A Year in Review: Honors Contract

1. Global Awareness

Expanding my knowledge and appreciation for global diversity is important for my growth as a global citizen. In an ever-connected, global society, it is crucial to possess effective skills of understanding, collaboration, and communication. During my time at Ohio State I have had multiple opportunities to expand my global awareness. I am currently a part of the Morril Scholars Program, through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. As a Morril Scholar I have been presented me with an array of opportunities to learn about other cultures and persons. The Morril Scholars Program holds many events that provide in depth lessons about accepting diversity of thought and being.  In addition it has been a forum to learn how to better promote diversity within my local, Ohio State, and global community. For example, through an ODI hosted event I was able to listen to the President of the NAACP speak about community respect and acceptance.

2. Original Inquiry

I have had the exciting opportunity to engage in original inquiry by working as an undergraduate research assistant. This past fall, I was selected to work with Ohio State Law School Professor, Creola Johnson. Ms. Johnson was working on writing a paper for the Duke Law Journal about Consumer Debt Criminalization and Extortion Tactics. Specifically I investigated the work of a creditor company, CashBiz, and their strategies to extort finances from their indignant customers. I highly enjoyed researching this topic as I hope to pursue a career in law, and this project gave me a glimpse into better understanding financial law. In the future, I hope to further my work towards original inquiry by working as an intern at the Ohio State House to broaden my political science degree experience. I am enticed by an internship with state government officials because of the breadth of knowledge that I will acquire, as well as the system of networking it will help to create.

3. Academic Enrichment

Academically, I am a high achieving student with a strong sense of inquiry. I demonstrate disciplined work skill habits, both in and out of the classroom. My academic interests include opportunities to participate in collaborative work group discussions. I benefit from assignments that provide the opportunity to publicly present. I have discovered that I have a strong thirst to learn, with a motivation to excel. In school, I have a strong interest in the area of social sciences. I enjoy examining the past and how it applies for a better understanding of the present. The cause and effect of human interaction fascinates me because human decision-making is complex.

I have pursued, and plan to continue seeking academic enrichment at Ohio State by taking a rigorous course load. As my honors contract demonstrates, I like to challenge myself by taking upper level courses in a wide range of subject fields. In addition, I have attempted to further challenge by minoring in two subject areas.  In regards to my major, I am enticed by Political Science because this dynamic field offers unique challenges for peace development, impartial political power, and equitable/fair justice. To align with my academic and career interests I have attempted to take General Education courses that I believe will help develop the skills and knowledge set desired for my professional aspirations.

4. Leadership Development

I have worked to be actively involved outside of my academic work. For the past two years I have been a member of the Undergraduate Government. My experience within USG has included work as both a Committee Representative (Health & Safety; Student Affairs) and as a General Assembly Senator. My service in USG has shaped my ability for understanding how to better lead a diverse group with diverse opinions to prosperity. I have learned how to better accept the ideas of others and that compromise is essential in the survival of the political game. In addition, the Undergraduate Student Government has allotted me with the opportunity to understand how to best collaborate with my peers and administrators. Through my work as a committee representative and a senator, I was taught how to reach out to faculty and administrators. I learned how to maintain professionalism while actively seeking support on committee projects.

The Undergraduate Student Government has helped to foster my leadership skills, while allowing the opportunity to provide essential service support for the Ohio State community. As a USG leader I have been able to promote remedies for achieving university affordability, operational management, and resource stewardship. The experience with Ohio State’s University, Undergraduate Student Government has helped prepare me for a potential career in law and politics by teaching me how to best access my civic strengths, while bridging a path towards civic involvement.

Another extracurricular that has been essential in the development of my skills as a leader has been my sorority, Pi Beta Phi. As a sorority woman I have been able to network with even more students of the Ohio State Community, while working to serve my chapter as a positive agent of change. Within Pi Phi, I have had the opportunity to represent my chapter in front of the Pan-Hellenic Association and work as historian. As historian, I have been able to ensure that our traditions and annual events are properly documented for future years. Pi Phi has taught me acceptance and communication; skills crucial for successful leadership.

