Columbus Adventure with Peer Leader Group

My peer leading group decided to go to Chop Shop on High Street. This was a place a lot of us hadn’t been before. Personally, I had never been to a Chop Shop. We went and had dinner together. We ended up all getting the chop shop burgers (name if the burger) and all picked different fries. I thought the burger was pretty decent but I didn’t really like the fries I got. They were too salty! I learned a lot about my peers! I learned that James played basketball and football throughout high school. I learned Maci does not miss high school as we watched a high school basketball game on TV at Chop Shop, also she was Homecoming Queen which is pretty cool. I learned Andrew really loves sweet potato fries since those are the fries he choose to get with his burger. I learned that Stevie does not like Chop Shop since she didn’t order any food there, though she said they had good shakes. I really enjoyed going and hanging out with my peer group. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend Chop Shop to a friend because I was unimpressed with their food. I had heard such good things about it but I didn’t think my burger tasted great and I hated the fries. I don’t think I would go back there for a burger or food, maybe a shake though.

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.

Columbus To-Do List #2

  1. First Place: mashall’s Diner     

When doing to Mashalls we went on the Cota bus out to Grandview Heights to get breakfast. It is about 30 minutes away from Drackett tower. The food was really god and reasonably priced. I got two sunny side-up eggs, toast, bacon and one giant pancake. It was really cute and it had super fun Halloween decorations all around the diner. They also had coy fish in a giant tank and I got to pet one of the coy fish. It was really slimy but I really wanted to pet it, the guy who ran the restaurant said it was okay to pet them. The fish were really friendly and kept swimming up to me. I stuck my finger near it and the fish bit it, it didn’t hurt though. We are definitely going back because the food was really good, they had big portions for reasonable prices and the staff was really nice. I would definitely recommend it to a friend, especially if they like cool fish.

  1. Second Place: Luck Bros Coffee House 

This was a cute local coffee shop also in Grandview Heights. They had cool local flavored coffee and even had something new called smoked tea. The owner of the coffee shop said it is a mixture of sitting at a campfire in fall and drinking tea. I went with Alex and Tori, we sat in the coffee shop for hours working on homework and drinking tea/coffee. This place was really cute and the staff was really kind of interacted with us a lot. I am definitely going back for some more cool tea and to do homework there. I would definitely recommend to a friend to go there and try there drinks and their snacks. It is a really chill place with lots of seating to sit and do homework or chat with a friend.

My favorite experience from the semester is going to the Columbus museum of Art because it was really cool and I was exposed to a lot of local arts in the Columbus area. I learned about the layout of the greater suburbs around Ohio State and Columbus. I have never heard of Grandview Heights but it was really cute and all the people I interacted with were very friendly. I really loved the area. This has led me to continue to try and get my friends to go with me out into Columbus and try more local coffee shops, etc. I want to see all the city offers. I would recommend that someone when planning there trip be open to try new things spontaneously. For example, when we went to Grandview heights we stumbled upon the diner accidentally because we were hungry and needed real food. If we hadn’t been open to trying things by change we would have missed out on a really cute place with good food.

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

Artifact #1:

One that has been a big part of my life and shaped me as a person was my horse Soldier. I had Soldier throughout most of high school and spend many days/nights out at the barn with him. He taught me how to be a kind person and put other people’s need above my own. One of the aspects of horseback riding that challenged me as a person is that when riding, the horse does not always listen to the commands that you are giving to them as a rider. Although sometimes it is because the horse isn’t listening, usually is the fault of the rider to make the commanders more clear. Even in my most frustrating moment with Soldier, I never got mad at him but focused on how I could make the situation more successful and how to get over that hurdle. There were many times where I fell off or didn’t do the course properly, but everyday was a new day and I never stopped trying to perfect and practice my skill. Some of the best things I learned were from being on the ground and sitting with Soldier. We were a team and had to learn to communicate without words. I had to trust him and in return he had to trust me to know what I was doing. This taught me how to be a good team player and what to expect when putting my trust in others. Unfortunately, I had to sell Soldier before going into college because I did not have the time or resources to give him the attention and care he deserves.

Artifact #2:

One of the new experiences that I have since coming to college in football games! I went to a very small high school that did not have a football team. So football games are a new and exciting experience. I really like them because it is a fun opportunity to get together with my friends and go support Ohio State. I do not really understand football but my friends around me are slowly explaining it to me. I like it because I am a very social person and this is something that allows me to be social. It is cool to see Ohio State come together as a community to cheer on our fellow classmates and show their our school spirit. I have never seen so many people dressed in Ohio State gear cheering! To me as a person this is something that I have never done before so I am pushing myself outside my comfort zone by trying new things like football games. I even made some new friends at the football games! I know that I like all the new experiences I have had since coming to college and can’t wait to go out and make more!

About Me

My name is Rachel Leitson and I am a first year student at Ohio State University. I am very passionate about helping people which is why I joined the Humanitarian Engineering Scholar program. During my junior and senior years at high school I worked in the prosthetics/orthotics lab at the Veterans Association Hospital in Cleveland, where I first found my passion for helping others. Some of my other hobbies include horseback riding, dance and all things stem. I had a horse named Soldier that was 17.0 hands tall but unfortunately I had to sell him before going off to college. I have been horseback riding since I was three years old and have always been hands on in the equestrian community doing clubs such as Pony Club and Interscholastic Equestrian Association. My academic goals is to be a chemical or civil engineer. I am currently in the exploration major until I narrow down what I want to do. Engineering has always been a goal of mine as I love math, science and problem solving. I really value organization and communication in the work I do. I value this because it makes working it groups and with other people much easier. I’m really looking forward to all the experiences I’m going to make here at Ohio State in the coming years.

My top five strength that were identified by the strengths insight report are input, discipline, consistency, individualization, and learner. I identify with input because I really enjoy telling others my opinion, I believe it gives them a different perspective that only I add. I like to help and by giving my input, it is my way to join in helping to solve the problem. I identify with discipline because I think that I do a good job of being disciplined with the work I do. For example, I space and plan all my homework out so that I can give it the necessary time it needs without overwhelming myself. I identify with consistency because I try very hard to maintain a good consistent balance of stuff in my life. I try to stay consistent because it helps me to stay in a happier state of mind, and it allows other to predict the type of person I am. I identify with individualization because I try to add a uniqueness of my personality to everything I do. This can be in the small things I do such as writing. I write in a unique way that showcases the phrases and word choice that I enjoy using. Finally, I identify with learner because I am always looking for ways to improve my knowledge and I really enjoy learning. That is what I like about being in college is that it is an entirely new arena to explore and learn in.