Author: limbert.31

My Strengths

According to the Gallup Strength Finders 2.0 Assessment, my top five strengths in order include harmony, consistency, deliberative, adaptability, and realtor.

Harmony was my top strength which in general terms means someone who does not enjoy conflict but rather seeks areas of agreement. In order to avoid conflict, I create action plans with guidelines and due dates. In my current life I am known for being the even keeled friend. I try to make people remain cool and calm. This trait helps me in my academic life because I see not understanding a topic or concept in class as a conflict so I make sure to ask questions or receive help. Once I understand the topic, my conflict is resolved.

My second top strength was my consistency trait which means I am very aware of the need to treat all people the same. This trait is similar to harmony in that I set up clear rules and adhere to them in order to try to treat everyone with consistency. Consistency also makes me look at the world in a practical way. I abide by rules,regulations, budgets, and time constraints because there should  be no exceptions; everyone should be treated the same.  I see this in my everyday life because I am very much a rule follower and a very realistic thinker. In my academic life, this trait is helpful when working in group projects because I make sure everyone is treated the same and the work is divided up evenly. It is also helpful because I always read every part of any instructions so I don’t miss a thing.

My third top strength was the deliberative trait which means I take serious care in making decisions or choices. While reading the full description of this trait, each sentence described me more and more accurately. I’ve always been a very indecisive person and rather reserved. I take decisions very seriously and always anticipate the obstacles that go along with each decision. I like to keep my private life private and I prefer to listen than to talk about myself. I think about what to say before I say it unless with my few very close friends.

My next strength was my adaptability trait which means I prefer to “go with the flow” and tend to be in the now. I found this trait to be very accurate to me because I’ve always been a one day at a time kind of person. I tend to not look towards the future but instead enjoy today. I see this trait in my everyday live because I’m always up for about anything my friends suggest to do. This trait also ties into my harmony trait because I tend to do what other people ask of me because I don’t want any conflict.

My final strength was my realtor trait which means I enjoy close relationships with others and find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal. Up to this point of my life I have always had a small group of really close friends instead of having a big group of friends. I think this strength also ties into my deliberative trait because I tend to only share my thoughts, feelings, and opinions with a select number of people.

Knowing my strengths does not necessarily change my thoughts about my future drastically. In the future I want to graduate from college and then get a job in my desired career. My harmony strength of making plans and following due dates will help me graduate and also help me get along with group members on a project. My deliberative trait will help me when deciding on a major and deciding which career path to take. It might make making a decision harder but I know I won’t make a rash decision without first thinking about the consequences. Overall, I think all my traits describe myself as an easygoing and hardworking person who gets along with people well which I think is helpful in any career.

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

Hello, my name is Claire Limbert and I’m a freshman at The Ohio State Universtiy. I’m currently in the Exploration program but hope to declare a major within the next year in either a math or science field. Since I’m not quite sure what I want to major in yet, I don’t exactly have any future career goals but I do know what I enjoy doing right now. In this point of my life I enjoy working with kids, volunteering, working with animals, problem-solving, and staying active. I am a very focused,organized, determined, and detail-orientated person so I believe I will be successful in whatever I choose to do.

Year in Review

Looking back on my first year here at Ohio State, I have definitely grown in a variety of ways. Coming into freshman I was very afraid of what was to come. I’m not very good at adapting to change and the transition from high school to college is obviously a big one. I was nervous about having to make new friends, live away from my home, and figuring out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I came into freshman year undecided, but knew I wanted to pursue something in the science field so I joined the STEM EE Scholars Program.

STEM EE Scholars was very helpful in helping me explore different science career paths that I could take. Opportunities such as touring Battelle helped me realize that I wanted to work in a lab and after many months of debating a major I was able to decide on Molecular Genetics. Me making this decision shows that I have grown since high school because I have never been good with decisions especially big decisions like picking a major. This program has also helped me in developing professional skills. I have grown more mature throughout this year and have learned how to communicate with faculty members more effectively and in a more sophisticated manner. This program has showed me how to obtain certain opportunities such as getting undergraduate research. STEM EE Scholars also gave me my very first friends here at Ohio State. I had orientation with a majority of the people in the program. It was nice to see familiar faces on move in day. It was helpful to live on the same floor as people with the same interests as me because that means we also took a lot of the same classes so it was very easy for me to find other students to study with. This program has also helped me gain many study skills and taught me to study in much more effective ways. I am now more confident in my school work and have learned to stay on top of my work.

