Although the past two semesters flew by, over the last year I feel that I have grown a lot as a student, leader, and member of the Buckeye community.
Within the last 9 months, I have switched my major four times. I initially started in the Fisher College of Business but quickly realized I was also very interested in a career in engineering. After entering the College of Engineering, I learned more about Industrial and Systems Engineering, which I realized would allow me to combine my interests in both business and engineering. Although I switched majors quite a few times, it gave me the clarity to identify Industrial and Systems Engineering as the career path that I would like to pursue over the next three years.
Additionally, I found that I developed greater leadership skills this year. As part of my scholars program, the Mount Leadership Society, I helped lead a team of 18 of my peers in planning two service events. This included running weekly Zoom meetings within our team, contacting service agencies, and hosting a virtual service event. This experience helped me gain more confidence in my ability to organize and lead a group of people and improve upon my communication skills. I also became DICE certified over the last year, and with this knowledge I believe that I will be able to be more inclusive and fair in my future leadership roles.
Despite the restrictions on social gatherings this year, I feel like I have grown the most as a member of the Buckeye community. Within my scholars program especially, I have found myself surrounded by people with great character and energy who inspire me to pursue my own ambitions. I have also found a greater connection to OSU by working at Curl Market, where I get to work alongside dozens of other students and make connections with a diverse group of fellow Buckeyes. While the limitations placed by the pandemic did bring some disappointments over the past year, I believe I am leaving this school year as a more confident, capable, and optimistic person, and I am excited to see what the next three years will bring.