Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio
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Year in Review
This past year, my freshman year, at Ohio State did not go exactly as I had imagined. I learned a lot about myself as a student since I began learning in a much different environment. Before going to OSU, I had always gone to smaller Catholic schools, so the big campus was much different for me. I learned to be more self-motivated and I had to hold myself accountable for a lot of my studying and schoolwork. I had to find a good balance between school and spending time with my friends, which was more difficult to do since I was now living with my friends; it took me a few weeks to get into my new routine, since I had become so accustomed to having a packed schedule and not much time to do anything besides school and sports in high school. I was challenged by a few of my classes and intrigued and inspired by some others. Second semester did not go as I, or anyone, had planned due to the Coronavirus, though the online transition taught me that adaptation was the key to success. I did not particularly like moving home and transitioning to online classes, and it was difficult for me to get used to having all my classes online. Overall, I really enjoyed my first year at Ohio State (emphasis on ‘at’) and I met so many great people. I am really looking forward to next year and I am hopeful that we will be back on campus.
G.O.A.L.S.
The five G.O.A.L.S. of the Honors & Scholars programs at Ohio State are very important to the success of all the students in these programs. Personally, I have found all of these things, Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement, to be a large part of my life inside and outside of the classroom. For the Global Awareness goal, the humanities class that I took this past semester really allowed me to explore different issues from different cultural perspectives, which made me more aware and knowledgeable about various countries, cultures, and peoples. I am also planning on participating in the S.T.E.P program next year which would allow me to study abroad, giving me more personal, direct knowledge about the world around me. Original Inquiry, for me, would be the challenging classes that I will be taking next year, and I am also looking into doing research next year as well to further mu Original Inquiry. Academic Enrichment can be inside of the classroom, but it is not limited to getting good grades and learning new things. Next year, I will be a member of the Sophomore Learning and Involvement Community where academic excellence and the exploration of new experiences and groups of people on campus are the forefront of the learning community. This will not only help me to continue to do well in the classroom, but it will also help me to learn more outside of the classroom. I am a member of Ohio Staters Inc. which is a service organization on campus that encourages leadership. Ohio Staters provides me with both Leadership Development and Service Engagement because we plan and execute projects that serve the Ohio State Community. I also participate in other service through HSS, and will be going on a Buck-I-Serv trip with the Sophomore Learning and Involvement Community next year as well. All of these things contribute to the five pillars, the five goals, of the Honors & Scholars program and help me to become a better, more well-rounded student and citizen.
Career
[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career. Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
Artifacts
The artifact I have chosen is the red tassel that all the freshman were given at orientation. The red tassel, which looks almost exactly like the tassel that we will hopefully receive at graduation, is a reminder for me about what my goals are. I often try to think too far ahead, about what I am planning in doing after graduation or what graduate programs I want to apply to, and I can forget that I need to focus on the present goal: to complete my undergraduate education. The red tassel that I received at my freshman orientation serves as a reminder to me to keep my focus and to work hard for my goals. This red tassel has motivated and inspired me to continue studying and working hard when I have felt like giving up, and has encouraged me to stay focused on my goals.
About Me
Hey, my name is Kathleen Keating and I am a Health Sciences major! I am on the pre-med track, though I am not exactly sure what specialty I want to pursue yet. I am from Westerville, OH (about 25 minutes north east of campus), but I went to high school at St. Francis DeSales in Columbus. Westerville is a pretty quiet suburb, but we do have some pretty great restaurants and ice cream places (Graeter’s is my absolute favorite). My favorite place to eat in Westerville would be Northstar Café, and luckily for me, there is one just a few minutes from campus in the Short North. I have a very eclectic music taste, and I listen to everything from R&B to 80’s to country. I am also a huge Cleveland sports fan and love going to sporting events. In my free time, I like to hang out with friends or my sisters, listen to music, eat good food, workout, and play with puppies!