This year was certainly a tale of two semesters. Not only did I change my major at the halfway point but I was able to put myself in better positions to really thrive in the second semester. That is not to say the first semester was a loss of course. I learned a lot about myself, Ohio State, and the kind of future I wanted to make for myself at OSU and beyond.
Being a commuter, finding my place on campus was challenging at first. For most of the first semester I bounced around multiple student organizations and spaces to find somewhere I could call home. Near the end of the semester I applied to join Under Graduate Student Government. From the moment I applied to now has been a sprint, during which I met some incredible people and was able to participate in some amazing projects. The most meaningful experience through USG and likely on campus was helping with the eventual winning campaign for Student Body President and Vice President. I learned a lot about the organization, student life on campus, OSU, and I was having a lot of fun and growing as an individual. Now, as the year closes I had the opportunity to apply for leadership within USG and on-campus and this next year I will be serving as a University Senator as well as a Recruitment Coordinator for the Community Relations branch of USG.
I also grew academically. Coming into OSU, I experienced success in the classroom however OSU is a different animal entirely. I was forced to make improvements in a lot of areas such as time-management, resource allocation, and in my general study habits. This experience allowed me to succeed and I believe it will set me up for future success academically that will help me achieve my goals.
A final note would be the challenges we are all facing in the Covid-19 outbreak. I would be remiss if I did not mention the challenges it brought. Not only has it been socially difficult, but I was looking forward to my time in USG, the season with the Club Baseball team and achieving full membership within CCWA. Academically it has forced me to be much more diligent with my time and be a better self-monitor. All of that said, the most important thing about this time has been to be in touch with what is going on around me. I am extremely fortunate to have my health and to be spending time with my family. My mom is a Nurse Practitioner in the SICU at the James so this has being there for her has been very important. All in all, this is a difficult time for everyone and will likely be what everyone remembers 2020 for. It has certainly served as a learning and growth opportunity for me.
I was fortunate to experience quite a bit in my first year at OSU. It has been unlike any other experience I have had. To now, I have never spent more than 2 years at the same school but I can not wait for the 3 years I have ahead of me at OSU. I feel that the lessons I learned this year have allowed me to grow tremendously and have set me up for a great next few years. 