Columbus is such a wonderful city to be in, with lots to do and see. One of my favorites being all the cultural festivals that take place downtown. For example, a group of Humanities Scholars often go to the Greek, Italian, and Caribbean Festivals.
Author: piper.138
Mentor Program
From Day 1 this program had my back, if not sooner. Over the summer I received an email from 3 upperclassmen introducing themselves as my mentors. They sent me helpful tips before move in day such as what to pack, what to expect during move in, and Welcome Week events to attend. I had 2 other freshman in my mentor group and we all met in person after the First Year Retreat. Every Humanities freshman gets a mentor group, which is there to answer questions, become friends, and give reminders. Some groups are move involved than others, but either way I know I appreciated my mentors, and eventually became a mentor myself (one of the many leadership opportunities available within scholars).
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library
A hidden gem on campus is this museum, which I was introduced to in my Humanities Freshman Seminar class. We had the honor of going on an archives tour in which we got to go behind the scenes in the controlled climate of the storage files. I couldn’t believe how many cartoons and papers were being preserved and sorted in this space, along with some very special pieces in cartoon history. I hadn’t known much about cartoons before this event but gained a new appreciation for them. Now I go visit new exhibits on my own. I really loved the witty feminism of Barbara Shermund.
“Something darker and sheerer – You see – I’m in mourning.”
Book Club
A signature Humanities program is our spring Banned Book Club. We choose a book that has been banned somewhere in the world and after reading it discuss why it was controversial. There is a fall and winter book club as well. Past examples of books read being: Eat, Pray, Love (Gilbert), The Kite Runner (Hosseini), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky).
“Share your passion for literature with your fellow scholars… We read a wide variety of books and short stories, and follow up with a lovely discussion. For the 2018-2019 academic year, we read R.L. Stein, Edgar Allan Poe, feminist short stories for National Women’s History Month, and The Hate You Give.” -Natalie
Points for Pointers
Another thing I love about our scholars program is that you can get points for attending professional development events such as:
- The Education Abroad Fair
- Ohio State Graduate and Professional School Fair
- Internship and job fair
- Resume workshop
- Digital Sandbox Workshops
- Moving-off campus info session
- Connecting with faculty tips event
(What a great motivation to improve yourself)
A Taste of OSU
“Taste of OSU is an evening of cultural performances on stage, exhibits and food from around the world provided by more than 30 different international and ethnic clubs on campus.”
I went last year and was blown away by the dances I watched, variety and beauty of dress, and the pride as many community members came together over food. This year Taste of OSU will 
take place February 15th from 5-9pm in the Union.
Also, I’d highly suggest helping out at this event, whetherthrough a volunteer position 
or cultural student organization. I volunteered as a photographer and it became one of my favorite events of the year. Any time spent learning about the splendor of humanity and our shared world is always time well spent.
Columbus Zoo Lights
For the price of a canned food donation, students can see the beautiful lights display and some animals.
“Columbus Zoo wild lights is one of my favorite memories in Humanities. I was able to spend time with my friends outside of campus. We experienced so many things that we can always look back on.” – Rachel
Here’s Rachel are some other Humanities with the manatees!
2nd Year Projects
This project asks sophomore Humanities Scholars to independently explore the Humanities as they’re challenged to create a project aligning with their personal, academic, or career goals. Ultimately, the project should create a resume worthy learning experience that illustrates the transferable skills and experiences that come from membership in our program. In other words, “What did you gain from being a Humanities Scholar?” Some students use their STEP experiences (left) while others get creative with personal things like scrapbooks (right).
STEP
STEP stands for “second year transformational experience” and is designed for sophomore’s at Ohio State. I joined for the promise of up to $2,000 in grant money, funded by the university. Many people use this as a chance to study abroad, work an internship, get a certification, or do Buck-I-Serve. However, I found that STEP is worth much more than the money as I met great people in my cohort. Cohorts are led by a faculty member, which is a nice reminder that teachers are people too. In this casual setting we did fun events like going out to eat, hiking, and gallery hop. Humanities Scholars have their own cohort too if you’d like to stay with people within our program.
Film Festival
Another signature Humanities event is the film festival! Each year first year students gather in teams to make a short video revolving around a common theme. This year’s theme was community. This is the final project for our freshman seminar course and we have a great time coming together to watch all the films on the big screen with soda and popcorn. The two films here were awarded best in show and most heart warming. Great job everyone!
Check out the Humanities Scholars YouTube channel for past years’ videos.