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.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

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

Hello! My name is Sebastian Lowery. Here’s a picture of me.

A picture of an avid artist.

A picture of an avid artist.

My academic career started in a humble Catholic school on the west side of Columbus, Ohio, called St. Mary Magdalene School. It was there I discovered many of my talents, namely, reading, writing, mathematics (to some extent), and fine arts. I was one of those children that didn’t need to study in order to pass the tests, and boy, did that bite me in the rear later in life. I skated by, and I thought nothing of it.

After nearly 10 long years at St. Mary Magdalene, pre-school to 8th grade, I graduated and moved on to Metro Early College High School on the west side of OSU campus. This was unusual for someone from my school, as my elementary school served as a feeder to a local Catholic high school named Bishop Ready (in fact, I’m 99% sure that me and my friend Jared were the first Magdalene students to attend Metro). I was quickly thrown into a situation of “learn and adjust or fail” and my grades took a not so pretty turn. Metro required us to have 90s in every class or we had to retake the class. This forced me to learn how to study, but I turned out to be a slow learner in that regard. I retook several classes and completed many independent studies in my time at Metro. I was stressed beyond belief most of the time, and I coped with this stress by honing my artistic talents and learning new skills in what little spare time I had. This is when I discovered cosplay, which, for those of you who don’t know, is dressing up in costumes of a character from pop culture.

My time at Metro taught me more than just study skills, however. It also gave me a safe space to be social and talk about my interests, something I did not have in elementary school. I learned how to be social, and soon my introversion was turned on its head into extroversion. I also learned how to dress, which was not something I needed to know in the past since I had worn a uniform every school day, and how to love someone that wasn’t a blood relative.

Despite my initial struggles, I graduated Metro with a gold honors cord hanging around my neck, along with 28 hours of college credit. I gave a speech at graduation, not about my academic career, but about friendship, the thing I value the most in life.

Now, a few months later, here I am at the Ohio State University, with a steady job, a community to contribute to, and a path to achieve my dreams.