Political Science

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Coming to college, I thought that I wanted to study biology and pursue medicine. However, after my experiences with IA Scholars and my overall passion for social justice and reform, I knew that medicine wasn’t my true passion. I knew that I wanted to help people, but the how part was what I was missing. My first semester as a Buckeye was really eye opening and I learned many new things about myself. This aspect of myself was realized during a Meet the Department event in which a panel of Political Science professors spoke about their field of expertise. Going to this event sparked my interest in Political Science, and now I have switched my major to Political Science with the hopes of being either a politician or a diplomat.

International Affairs Scholars

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As a member of the International Affairs Scholars program, I have grown as a person academically, as well as personally. As a scholar in the program I have pushed myself harder than I ever have to really engage with my studies instead of just preparing myself for quizzes or final exams. I have also allowed myself to pursue different educational paths to see the more that there is to offer. Personally, it has allowed me to expand my mind and has made me become more aware of my surroundings and the people around me. I have learned the importance of knowledge and acceptance of people who come from different backgrounds than myself. Also in the program, I have been introduced to a group of people who have slowly, over the course of the year, become some of my best friends. I am forever going to be thankful for IA for introducing me to such a great group of people.

Religious Studies 2102.02

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Religious Studies 2102.02 – Comparative Sacred Texts. This class helped me to realize my passion for the field of religion, and made me realize that I wanted to major in the field. I decided to add a minor for Religious Studies because through the coursework over the semester for this course, I was exposed to new religious ideas and concepts that I was unaware of prior to taking this course. Attending the Holi Celebration (pictured below) was probably one of the best experiences that I was able to share this year. As a class field trip, we attended the Holi services at the Columbus Hindu Temple where I was able to see firsthand what a Hindu church service looks like, as well as get to enjoy the game of Holi.

United Nations Millennium Developmental Goals Project

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United Nations Millennium Developmental Goal 3 Project

This artifact is a prezi used as a presentation on the third Millennium Developmental Goal, how the UN planned to achieve it, and the progress towards the goal.As a first year member of the International Affairs Scholars program at The Ohio State University, I was required to research the third Millennium Developmental Goal, Gender Equality and Female Empowerment. The goal highlights the needs for women to become more educated globally, as women tend to receive less education than men.

A lot of research was conducted over the course of six weeks in order to complete this press. While researching the various aspects of the goal, I learned about the differences around the globe that we don’t really think, or hear, about. I learned that women in other countries aren’t forced to take on a domestic housewife role – it’s an ideology they inherit as they don’t know anything different. This project has made me hyperaware of the the different privileges I have because of where I come from, as well as my gender. These privileges are things that give me a stronger desire to fight for equality as someone should not have more privilege simply because of something as basic as gender.

 

About Me

My name is Zakkary Hartless, and I am from Newark, Ohio, a decent sized city just east of Columbus. I am currently an undergraduate student here at The Ohio State University as a Political Science major. As a young adult, I am not quite sure who I will become — I only know who I used to be and who I am right now. Right now I am ambitious, I am courageous, I am intelligent, and I am eager. As a biology major I have decided to minor in the Italian language, as well as Religious Studies. Why Political Science? Growing up, I have always found myself having a passion for politics. It is my belief that a great politician can change the world for the better, and that is what I aspire to become. Why the Italian language? I come from an Italian family and want to have more connections to my Italian roots, and one day I wish to travel to Italy with the possibility of maybe even moving there. Finally, why Religious Studies? For the greater part of my years in an educational institution, I attended a private, Catholic school. My Catholic education and upbringing gave me a passion for religious cultures, and a yearning for more knowledge. Living in the United States, there are people of all religious and cultural backgrounds and I wish to make myself more knowledgable and aware of where different people may come from. So, here at the Ohio State University I wish to make life-long friendships that everyone talks about and I want to meet new people that will help mold me to becoming the person that I will be. Here in college I am ready and prepared for any and all educational and personal experiences that may come my way.

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Year in Review

Over the past year in college I have experienced failure, something I never had before experienced. I have experienced friendship. I have experienced prosperity. I have experienced doubt. I have experienced hardships. Of course nobody really reflects on the times in which we did not see much misfortune or dissatisfaction, and why should we? The most rewarding lessons that life has to offer come to us after experiencing triumph. If our growth is unchallenged, we fail to appreciate the things that made us think that our growth would cease. For you cannot appreciate happiness if you are oblivious to sadness. You cannot appreciate peace if you never experienced disturbance.

I came to Ohio State thinking that I had my entire life mapped out and that college would come easy to me like high school did, but I was so wrong. Living on my own, surrounded by friends here at school, I didn’t have the persistent voice of my mother and father reminding me that I should finish my homework or that an important deadline was approaching. This is something that I had grown accustomed to during my prior thirteen years of education. Self-discipline isn’t something that came magically to me overnight, either. So, I did not perform as well as I had wished to perform academically my first year here at school. I am not proud of that, but life is not about how you fall down, it is how you pick yourself back up. That is what I intend to do my next three years here at Ohio State – I plan to work as hard as I can to become a better student and to continuously work on my self-discipline in order to achieve the great things that I wish to achieve.

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]