PSL Seminar Response Question

Voting is an essential part of democracy. Without the voting process, the people would have no say in what goes on within the state or federal government. There are a number of reasons people don’t vote. People choose not to vote for a number of reasons including lack of time, interest, ability, or they are simply uniformed. People also choose not to vote because of rational ignorance, this is the notion that people choose not be involved with politics because they are choosing to focus on other things like school, family, work, etc.

To increase voter participation, politicians should stress that every vote truly does count. A lot of eligible voters who decide not to vote feel as if their vote does not have an impact on the final outcome. Many people often ask, “What can one vote actually do,”. If politicians or public figures encouraged the importance of an individual vote, eligible voters may be more likely to vote.

A lot of eligible voters go unregistered. If Americans citizens are automatically registered when they get a drivers license, then everyone would be registered. When you receive your license, you also file your voting registration which will automatically come into affect when you turn 18. Additionally, there should be volunteers outside of popular locations like malls or supermarkets to register voters.

Another reason so many individuals don’t vote is due to the relatively inaccessible measures for voting. Since the national voting day falls on a Tuesday, many working citizens are unable to vote without missing a day of work. The national voting day should either be moved to a weekend or they should have multiple days open for voting. If there are multiple days to vote, more people will have the opportunity to participate.

Peer Mentor Interview : Sienna

Name: Siena

From: Chicago, Illinois

Major: Economics/Finance | Minor: Spanish

Favorite Color: Yellow | Holiday: Halloween | Candy: Take Five | Food: Crunchy Peanut Butter

Siena is a second year PSL member. On campus, she is involved in the Boo Radley Society (Fundraising Offer) and is rushing into a business frat. She has two dogs named Lucy and Leo and two younger siblings Scarlett and Graham. Siena hopes to work internationally with a non-profit. Her dream job is to be the President or Supreme Court Justice. She also hopes to study abroad in the summer or do a May semester in Spain, Chilé, or the Andés. Siena’s ultimate goal is to do the Fisher Internship Abroad. Over the summer, Siena worked at an ice cream shop. Some of her favorite restaurants on campus are Cazuelas, Bibi Bop, Trism, and M.E.L.T. Siena’s favorite places in Columbus are the State Building and the reading room at Thompson. She likes mostly alternative but will listen to pop. Siena enjoys going to concerts, her favorite venue is the Aragon Ballroom. The best show she has ever been was Green Day. The best advice she has ever received was from the book You are a Badass, “Reframe things to empower yourself. If you’re depressed you’re living in the past, if you’re anxious you’re living in the past, if you’re happy you’re living in the now,”.

 

 

G.O.A.L.S.

  • Global Awareness: I hope to do a May Semester abroad in France either my sophomore or junior year. Not only will it be an opportunity to further develop my French language skills, but I can also experience different cultures and hopefully be able to fully immerse myself in a new and exciting country.
  • Original Inquiry: The past summer I worked at the Holden Arboretum doing field work alongside scientists who were using our data to answer real questions. It was incredibly satisfying to have work that was going towards a real project. I hope to be able to participate in more research while I am here at OSU. I hope I will be able to conduct more field work and research alongside educated scientists.
  • Academic Enrichment: My personal goal is to maintain a 3.5 G.P.A. and be on the Dean’s list. I also plan on applying to the Honors College at the end of my spring term. Additionally, I hope I have the opportunity to be a teacher’s assistant and teach a class.
  • Leadership Development: I will apply to be a PSL peer mentor my second year as a PSL  member. I would love the opportunity to be able to make incoming freshman feel more at home and comfortable, like my peer mentors did for me.
  • Service Engagement: During high school, I was involved in a lot of volunteer work. I love being able to lend a hand. I am looking for opportunities to volunteer especially with either cleaning up Columbus or working and tutoring kids.

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

Recently I began working at the Ohio Statehouse as a Senate Page. I wanted to work here for insight on how government operates. I enjoy my position and I feel as if it has not only taught me about government operations but additionally how to conduct myself within a professional workplace. I am learning valuable skills that will help me with future job positions. The Statehouse has taught me time-management skills, organizational skills, and professionalism. Working three days out of the week while still being a full-time student forced me to learn how to be productive and manage my time to the best of my ability. Additionally,  I have become much more professional because I have a boss who is depending on me to be on time for my shifts and act in a professional manner when I am present.

About Me

My name is Clara Hach and I am a freshman at the Ohio State University. I am studying Public Policy. I am very passionate about preserving our Nation’s parks and I hope to one day become a lobbyist. I enjoy hiking, reading, and painting and I am a people person. On campus, I am involved with Hillel, the Boo Radley Society, and Parks and Recreation. I am also in the Politics, Society, and Law Scholars program. Currently, I am a Page at the Ohio Statehouse.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]