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Starting college and finishing out my first semester has been one wild ride. I have joined a few clubs, but also dropped some. I have made a few friends, but also felt so alone at times. Adjusting to dorm life and college classes definitely hasn’t been easy, but is it ever for anyone? I am thankful for my first semester here because it’s already taught me a lot about myself, my passions, and what I need to focus on in the future. Although I am tired and ready for the upcoming winter break, I am also excited for the classes coming up and eager to start again after I have caught up on some sleep.

My original goal was to be involved in three organizations because they say that it is the ‘ideal’ amount. Since I was already committed to Humanities Scholars I told myself it would be simple to find two more semi-career related groups to join. This wasn’t quite true however because although I attempted to like both 4-paws and Shades of animal service, their meetings just weren’t for me. It took me a second to realize this, but after I thought it over I realized that most of their meetings didn’t interest me and scheduling around them was more stress than it was worth. So I dropped them and kept looking. Then I found the Western Equestrian Team and I have never been happier with myself for continuing to look. I love the people I go to lessons with and they have helped me not only adjust to college, but also take time off of it for myself.  The team, mixed with Humanities Scholars, has so far been the perfect mix of busy and not busy and I love my involvement in each of them. Next semester while continuing my involvement in both, I would also like to find another service based activity since I’ll have more time to devote to it.

One thing that is a little more slow going than my involvement has been the social side of college. It took me a long time to gain the few friends I have, but I am still at the point where I am very insecure around them. Therefore, for this next semester I wanna focus on overcoming these insecurities and focus on just being myself. If this works out and we get closer as a result than great, but if it ends up drifting us apart then I know that this has to be okay too. A big part of my adjustment here has been finding myself, as many others go through the same thing when they come to college. This semester I have faced so many new situations, opportunities, and people that have made me reflect on myself, what I want, but also what I want to see in the people around me. This first semester has only started to crack these realizations out of me, but I know they will continue showing themselves in these next few years.

I grew up in a small, white, rural town about an hour north-west of Columbus. I have lived in this same town of three stop lights and a Subway my entire life and let me tell you, growing up surrounded by nothing but corn on four sides can drive you crazy, but in a good way. I matured wanting more people, more culture, more stop lights, more experiences in general, but never forgetting the tight knit community that I came from. This outlook is what really pushed me to pursue many of my goals. I started by making a bucket list every summer that pushed me to travel in the area, I then applied to Ohio State last fall, and now I’m studying abroad in London this spring. Experiencing all these new things has me constantly reflecting back on my own small town. All the traditions it had with its Christmas parade and Labor Day festival, all the people there that truly made it my home, and the school that I went to and grew up in my entire life. It was tiny, but mighty. I remember football games, especially when I was younger, because they always felt like a community gathering that almost everyone would come out and watch.  As I grew up, I loved feeling this community around me because they were always there to support me. Even now when I’m away at college I get constant letters and texts from church members, friends, and community members alike who ask how I’m doing and wish me the best. The friends and family I have back home have taught me so much about respect, love, and what it feels like to be a part of a community and it influences the person I am today.  I have grown up learning to show respect to those who are older than you, but also to speak up if something bothers me. Learning to love my neighbor as myself because you never know when you may need someone to pick you up again, appreciating all that’s been given to me throughout my life when I’m feeling down. Finally, I’ve learned that your home doesn’t define you, but you can define your home by how you act and the choices you make.

Leading up to my first day on campus I was very nervous. I didn’t know how I’d do being away from my family and friends, but was excited for the chance in starting my new life as an adult. The thing that stressed me out the most was the possibility of not finding any new friends who I could bond with over difficult classes and life in general. Because of this, leaving my safe, small town and coming to one of the biggest campuses in the country was a transition I both dreaded and anticipated. However once arriving, meeting my roommate, and settling into the college lifestyle, I knew there was nothing to worry about and already love my Baker East dorm community.

One thing that helped me get through my first week was having the opportunity to move in early with the Ohio State Welcome Leaders (OWL). Through OWL I was given extra time in walking to each of my classes and having an older mentor who could give me some tips on staying on top of things. It made my first day of classes much easier to handle when I already knew where I was going and what the class would be like. I could instead focus on my lectures and write down any important announcements made throughout class. The rest of my week went smoothly as well, especially once I learned to read and note the lecture slides before class in order to keep up with the teacher’s faster pace. Now I am super excited about digging further into some of my favorite subjects (Intro to Animal Science and History of Rock and Roll) and also checking out more cool student organizations, like Humanities Scholars, to join.

I’ve only been staying with the Humanities Scholars for a week, but already love how I get to know someone new everyday while being involved in a group both enlightening and fun. I expect Humanities Scholars to only go up from here with the numerous activities they have planned for the semester.

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  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.]