small and large level. I am incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities I have been blessed with this year.