G.O.A.L.S. Update

Global Awareness: Honors students will examine what it means to be global citizens and will cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. Students will examine the world’s complex, interdependent systems, as well as their own cultural backgrounds.

In order to develop my Global Awareness, I have become engaged in many of the events put on by clubs and organizations at Hagerty Hall, also known as the Center for Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. As a French and World Literatures major, I am engaging with different cultures every day through readings, films, and interactions across campus. Global Awareness, however, is not a goal that can be achieved and forgotten about; it requires active participation. To continue working towards this goal, I will be studying abroad this upcoming autumn in France and meeting people from different areas of the world. One thing I have learned in and out of my courses is that through meeting others and learning about other cultures, we are able to learn more about ourselves as well.

 

Original Inquiry: Honors students will 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.

An important part of many of my classes is writing papers; this in and of itself is an act of Original Inquiry. For example, in my class about contemporary French culture I wrote a paper examining a French political party and predicting what would happen if that party were in power in the United States. Through researching an obscure yet fascinating political party, I was able to learn more about politics in general and even more about the US political system today. I love partaking in these types of projects, as a topic goes from being foreign to intimately understood. In the future I would like to do more research like this by taking advanced courses with a heavy focus on writing. I would also like to become involved in a more individual research project, so I am testing what interests me the most and what I have a lot of questions about.

 

Academic Enrichment: Honors students will pursue academic excellence both in and out of the classroom. Students will use the Honors Contract to construct purposeful and intellectually stimulating programs of study.

My Honors Contract shows that I am dedicated to Academic Enrichment, as I am taking rigorous coursework through Honors and other upper-level classes. I am studying French to become a French teacher (I will be pursuing my Master of Education after finishing my bachelor’s degree), and World Literatures is something else I have found a passion for throughout high school and college. I hope that my knowledge of the world will help contribute to my ability to teach students about both the francophone language and culture, among other things. My GE courses go along with my aspirations, as my second-year writing course focused on American family dynamics and one of my social science GEs is specifically focused on the psychology of adolescents. Overall, I am taking a wide variety of courses that will round out my education and allow me to create and maintain an open dialogue with others while educating future generations.

 

Leadership Development: Honors students will build on their educational experiences to become leaders in society and the world. Students will pursue co-curricular activities that allow the students to cultivate leadership skills and competencies.

Currently I have two jobs: I am a Student Cashier and Barista at the cafés and an Honors Community Advocate (HCA) at Taylor Tower. As an HCA I have planned programs relating to the G.O.A.L.S. of the Honors program, act as a peer mentor other Honors students, and many other things. I have gotten much more involved in the Honors community at Ohio State through my position as an HCA, which has led me to volunteer different places across campus and engage with different student organizations and faculty members. Working at the cafés has also been a great leadership experience, as I help train new employees and have learned how to delegate tasks and manage my time well. Leadership is an important skill for teachers to have, and this year I have tremendously improved upon my leadership skills.

 

Service Engagement: Honors students will build on their educational experiences to serve society and the world. Students will pursue service-oriented activities that are socially beneficial to the community and that contribute to the students’ own learning and development.

I have been involved in many short-term service-oriented activities, such as: assisting elders with crafts, volunteering at the food pantry and furniture bank, making pillows and blankets for those in need, helping with different campus events such as Taste of OSU, and more. Last summer I volunteered at different Dayton Metro Library branches four days a week, reading with kids, providing free food and books, conducting surveys for the summer reading program, and helping with a playtime for kids ages 0-3. This is the only long-term service project I have been engaged with since graduating high school, but now that I am well-transitioned to college, I am eager to be more involved. I will be volunteering at the library again this upcoming summer, and while I am in France I will see if there are any volunteer opportunities. Upon my return, I definitely want to help with the English Conversation Program and I am interested in becoming part of the Buckeye Food Alliance!

Artifacts

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I created this PowerPoint presentation for my Psychology 1100H course. This project is called the Web of Science; we had to choose an article that the textbook cited, find an article that cited the original article, and present them to the class. Through creating this, I learned how to access a few databases on the OSU Libraries website, and I also had the opportunity to practice my public speaking skills. I mainly selected this as an artifact, however, because I learned a great deal about how others impact our self-image. This is important because it made me think about how strongly my words and actions impact others. This has inspired me to become a much more mindful person.

About Me

Shanna is an honors student, beginning her college journey at The Ohio State University as a French major. She plans to obtain a teaching license in order to become a middle school and/or high school French teacher. Shanna is very passionate about helping others, bettering the community, and creating an inclusive environment for all. As she settles into Ohio State, she plans to connect with people who come from a variety of backgrounds and have similar values.

G.O.A.L.S.

To enhance my global awareness, I plan on taking many cultural classes such as French 5205: Black Africa and Diaspora. I am planning on studying abroad for a semester my junior year to immerse myself in another culture. I am strongly considering minoring in World Literatures, which would expand my knowledge of other areas of the world that I otherwise would not learn about.

Original Inquiry was a tough category for me to write about, because when you think of “French,” conducting research doesn’t really cross your mind. When I think of research, I think of labs and science and a whole bunch of stuff I only somewhat understand. I have recently learned that I can write an undergraduate research thesis with the guidance of a faculty member. I am very interested in what this would entail, and I plan on looking into it further!

In order to be academically enriched, I plan on fulfilling my GE requirements with honors and upper-level classes as much as I can. As I consider becoming a teacher and pursuing the MEd at Ohio state, I need to take a couple of classes as prerequisites. This includes ESSPED 5650: Introduction to Exception Children, as well as either ESEPSY 5401: Adolescent Learning and Development in School Contexts or Psychology 3351H – Psychology of Adolescence.

One of my main goals during my time at Ohio State is to become more of a leader. I am going to apply to be on the Honors and Scholars Programming Board, which I hope will enhance my leadership skills. To learn more about what it means to be a good leader, I plan on attending workshops that focus on leadership development. I am also hoping that, if I find an organization I am extremely passionate about, I can plan events and hold some type of leadership role.

Service Engagement is one of my favorite topics! I love volunteering and taking time to help others in need. So far I have participated in three service opportunities: the Community Commitment event, where a group of us went to a church in Columbus and cleaned, and two events hosted by the Honors and Scholars Programming Board (we went to the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio and, most recently, the Westminster-Thurber Assisted Living Community). I recently applied for the Semester of Service program, and I plan on participating in many more volunteer events while a student at Ohio State University!