Dunn Scholars has opened many doors, both professionally and personally, over the course of my two years at Ohio State.  Through scholars, I have had the opportunity to mentor first year scholars, strengthening the bond and family-like atmosphere of scholars.  Being a scholar has helped me grow my leadership skills as well as create new friendships.  Dunn Scholars has also opened professional doors for me by providing job opportunities within rec sports and by helping me create a professional resume.  Many of my experiences on my resume have come from Dunn Scholars and with that resume, I obtained an internship for the summer.  DSWS has also offered me numerous life lessons.  I have learned about what it takes to be a leader and how to apply different leadership styles to different groups in the hopes of achieving a specific goal.  I have also learned how to better manage my time as DSWS has had many speakers touch on balance and strategies to tackle a busy schedule.  I have learned to prioritize my commitments while taking into consideration my mental health and stress levels.  I have also learned lessons on how to be a better friend, teammate, and contributor through DSWS.  I have formed bonds with scholars throughout all years — first through fourth.  With several service opportunities and group events, DSWS has offered me many friends and many opportunities to learn how to be a better collaborator.  When I entered scholars I was an eager new buckeye, and I was so excited to take on everything Ohio State had to offer.  I took anything and everything on to my plate, and it quickly became overwhelming.  But as I’ve developed over the course of my two years thus far at Ohio State, I have retained my enthusiasm for this school while learning to better balance my commitments.  I have become more mature and patient, and I think I have developed a more positive perspective on life through the influence of my fellow scholars.  I believe my experience surpassed my initial expectations as DSWS has become a family here at OSU, which is something I could never have predicted.  I had hoped that Dunn Scholars would be the incorporation of wellness and activity here at OSU, which are things I greatly valued before college.  Luckily, I have found so much more than that in my friendships, leadership opportunities, personal and professional growth, and family here in Dunn Scholars.

Dunn Scholars has opened both professional and personal doors for my Ohio State development.  Because our program is through Rec Sports, I was able to make professional connections in the RPAC, landing myself a job in Member Services, which I’ve had for a year as of this fall.  I also decided to work for Competitive Sports as well through learning about the experiences of my fellow scholars who have worked in that department.  While I will no longer be working for Member Services in the spring, it was still a great experience that I was able to put on my resume.  And with that resume, I was able to obtain an internship this summer.  I would never have had those two experiences — Competitive Sports and Member Services — to put on my resume without DSWS.  I also found a campus organization that I am passionate about through scholars.  A now alum told me about the club she was in last year, which led me to join A Kid Again, an on-campus organization that puts on fun events for children with life threatening or debilitating illnesses and their families.  I have been a general body member of this organization since first semester last year.  Through A Kid Again, I’ve been able to form lasting relationships with both my peers in and out of scholars as well as local families who are fighting a battle bigger than many of us will ever know.  DSWS has opened many doors for me to find passions in my career as well as in my person life.

A memorable experience I have from my first few weeks at OSU is my first football game.  I had never been to an OSU football game before, which is a little shameful considering I am from Ohio (oops).  One of our suite-mate’s moms drove down to Columbus to host a tailgate for us.  All of the Dunn Scholars in our suite all got up around 10 am and made our way to the stadium parking lot on a beautiful, sunny morning.  We all shared delicious food and enjoyed the pre-game festivities with our new Ohio State family.  Despite the fact that we hadn’t even known each other that long, we all already felt so close after spending Kick-off week together and countless nights up in the common room talking into the hours of the morning.  Sitting in the sun in a lawn chair in the stadium parking lot, snacking on chips and tossing a football is exactly how I pictured the football culture, which is such a crucial part of OSU, to be.  Spending mornings like these with my new family made the experience that much more special.  After the tailgate, we all went to the game together and sat with a large group of our scholars.  Being at the game was unlike anything I had ever been a part of.  Coming from a high school of less than four hundred kids meant our Friday night football games had a couple hundred people in attendance.  Spending the day cheering on the Buckeyes in the Shoe made me realize what it really meant when people say that game days are spent with “thousands of your closest friends and family.”  My very first football game made me feel like I was officially a Buckeye, and I am so grateful to have spent it (and the following games) with my fellow scholars.