The other organizations and clubs that I am involved in have helped me grow as a person as well. Being on the Relay For Life Committee has taught me leadership skills. As a part of the committee I had to contact companies and ask for donations and sponsors for the event. I also had to recruit people to join the event and to raise money. I have always been more of a shy and reserved person so talking to companies and other students about the event was putting me outside my comfort zone, but through this I gained communication skills. I gained leadership skills from being team captain as well. As team captain I was responsible for being in charge of the rest of my teammates, making sure they raised money, and relaying information to them about the event. Being part of the committee also helped me become more mature because I was responsible for so many different things. Being part of 4 Paws for Ability which is a club that helps foster potential service dogs has also helped me become more responsible. I was responsible for taking care of the dog such as feeding it, picking up after it, and taking it for walks. Since the dogs are potentially becoming service dogs I was able to take the dog around campus and I was responsible for making sure the dog behaved. Participating in a recreational volleyball league helped me gain more teamwork skills and considering we didn’t win a game it also taught me that winning isn’t everything. Although we weren’t very good I learned to still have fun.

G.O.A.L.S.

Out of all the G.O.A.L.S. of the Honors and Scholars Program, I think Academic Enrichment and Service Engagement are the most applicable to my personal goals. The Honors and Scholars online page defines Academic Achievement as students pursuing academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom. It also says that students will be able to contextualize their formal education with respect to career and life options. Academics have always been important to me from the very beginning of when I started school. I have always done well in school every since elementary school. Once I got to high school I started taking honors and AP courses. This has helped me in being able to do well in courses in college. In deciding a major I chose a more difficult one because I like the challenge hard classes bring. I think Academic Achievement will also be very crucial in furthering my success and involvement. Academic Achievement will help me in in the context of my future professional career because good grades will help me in getting a job that I like. The Honors and Scholars online page defines Service Engagement as students committing to service to the community. I was really big into service through out high school participating in volunteering at the local animal shelter and a local elementary school. I was also part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. I have extended my service into college being on the Relay For Life committee, tutoring kids at a local elementary school in Columbus, as well as being part of the 4 Paws for Ability club. I was a part of Relay For Life all throughout high school while being a team captain for two of those years and I didn’t want to stop participating in such a great event so I applied to be on the committee at college. This has also given me leadership skills. I help kids with math and science at a local elementary school as part as a requirement of my scholars program. The Honors and Scholars online page also says that students will connect their service experiences to their specific major or area of interest whenever possible. Tutoring the elementary kids is a good example of me connecting service with my major since they both pertain to science. Eventually in my future I would like to do research pertaining to my major that also gives back to the community. I haven’t figured out quite yet what it’ll be, but I still have time to figure it out. The 4 Paws for Ability club does not pertain to my major, but it is something that I am very passionate about. I have always been a big animal lover so I joined this club to be able to interact with dogs, but I have learned that it’s so much more than just the dogs. 4 Paws for Ability fosters soon to be service dogs to get them acclimated to different sights and sounds so that when they become a service dog they are not surprised by anything. I love the feeling of giving back to the community. I think both the community and I gain from it. I hope to keep pursuing community service throughout my life.

Career

Resume

I have learned many transferable skills from both being a part of STEM EE Scholars and my other extra curricular activities. STEM EE Scholars has expanded my knowledge in multiple STEM careers which has helped me figure out what I would like to major in. STEM Scholars has also taught me proper study skills in order to do well in my difficult science courses.  I have gained a lot of patience when working with kids in both babysitting and working with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program which helps me with working and cooperating with other people.

