The past two years have been a whirlwind of great experiences, lots of studying, and discovery. Coming into college I was very nervous about making friends, what my major was going to be, and overall how happy I was going to be at Ohio State. I came to this University on a gut feeling; the first time I came to campus I just had this feeling that I was where I should be. However, as my freshman move-in date kept approaching, I was getting nervous that my gut feeling was wrong; I was coming to a school where I had no friends, my long-term boyfriend was staying back in Cleveland, and I had never moved previously. Over the past two years, though, I can say that my gut was right and that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
One of the reasons my experience at Ohio State has been so amazing is the scholars program. While at times it did get on my nerves, I cannot thank this program enough for all of the friends, experiences, and opportunities it has provided me with. The program helped me to find my true passion, sustainability, and my favorite subject to study: environmental economics. It has also broadened my view of the world. I had rarely gone camping before I came to Ohio State and now, two years later, I would say I am a relatively experienced outdoor adventurer. The experiences, such as Hocking Hills, the Everglades sea-kayaking trip, and others, has lead me to find one of my favorite ways to vacation: outside. Now, I am confident in my abilities outdoors, and I believe that knowledge is immeasurable.
ENR has brought me a community that I could not had fathomed before starting at Ohio State. My very best friends are in ENR scholars and I have met so many people through this program. I am so thankful for this little community within such a large University. Without it, I could not have imagined my experience being anywhere near as wonderful as it has been. This is by far the highlight of my experience with ENR scholars. This community led me to my best friends and I do not think anything else can top that.
My Spring 2017 project was my internship with Global Gifts. This was an unpaid internship working on evaluating the operations of the store to make sure they were acting as sustainably as possible. I evaluated the products they carried in the store as well as some of their operations and provided feedback to the store manager on what was going well and what needed working on. I encouraged the store to begin recycling again because they had stopped due to misinformation given to them and I evaluated the overall sustainability of fair trade. Overall the internship was fantastic and gave me the opportunity to make my city cleaner by helping this organization. I’ve gained so much knowledge and experience from this internship that I will be able to carry on with me in my future endeavors. It really allowed me to give back to my community with my time and my knowledge of sustainability while also gaining so much real-world experience.
For incoming freshman, I would recommend just going to events, even ones that scare you. I know school can be overwhelming at times and it’s hard to get yourself to the events, but they’re the best part of ENR. Also, go outside of your comfort zone and try new things. It was through ENR scholars that I found my love for rock climbing, backpacking, sustainability, and other activities.