5. Service Engagement

I have actively served my local, national, and global community through dedication to my sorority’s philanthropy. Our philanthropy is Read.Lead.Achieve, a national organization that works to combat childhood illiteracy. I have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting literacy through book drives, volunteering in an impoverished school district, and fundraising at organized service events where all proceeds go to Read.Lead.Achieve. Thanks to Pi Phi I have become connected with a service organization that promotes a cause I am passionate about. In the future, I plan to continue my work for Read.Lead. Achieve, and I hope to volunteer for other organizations like BuckeyeThon, or College Mentors for Kids.

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.

Global Diversity:

Expanding my knowledge and appreciation for global diversity is important for my growth as a global citizen. I am currently a part of the Morril Scholars Program, through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.The Morril Scholars Program holds many events that provide in depth lessons about accepting diversity of thought and being. This program provides me with opportunities to learn about the different cultural backgrounds of my fellow scholars and how to find effective ways to communicate with them. It also is a forum to learn how to promote diversity within my local, Ohio State, and global community.

Original Inquiry:

I plan to achieve my goal of academic inquiry by participating in social science research and field work opportunities. I am most interested in finding research opportunities that pertain to the legal field (i.e understanding criminal behavior) or the world of politics (i.e. voting behavior). I also hope to eventually intern at the Ohio State House to broaden my political science degree experience. I am enticed by an internship with state government officials because of the breadth of knowledge that I will acquire, as well as the system of networking it will help to create.

Academic Enrichment:

I plan to enrich my academic experience at Ohio State by taking a rigorous course load of classes that will aid in a well-rounded, learning experience. By taking honors and upper division courses I plan to challenge myself and expand my learning capabilities. I also hope that a minor in forensic science will further enrich my academic experience by providing me with more knowledge towards my profession in the criminal law field. My love of learning influences my goals for excellence, as an academic scholar.

Leadership Development:

I have recently joined The Ohio State University Undergraduate Student Government. This student organization is an opportunity to continue developing my leadership skills by being a voice for the student body. I plan to run for a USG Senate position this Spring, so that I will be able to help propose legislation, that can bring forth change on campus. I also hope to join a sorority and eventually gain a leadership position within the house or the Panhellenic Association. These co-curricular activities will allow the further cultivation of my leadership skills.

Service Engagement:

My goals for service engagement are through different on and off campus service activities. Within USG, I am a member of the interns program. Recently we have been discussing our service project for next semester, focusing on advocacy for children. This program will allot me the opportunity to interact with children within Columbus, and provide help for the greater community. Also, I plan to be a very active member of my future sorority’s philanthropy. I am passionate about giving of my time to aid in the benefit of others. I plan to participate in other service based events that arise on campus too, such as Buckeyethon.

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

Academically, I am a high achieving student with a strong sense of inquiry. I demonstrate disciplined work skill habits, both in and out of the classroom. My academic interests include opportunities to participate in collaborative work group discussions. I benefit from assignments that provide the opportunity to publicly present. I have discovered that I have a strong thirst to learn, with a motivation to excel. In school, I have a strong interest in the area of social sciences. I enjoy examining the past and how it applies for a better understanding of the present. The cause and effect of human interaction fascinates me because human decision-making is complex.

I intend to major in political science, because this dynamic field offers unique challenges for peace development, impartial political power, and equitable/fair justice. My career interests are to pursue a profession that coincides with my interest in the U.S. Constitution, American laws, and the Justice System. I have interest in becoming a lawyer, and possibly partaking in politics as a judge or senator. My strong interest in the social sciences supports my career interest in the humanities. I also seek to attain more knowledge relating to topics in forensics, such as anthropology and crime science.

In the classroom, I have always pursued academic excellence by challenging myself to higher levels of knowledge. Outside of the classroom I have invested much time and energy into extracurricular activities that have enriched and deepened my life experience.

My personal interests encompass sports, fine arts, and leadership opportunities. I am most interested in active involvement and stimulating opportunities. A few of my favorite personal interests in high school included cheerleading and student council. I participated in cheerleading from 3rd to 12th grade. I put a lot of energy into this activity and I am proud that I stuck with this commitment through middle and high school. This dedication is a quality that I put into all I do. It defines my can-do attitude. Student council was an activity that provided me with a forum to demonstrate my leadership skills. The election process stimulated my competitive spirit, and helped lead me to want to explore the option of real life politics. I hope to continue the opportunity to demonstrate my leadership skills through The Ohio State University Undergraduate Student Government. My interests in social studies and the political system will inspire my decision-making in taking classes that will challenge me, and will supplement my future career goals.