Hello, my name is Benjamin Higgins, and I am a honors freshman studying Materials Science and Engineering at the Ohio State University from Amherst, Ohio (30 minutes west of Cleveland).  I am currently residing in Taylor Tower who participated in the Ohio State Welcome Leader (OWL) program where I gained the opportunity to meet other honors students with similar interests and work on a cooperative project.

I first gained interest in the engineering discipline through a number of high school experiences and personal connections. My introduction to the field came from my sister’s Fundamentals of Engineering robot competition. She explained to me the planning, coordination, cooperation, and reward that the project involved. Her team spent a full semester on this project and came out with an incredibly impressive final project. This experience led to a shadowing opportunity under an electrical engineer and a spot on my high school Science Olympiad team. Following my last Science Olympiad season where a partner and I completed a 3 month long build, I knew that I wanted to continue project design, problem solving, and intense research, things that an engineer does on an everyday basis. I am still open to change within the engineering discipline, but I chose Materials Science and Engineering because it provides the widest variety of career options and specializations (metallurgy, polymers, ceramics, nanotechnology, etc.). I know that I will be able to find a challenging, enjoyable, and rewarding career with an education from The Ohio State University.

My high school soccer career at Marion L. Steele provided me with a number of challenges and opportunities that made me the person that I am today. I played soccer my entire life and was thrilled to continue playing on a bigger stage. By putting in great effort, I earned a starting spot on the varsity team and the captain’s position on the team for my junior and senior seasons. The captain’s role taught me the challenges and rewards that come with leading a group of your peers on a daily basis through practices, workouts, and matches. I know that I will put this leadership experience to good use in the future. Soccer also taught me that perseverance and hard work will always get the job done. In the preseason of my junior year, I suffered a compound fracture of my radius and ulna in my left arm. It sidelined me for nearly the entirety of the season, and I still am working to improve its strength. With the support of my coaches and teammates, I was able to get back to get back to play sooner than expected and reach my peak technical and physical soccer form. This hard work helped me lead my club soccer team, Cleveland United Soccer Club, to the state final, something that I had only dreamed of. This experience taught me that any situation can be overcome: family, economic, or even professional, and turned into a positive outcome. This is the experience that helped overcome all the hurdles needed to make it to Ohio State today.

My involvement with service organizations has led to an increased desire to travel and help the world. My time with LEO Club (the youth group of Lions Club International) and the National Honor Society provided me with a number of opportunities from food banks to local Easter Egg hunts, soccer camps and much more. The most rewarding and enlightening experience occurred with a group of friends at a local animal shelter. We completely renovated a room (flooring, painting, installing a window, new baseboard), coordinating times, money, tools, and responsibilities. This experience demonstrated the impact that I can have on those around me inspired me to use my professional to degree to also serve. With my extensive high school Spanish studies and already large Latin American travel, I am motivated to add a Spanish minor and travel through Central America working on whatever projects come my way.

My work experience has taught me the financial responsibility that is required of funding a college education and succeeding as an adult. I began working as a sophomore in high school as an all-day caregiver, and obtained a position as a lifeguard during my junior year that I hold to this day. Both of these jobs require intense focus and responsibility as I am in charge of protecting and improving young peoples’ lives. These have been some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences that I have faced because it is hard to know what will happen on any given day. I learned to adapt to the new problems that I face everyday and work with the people around me to provide the best experience for everyone involved.

Lastly, I just like to have a good time. I love soccer, tennis, fishing, spikeball, volleyball, running, hiking, kayaking, and pretty much anything outdoors! I also love playing Super Smash Brothers. I may do these things for fun, but I am still the most competitive person that you will ever see at them. If you don’t play hard, how are you going to be prepared to work hard?

My high school experiences have made me into the well-rounded individual that I am today, so I know that I will overcome any challenging assignment, project, or circumstance to become the professional that I want to be. I know that an education from the Ohio State University will allow me to pursue and succeed in all of my personal and career goals, and for this reason I am proud to be a Buckeye.