This semester I volunteered at BuckeyeThon for twelve hours. BuckeyeThon is an organization at The Ohio State University that raises awareness for cancer and also raise money for children with cancer. In particular, BuckeyeThon raises funds for children with cancer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. They do this through providing spiritual service and creating relationships that are centered around the awareness of children with cancer. Here is a link to their website: https://buckeyethon.osu.edu/. I learned about BuckeyeThon through the Dunn Sports and Wellness Scholars program as well as various promotions around campus. Through volunteering, I provided the service of raising $250 for the organization to use to fight against cancer. Also, during the actual BuckeyeThon day I contributed to the spiritual uplift and culture that was created for the kids with cancer. We provided an atmosphere and a pedestal to stand on in order to raise awareness and fight cancer one step at a time. The service that I, along with many others, performed boosted the morale of many children with cancer so that they can have the support to fight one day at a time. As a result of the service, I learned that I can make a major difference in the lives of these children. Whether it be putting a smile on the face of the children or raising money for the cause, I can make a big difference with just a tiny bit of effort. I also realized that I am truly blessed each and every day. Through hearing the countless stories of the kids struggling with cancer, I was able to appreciate where I am today and the conditions that I live in. This service has impacted me as a leader too because it showed me that I can start a chain reaction and lead people to help stand up and fight cancer. Because of service learning I am able to connect with my community in order to attain a common goal. I am able to learn and become closer to my community as well.

This semester I also volunteered at the Furniture Bank in downtown Columbus for five hours. The Furniture Banks goal is to distribute furniture to home and families where they might not be able to afford their own. They do this through receiving donations of used or unused furniture and delivering it to the homes of people in need. The service that I provided by volunteering was organizing the furniture that they had in their massive wearhouse. As a result of the service I learned that I am very blessed to have grown up in a household that provided everything for me. Moving the furniture around reminded me that some of the people in this world cannot afford to buy furniture and are not as fortunate as I was when I was growing up. As a leader this volunteering opurtunity has taught me that is is crucial to be committed to a cause. All of the workers in the wearhouse clearly cared enough about this pressing issue to spend their own time and energy to move the furniture. They are all commmited to their purpose of making sure every home has furniture. Because of service learning I am able to realize what giving back to the community looks like. I am able to feel good about my self knowing that the furniture that I was moving would eventually be in a deserving home. It truly impacted me in a positive way. 

This semester I volunteered for the Columbus Marthon for five hours. During this event they raise money for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital through putting on this marathon and half marathon. Here is a link to their website: http://www.columbusmarathon.com. I learned about this organization through the weekly Dunn Sports and Wellness emails. I provided the service of preparing the water and Gatorade mix for the refuel station at mile marker 17. I also handed out the water and Gatorade to the runners as they ran by. As a result of the service I learned that I can be a very impactful person. I also learned that I am a person with a big heart. Watching the smiles on all of the runners faces as they grabbed water out of my hand really hit home. As a leader, I learned that it is extremely important to be as organized as possible. Even our little part of handing out water and Gatorade had a significant impact on the goal of the Columbus Marathon as a whole. Because of service learning I am able to feel apart of my communtiy. I learned that volunteering is a great way to have an impact and to give back to the community that one is in.

The definition of leadership is using your skillset or resources and applying it to a group of people who are in need of guidance. It can be heroic or even tiny acts that all leaders should be able to perform. A great example of leadership I have been fortunate to witness is during a high school fight. A fight broke out in the hallway of my high school and of course being a high school fight everybody watched and took no action on the situation at hand. As I’m walking by and realizing what is going on a girl runs into the brawl and yells at them to stop. This gave the school cop enough time to step in and stop the fight. While everyone was recording the fight and watching this one girl stood up and lead the way showing it was not ok to be fighting in high school. Even if she had no chance of stopping the fight her courageous act of leadership helped and showed others what was the right thing to do. She went against the crowd and went out of her way which is another great quality of a leader.

[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 includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]