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.

It’s unbelievable to be heading into the end of the semester already, as if feels like the school year just began. This past semester has included a whirlwind of events, including positive and negative events. While the transition from high school to college went relatively smoothly, college is certainly different from being at home, and I’ve had an array of new experiences while at OSU. Although architecture has been challenging, it has been an overall positive growing experience, as I have learned that skills and talents must be developed over time, and patience is essential in developing the skills necessary in becoming successful in architecture. Some negative aspects of my time spent at OSU include the results of the election, which were devastating for many groups of people. However, through the negativity, there has been an outpour of love, respect, and support from so many people, which is comforting and reassuring. Another negative aspect of this semester has been being sick for the past month, as I feel it has prevented me from performing my best and has negatively impacted the amount of focus I have. Despite the negatives, there has been plenty of positive aspects that have made this first semester memorable and meaningful. I have met so many amazing, intelligent and caring people here at OSU, and especially in architecture and the architecture scholars program. These people have made the difficult aspects of my time at OSU easier to go through, and have made the studio experience considerably more fun and meaningful.

I will continue to be involved in scholars by participating in future scholar sponsored events. Future goals of mine include joining more student organizations, especially those outside of Knowlton in order to meet more people outside of my major. I hope to pursue a minor in EEDS, and learn more about sustainability. I am planning on studying abroad, as I am going to Santiago this upcoming spring break, and hope to travel to Europe the following year. These goals relate to the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S, as I will increase my global awareness by studying abroad, and will increase my academic enrichment by exploring an EEDS minor. Next semester, I will join different student organizations, increase the amount of community service I complete, and prepare for study abroad experiences.

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

For my Columbus to do my list, I selected the nature and outdoor recreation section. I made this selection because I wanted to explore the outdoor areas of Columbus. I am looking forward to experiencing the various parks, including Goodale Park, Scioto Mile, and Whetstone Park of Roses. There are a large variety of types of parks, and it will be interesting to experience the landscapes and plants of each individual park. From this assignment, I hope to learn more about how parks fit within the urban context of Columbus, and what effect they have on the surrounding land and neighborhoods. Although I have lived in Columbus for my entire life, I hope to gain a new perspective on the role of these parks, and learn more about their history, usage, and their role within the city. I am intrigued by the Park of Roses, as I have not visited it in a while, and am looking forward to going again. So far, I have visited nearly all of the parks listed, especially Goodale Park and the Scioto Mile. Within Goodale Park, I have experienced Comfest, or the Columbus Community Festival, nearly every summer. It is interesting to witness the transformation of the space within the park, and to experience the crowdedness and congestion of a typically open landscape. At the Scioto Mile, I have experienced the park on the night of Christmas Eve with Christmas lights all over the entire landscape. The lights transformed the landscape and brought upon me a new perspective on the effect the landscape can have.

 

Columbus To Do List Part 2

One of the places I visited for my Columbus to do list was Schiller Park, located in the neighborhood of German Village. It was interesting to learn that Schiller Park is Columbus’s second oldest park, established in 1867. Another interesting piece of history about Schiller Park is that it was renamed Washington Park during World War I, as there was a strong anti-German sentiment throughout America. While visiting the park, I was impressed with the surrounding landscape and liked the general openness of the landscape.

Another Columbus park that I visited was the Topiary Park, centrally located in the Discovery District downtown. One new fact that I didn’t previously know about the Topiary Park is that it is located on the remnants of the Old Deaf School Park. I enjoyed how it was a replica of a Seurat’s painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of LaGrande Jatte”. Similar to Schiller Park, I enjoyed the open landscape, and how each topiary led to the next one, creating a sense of direction within the park. Overall, I would recommend both of these parks to friends, especially the Topiary Park because of its unique nature. I have learned that Columbus has a variety of great green spaces scattered throughout the city. These experiences have led me to wanting to explore the rest of Columbus’s parks, as they have a lot to offer.
One of the parks that I hadn’t visited before was the Glen Echo Ravine. The Glen Echo Ravine was a unique space. This park is located in the Clintonville area, north of campus. While visiting the park, I noticed how the ravine blends with steep wooded banks. Also, there is a tributary that flows under High Street after passing through a large tunnel. Some information that I learned include the fact that the ravine continues into a storm water control structure that obstructs debris from entering the culvert that carries the water under High Street. Glen Echo Ravine also provides a habit for various wildlife, including woodpeckers and pheasants.

Another park that I hadn’t visited was Antrim Lake, which is located in Franklin County. Antrim Lake consists of a 120-acre park that circumscribes a quarried lake and the Olentangy Greenway Trail. I noticed a lot of activity in the park, including people running, walking, biking, and fishing in the lake. One fact that I learned is that the lake is stocked with Rainbow Trout by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources once a year. I would recommend to a friend, however my overall favorite park was definitely the Topiary Park.

About Me

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Sofia Kuspan is a first year student from Bexley, Ohio, majoring in Architecture and planning on minoring in EEDS. She hopes to pursue a career in sustainable architecture after graduation. In high school, Sofia was on the cross country and swim teams, the graphics editor of the student newspaper, and played viola in the orchestra. Sofia plans on being involved in SERVitecture (a community service based architecture group), other community service groups, art club, and an environmental group. Sofia loves art, especially photography, traveling, reading, music, and playing guitar.