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My First Semester at OSU
My first semester here at OSU has flown by. I remember move-in day like it was yesterday, and how scared I was of being on my own, and having to make new friends. Now, I have met so many people and have amazing friends that I proudly call my family. OSU may have seemed big and overwhelming on my first day, but now I can navigate it easily. I’ve had my fair share of classes, some easier than others, and figured out how my classes work. I’ve met some amazing professors, and staff. I have an awesome job with the honors and scholars center here at OSU helping future buckeyes become a part of either program. I’ve had some amazing experiences, met extraordinary people, and been involved in some amazing programs. Humanities has allowed me to branch out and see more of Columbus and the world. I went on the Chicago trip and explored a new city, and I also went to some cool places and events hosted here right on campus. I’m excited to see what more Humanities has to offer, and hope to become a mentor next year. I know Humanities, and Ohio State, will continue to provide me with endless opportunities throughout the years, and I look forward to the new experiences I am sure to have.
Humans Of OSU
On April 8th, 1998, Mia Oberfield was born in Columbus, Ohio, and blessed the earth with her presence. She was born to Cari and Mike Oberfield, who were college sweethearts that got together after an OSU football game. In fact, while she was a baby her mother was finishing classes at OSU and her father worked to provide for the family. A few years later, her sister Avery was born. As she was growing up, Mia was known to be an outgoing wild-child, who loved dogs. It was because of this love of animals, mostly her love for dogs, that she knew from a young age that she wanted to be a vet. Mia’s family also moved around a lot, both in state and out, but she spent most of her life in Arizona where she went to private school. Right before her senior year, she moved back to Columbus where she finished her high-school career at Columbus Academy. Mia is a dog-loving, yogi, vegetarian, who is currently a sophomore at The Ohio State University majoring in neuroscience and minoring in studio art. She loves drawing, watching films, and spending free-time with friends and petting dogs.
My First Week At OSU
My first week at The Ohio State University was an overwhelming, yet exciting experience. I got to move in to Baker East a week early due to my involvement with the Buckeye First Program. This program is for first generation college students, and it allowed me to learn more about OSU and the resources it has to offer. Through this program I got to meet about 70 other first generation college students, and because of all the icebreakers and activities we did both on and off campus, we all became really close. This made me realize that making friends here at OSU wouldn’t be as hard as I thought. It was nice to move in early, but it was also very lonely. My RA was the only person in the hall with me so it felt very empty at times. Then came OWL move-in day, and the arrival of my roommate Shelby! After that, the week flew by! We moved everyone else in, met the people on our floor, and went to a number of events on campus. One of those events was the involvement fair, and it was crazy. The amount of people there was astonishing, and it was really cool to see all the different clubs and organizations they have to offer. It made me feel like no matter what, I had somewhere to belong. I also went to a lot of free events on campus like the movie-night on the oval. I went with a group of people on my floor and it really helped us get to know each other, and have a lot of fun after our first day of classes. I also went to the Zedd concert and I had a blast with some amazing people! Overall my first week at OSU was really fun, and I’m looking forward to all the exciting adventures OSU has to offer, after all, it is officially my home.
Year in Review
[ “Year in Review” is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student. You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
G.O.A.L.S.
Global Awareness: During the summer of 2020 I plan on doing a study abroad in Florence Italy. I have never been outside of the US, so this will be my first time studying abroad. I have always been interested in exploring new places, and learning about the history and culture that different countries have to offer. I am so excited to be going to Italy, which is considered the hub of art and design in Europe. The culture, people, and language are so beautiful and rich with life and I’m so excited to be studying for a whole summer semester through Arcadia University! I plan on taking either an Intro to Italian or a photography course while I am there, and hope that everything I see and experience will translate back to OSU and my future career.
Original Inquiry: I am hoping to do an internship or a project in the next two years that will help me grow and get experience in the Marketing field.
Academic Enrichment: Being in Scholars, I have been given the opportunity to expand my knowledge and grow as a person both inside and outside of the classroom. I have pushed myself to take a variety of interesting and different classes, even if they do not correlate with my major, so that I can broaden my horizons and be more well-rounded. I have also participated in a number of events outside of the classroom to give me more opportunities and focus on things like volunteering and service, networking, etc.
