My G.O.A.L.S

To achieve global awareness, I plan to study abroad at some point in my time at Ohio State as well as volunteer abroad with Buck-I-SERV. Also, I am already signed up for a service trip to Africa this summer and I eagerly await learning about a new culture and becoming more aware about the different problems faced all around the globe. I also plan to take rigorous and thought-provoking courses on global studies and social diversity.

I plan to achieve original inquiry first by creating a good relationship with my professors and keeping an open mind to gather ideas. I plan to be involved in as much undergraduate research as possible, inside and outside of Ohio State. Hopefully, this will also include a few internships as well. Most importantly, I plan to share my findings in an undergraduate research journal and have the chance to present my research and develop it even further.

To achieve academic enrichment, I plan to take honors and upper level courses when available in order to challenge myself academically. I plan to meet with my academic advisor regularly in order to stay on track academically and discover what the best/most interesting/most challenging course will be for me. I plan to join academic clubs and honoraries to further challenge my mind even outside of the classroom and to also seek out leadership roles within these clubs.

To achieve leadership development, I have joined the First Year Leadership Initiative (FYLI) and was elected as the PR chair for the self-defense club. In the future, I hope to further my leadership development by joining USG and the Ohio Union Activities Board. I also hope to attain leadership positions when I join Greek Life in the spring. I also plan to discover leadership through future internships and I hope to be able to take a leadership studies course in the future.

To achieve service engagement, I have volunteered with Feed Columbus and I’m planning to volunteer with them more in the future. I also am scheduled to take a service trip to Africa this summer to aid in a sustainable community project as well as teach English and basic sanitation to the children there. I also plan on joining BuckeyeThon as well as Greek Life and their philanthropies. Furthermore, I hope to volunteer with the 4 Paws for Ability group on campus and join the service fraternity (Alpha Phi Omega) here on campus. Finally, I hope to take at least one service learning course in my time here at Ohio State.

FYLI

Writing a little late, but on Tuesday evening, I had my first First Year Leadership Initiative (FYLI) meeting. I didn’t really know what to expect walking through that door, but once I walked out of that door an hour later, I knew I had found something good. I’m really excited for all the opportunities I will have by being a member of FYLI. I’m so excited for service projects, and leadership seminars, and FYLI socials. I also really like that the group is smaller (around 40 people) and I think it will help me to make some close, really great friends through FYLI.

At the first meeting, we had introductions to the members and the students that run FYLI. And then we discussed our fears/hopes/goals for freshman year. Also, we are to write a letter to ourselves to open at the end of the year to see how much we have changed/grown. I think this is going to be such a great opportunity and I just can’t wait for the rest of the year as a FYLIer!

Feed Columbus

Today, my friend, Sana, and I volunteered for Feed Columbus from 11-1. Our task was to package nutritious meals for hungry households in Columbus as well as households in Haiti. Sana and I worked with the Haiti group and spent our time packing nutritious rice meals. For each bag of rice, we added dried vegetables, nutrition powder, soy protein, and rice, then passed it on to the next person at our table who would weigh the bag and seal its packaging. This process was so quick and easy and each bag feeds 6 people! My table packed roughly 252 bags of rice, or 1512 meals. All together, the entire event packed over 20,000 meals for hungry families.

Overall, this experience was awesome! It was only 2 hours of my time but we accomplished so much! All of the work was really easy, I talked with new people, and helped a lot of families out there. It was just all-around really fun. I was also so impressed by how organized Feed Columbus had things. Everything ran so smoothly and everyone knew what their job was. It was perfect team effort and Feed Columbus sure does have an awesome and dedicated leadership team. I definitely hope to be able to attend more of their volunteer events in the future.

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.]