My second year at Ohio State has consisted of a lot of growth. I have learned about interesting topics, explored other departments and majors, and added more extracurricular activities to enrich my experience on campus. My global studies have largely continued from last year. I have continued taking Political Science courses about other areas of the world, ranging from Latin America to Canada. I have enrolled in the Canadian Parliament Internship Program, so I will be traveling and exploring a different area of the world, in addition to gaining professional and political experience. I have also continued my Spanish minor, and am planning on using these skills by traveling abroad to Spain next semester in the Spring.

This past year, I have completed research assignments for the different courses I have been enrolled in. One class I took in particular, City and Regional Planning 2100, focused on a group research assignment. This taught me about doing individual inquiry within a group, where my professor emphasizing not only the importance of equal effort, but also utilizing each other’s skills to make the project stronger. So, if someone was better at research or photography, they could head that part of the project. This has taught me a lot about research because it showed me how it functions, and how you can work most effectively, when it is conducted in a group.

In the beginning of this year, I was unsure of what I wanted to study, or continue studying. I decided to explore different subjects, ranging from Public Affairs to City Planning. This Honors Contract recognizes this exploration, but once I decided what I wanted to study, I chose courses that reflected this. I am continuing my Political Science major, taking courses in American Politics to better understand our current system. I am hoping this will help me if I go into policymaking or law, teaching me about the standards in which our country operates and where there is room for improvement. I also want to take courses that push me to recognize inequality and other perspectives, which is why I took a class on the History of City Planning, which largely discussed housing inequality, in addition to exploring courses from the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department. Many of these courses are at the 3000 level, showing that not only am I striving to challenge myself, but that I am also committed to working hard and staying in the Honors program, specifically by enrolling in their courses in addition to the upper level mentioned above.

Another change that has occurred this year is my involvement on campus. In the fall semester, I started my work in the student-led cohort OSU Votes, leading workshops and tabling events to register Ohio State students to vote. This was extremely rewarding because not only did I gain more experience in public speaking and interacting with the public, but I also served as the Assistant Director of Workshops, meaning I coordinated workshop and tabling events for OSU Votes Ambassadors. This experience strengthened my leadership skills by giving me high responsibilities in a cause I am passionate about. In the spring semester, I added more responsibility onto my plate by joining other organizations. I joined Undergraduate Student Government, where I have not only worked on research for Academic Affairs policy work, but also worked on the presidential and vice presidential campaign for student government. This not only increased the number of people and the connections I have on campus, but it also strengthened my campaigning skills and made me explore what working on policy at a university level is like. Finally, this past semester I have been interning in the Senate Minority Caucus in the Ohio Statehouse. This experience has been transformational in that I have learned much about how state government operates, made connections with other staff members that have become to serve as mentors, and have learned about interesting policy issues affecting our state currently. Before taking this internship, I was unsure whether I wanted to work in policy or not. From this, I have found that policy formulation and research is extremely interesting to me and something I would like to do in the future. While I am still planning on going to law school, I hope that my career will return to the policy and public service area and I can continue learning. Overall, this has lead to a lot of professional growth and development that I would not have gained otherwise, thus rounding out my year as a personal, academic, and professional transformation.

In addition, I have joined the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, where I have continued to make connections with new people on campus while volunteering and giving back to the Columbus community. This has been a really valuable experience because I had wanted to find a way to volunteer on campus last year, and this has not only given me the opportunity to do that, but also to make friends in the process. Overall, this has lead to a lot of volunteering experience have gained otherwise, thus rounding out my year as a personal, academic, and professional growth.