Leadership Development: With leadership, I have been apart of quite a few roles on campus. With my Scholars program I am a part of the Leadership Council and I plan events for all of our students to partake in. I also was the Vice President of my Residence Hall Governing Board and helped plan things throughout the year to keep the residents involved and build community. Finally, at work I am one of the upperclassman and have been given alot of bigger projects to tackle, as well as help with training the underclassmen. I have given presentations at Parent and Students Sessions for Honors and Scholars at Orientation Information Sessions, as well as helping interview potential candidates for our student assistant position.
Service Engagement: I have always loved volunteering and giving back to my community. I have been volunteering at my church with the special needs kids for about 5 years, as well as on the Hospitality team welcoming people, and being a coffee brewer. I have also participated in the Service Days on campus where we spend a whole day going around the community and providing our services where needed. I remember during my freshman year making hygiene bags for a homeless shelter, and making snack packs with Humanities my sophomore year. I also participated in project PB&J with the Humanities Scholars. I am hoping to continue finding opportunities to volunteer and serve my community.
Career
I currently work as a student assistant at the Kuhn Honors & Scholars Center here at OSU. I work at the front desk answering phone calls and emails from prospective students and their parents about the Honors or Scholars program, scholarships and grants, and the application process. I also do some light housekeeping around the house such as wiping down counters in the kitchen, filling the printers, stocking drinks in the refrigerator, etc. I also help set up rooms for events that may be happening throughout the House as well as help staff members with any projects they may have.
I have good communication skills from experience in answering both phone calls and emails, I have good time-management skills from working on different projects for staff members that have deadlines, and I have leadership skills from helping train new student assistants as they are hired.
I have been given alot of good opportunities here at Kuhn, such as doing Orientation Info sessions for students and parents (I have presented in front of approximately 200+ people). I have also been able to meet with incoming parents and students at the House to give them more detailed information about the programs and how they work. I love getting to talk to both students and parents and give them my perspective on OSU.
I am also proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access. I use Microsoft Word and Excel mostly, but I have learned how to use Access through my CSE class.
About Me
Hi! My name is Kennedy Johnstone and I am a third year Marketing Major at The Ohio State University. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio but I consider Columbus my second home. I originally came into OSU as an exploratory major, and after almost two years at OSU I decided to go into Marketing so that I can pursue my dream of owning my own business and going into Event Planning! I’ve always loved throwing events and seeing other people’s ideas come to life, so event planning seems like the perfect job for me!
When it comes to involvement on campus, the first thing I think of is my Scholars program. I have just completed the Humanities Scholars program and will have a Milestone on my transcript indicating my completion of the program. The Humanities program is an amazing program that allows students to be involved outside of the classroom. I chose Humanities because the theme is very broad and covers an array of things including: art, history, literature, theater, and music. The Humanities program has been my own little sanctuary and has given me life-long friends, good memories, and an amazing community. Even though I have completed the program, I will still be involved because I am on the Leadership Council on the Social Committee, helping to plan events throughout the year for the program.
I was also involved in the OWL program for 2 years helping move-in students on move-in day! It was really cool to interact with other students, move in early, and help show how amazing OSU is to both the families and students moving in to their Residence Halls on move-in day.
I was also a part of the BuckeyesFirst program, which is a program for first-generation college students. This program allowed me to move in a week early, before I started my first year at OSU. I got to meet around 70 other first generation students and we did a variety of activities including: taking a tour of campus and the stadium, going to a Clipper’s game, having lunch with President Drake, meeting faculty and staff across campus, learning about resources to utilize, and doing team-building activities at a camp for 2 days! It was an awesome experience and I met some incredible people. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone, and that I could go to OSU and be successful.
I also participated in BuckeyeThon in 2018 and raised almost $1,000 for the kids! BuckeyeThon was truly one of the most memorable experiences I have had on campus and it was amazing to see everyone band together and raise money for such a good cause.
I was also apart of my Residence Hall Leadership Council (BEGO) as the Vice President! I helped plan events throughout the year for all the residents in Baker, which was around 200-300 students. We planned events both big and small: a trip to Mansfield Reformatory Haunted attraction, movie nights, painting, game nights, zoo animals, and an end of the year celebration with food, drinks, prizes, plants, and inflatables. This was a really cool experience because I got to work with a small group of students to plan events for the whole building with our Hall Director.
I also work at the Front Desk of the Honors and Scholars Center as a student assistant! I answer phone calls and emails from potential students and their parents about applying for either the Honors or the Scholars program! I also work on projects for staff members, set-up events held in the house, and do general housekeeping tasks.
Overall, I have loved all the experiences I have had here at OSU, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for my last two years 🙂
