Personal Development Reflection Statement

Before I entered the STEM Scholars program, I was very blind as to what is required to be a successful college student. I thought that I was adequately prepared and equipped to study and pass my classes, but I was incredibly wrong. I had taken classes at a college back home, and got fantastic grades in all of those. I soon learned, however, that actual college is much more intensive and difficult than taking one class at a community college. However, I had the STEM Scholars program to keep me accountable and teach me how to deal with all the new stresses and challenges that come with entering college. I learned how to distribute my time and break up assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks. I learned better studying techniques and how to be an all around better student.

More importantly, however, is how I’ve developed as a person and the relationships I’ve made through the STEM Scholars program. I regard my decision to join this specific scholars program as one of my best decisions in college. The people I’ve met through STEM, specifically on this floor, will be some of my best friends throughout the rest of college, possibly for life. When I came into college, I considered myself very open-minded and accepting, but it wasn’t until I was exposed to so many different lifestyles and cultures that I realized how much I had to learn. I’m still far from having it all figured out, but I definitely have a much more diverse social circle which I feel like has helped me grow and mature overall as a person. Not only that, but I am much more mature when it comes to schoolwork. I know longer freak out and loose composure over bad grades. Instead, I understand how to move forward and learn from my mistakes and study not only harder, but better, so I can improve and do better next time.

Around halfway through last semester, I decided that I wanted to deviate from the traditional STEM path and pursue other career options. That has led to a lot of exploration and introspection, trying to figure out what I really want out of a career. I am now in the process of taking random classes in any subject that catches my interest, such as architecture or hospitality management. I am so glad that I chose this scholars program though. Even if I do not end up in a STEM field, I have learned so many valuable skills that will apply wherever I end up and give me an advantage in whatever field I settle on. Being part of the STEM Scholars program gave me the incredible freshman year of college at Ohio State that I will remember for the rest of my life (this has nothing to do with STEM, but I even met my girlfriend through the scholars program, if that shows how influential it has been in my life). Overall, I am almost unrecognizable from the person that entered at the start of freshman year, but I believe almost all of my changes have been for the positive.

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

This is my ePortfolio which gives an overview of my life, academic achievements, and goals. I have developed a diverse learning experience through my time on the school newspaper, student council, and various community service groups. My goal is to one day hold a stable career in one of many STEM fields, hopefully engineering. Although I do not know exactly what I want to do yet, I’m hoping to gain more direction through the STEM Scholars program.

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.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Will Kohl-85

My name is Will Kohl. I was born in Marietta, GA. I have an older brother and sister, though recently I gained a brother-in-law. I moved to Ohio because I wanted the opportunity to go somewhere new and get a fresh start. Also, nearly all of my extended family lives in Ohio, and I am excited to live near them.

All throughout high school, I tried to diversify myself as much as possible. I participated in student council, school newspaper, theater club, Beta club, and numerous other groups. Perhaps one of the most shaping experiences in my academic career was the time I spent on my high school newspaper. The newspaper taught me writing skills, deadline management, and how to effectively work in a team. My senior year, I held the position of editor-in-chief, where I got to put my leadership skills to test. I learned how to manage groups and deliver a unified product. It required me to make my opinion known while still taking criticism and considering wants and needs of the entire staff.

As much as I love writing, I do not want to pursue a career in a journalistic field. I’m interested in STEM fields because I want to gain a deeper understanding of the world around me. I want to research and explore rather than simply write about other people’s discoveries.

Through the STEM Exploration program, I’m hoping to explore various STEM fields and find the one that’s right for me. I want to learn more about all the options presented to me as a STEM Scholar, and fully utilize my resources at hand. I am hoping that by the end of the year, even if I have not selected a major, I will have found a more specialized field that I want to pursue.

Possibly my biggest strength is adaptability. I am much more comfortable going with the flow and adapting to my situation as it progresses than I am following a strict order. Most STEM majors prefer following clear, defined plans, whereas I thrive in unexpected environments. This makes me very comfortable in situations where something has gone wrong and I have to respond quickly in order to maintain efficiency.

The rest of my strengths lend me to being a strong team member. I am an activator, which means that in group settings I turn thoughts into action. I excel at taking the group’s brainstorming and turning it into workable ideas, working towards a final product. This pairs well with my skill as a maximizer, which involves boosting everyone’s strengths to produce the strongest final product. I tend to associate with people who have complementary strengths to my own, maximizing everyone’s potential while minimizing the need to focus on weaknesses. Rather than try to fix things I simply am not good at, I seek out people who can help my in my weak areas, focusing on group work to reach the best solution. Engineering involves a lot of group work and collaboration, so I believe that my skills as an activator and a maximizer will help in my professional career.

I enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting to know them, eventually winning them over. I try my hardest to be agreeable and work well with others. I thrive on interaction with others and meeting new people. My final strength is as an arranger, which means I not only work well with groups, but can assemble them. My flexibility and person-to-person skills all develop into being a valuable team player.