Artifacts

ARP Final Draft

This is my first Artifact. It is a research paper from my first semester first year English class. I include it because it was a big accomplishment for me to do so well on an English paper. I have also been a math and science type of person and I have never had much interest in English. I struggled in writing papers for both English and History courses throughout high school. I would work very hard on them, but never seemed to get a good enough grade. This paper is the first paper I feel as though I’ve done well on. Before turning in the draft, my teacher warned the class that most students receive a C or D as a preliminary grade on the draft. I actually ended up getting an A- as the preliminary grade on my draft and then an A on my final draft which I have attached. As someone who has always struggled in English I am very proud of this grade. I also actually enjoyed writing this paper because it encompasses both science and technology as well as psychology. Although it was an English paper, it was about something that did interest me.

About Me

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My name is Claire Limbert and I am from the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. I am from a family of six consisting of my Mom and Dad, my older sister Allison, my older brother Mitchell, and my younger brother David. I come from a relatively small extended family consisting of only about six cousins. Since my family is so small, we are also a very close-knit group of people. I am a very family-oriented person and truly enjoy spending time with all of them. I have learned that family is who is always going to be there for you and they’ll love you for who you truly are. Friendships may come and go but family will be there forever.

Before coming to The Ohio State University I was a student at Ursuline Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school. I went to a public school from kindergarten through eighth grade so this was a very big change for me. I only had a couple friends going there and I’m not even Catholic. I had issues making friends the first year but by the end of senior year I didn’t want to leave. Going to an all-girls school, the teachers really emphasized women empowerment. The school motto was “Voice. Values. Vision.” meaning the school helped us find our voice and how to use it for good, how to find our own values and morals, and  prepare for our vision of the future. Looking back now the school really did teach me all those things. The teachers would always say “We learn not for school, but for life”. Now I understand what they mean because if it hadn’t have been for Ursuline I don’t think I would be the same person I am today. I went into high school rather shy and afraid to raise my hand in class, but now am very open to participating. Coming from a family that didn’t go to church much, the Catholic exposure at school really did help me find my own values and what I believe in. And lastly, Ursuline helped me achieve my vision of going to The Ohio State University.

High school wasn’t all rainbows and flowers though. All throughout my life I had been very active. I played just about every sport imaginable including soccer, basketball, volleyball, swimming, flag football, tennis, and softball. I went into freshman year playing soccer and basketball and made both teams fairly easily. Though when summer soccer conditioning of sophomore year rolled around, something felt off. I had just gotten back from a three month ankle sprain injury. The doctors were a little worried that a simple sprain took three months to heal, but told me I was clear to play. I was so excited for the season to start again, but I couldn’t keep up with my teammates anymore. My whole body would be in so much pain all practice. I suffered through a couple months until I got injured again. This time it was my hip. Out for another two months. My parents began to get worried and proceeded to take me to a pain specialist doctor. After some tests the doctors diagnosed me with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic defect in their connective tissue, the tissue that provides support to many body parts such as the skin, muscles and ligaments. Symptoms include joint hypermobility, loose and unstable joints which are prone to frequent dislocations and subluxations,  joint pain, severe scarring, and slow and poor wound healing. With all this being said, the doctors said contacts sports were no longer an option for me. I was obviously devastated. I tried to prove the doctors wrong by playing basketball that season, but it was so painful. Luckily I didn’t get injured so I got to play the whole season but I knew there was no way I could play again.

Now being done with sports, I had so much extra time on my hands I didn’t even know what to do. I actually had time to do other extra curricular activities except just sports. I signed up for many, many community service opportunities, signed up for clubs, and got a job. Through all these new different activities I found things that I really enjoyed. My favorites were volunteering at the animal shelter, being a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor, volunteering in a kindergarten classroom, and participating in science club. Sometimes I think I would have never found these passions of mine if I hadn’t been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome because if I never had this syndrome I would have never quit soccer and basketball. I’m not saying I’m happy to have this disorder, I’m saying I it taught me how to find the good out of a bad situation.