Second Year GOALS Reflection

Hello all! For this post, I would like to use this space to reflect on how I have engaged with the Honors Program’s GOALS (Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Excellence, Leadership, and Service) throughout my first two years at OSU.

So far, to develop my Global Awareness, I have done several things. First and foremost, in the winter of my freshman year, I participated in a study abroad program in London. This program allowed me to immerse myself in a foreign culture and to learn more about both myself and others. I have also taken several classes both in my majors—English and Anthropology—and in other disciplines such as comparative studies and history. These classes have helped me to gain an international perspective and have given me different lenses through which I can examine society. To continue working on this area, I plan on taking more classes that deal with other areas of the world and possibly on participating in another study abroad, depending on what my schedule and finances allow.

As far as original inquiry is concerned, I have had a few different experiences and also plan on creating for myself a few more in the upcoming years. So far, I have written several in-depth research papers for my classes and enjoyed the process immensely. Also, in the spring semester of 2018, I am participating in a production of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor which has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how his works were intended to be experienced. Furthermore, in the fall of my freshman year, I wrote a novel that I plan on continuing to work on and develop as my college experience continues. This coming summer, I will be taking a trip to Alaska to participate in an archaeological dig as a part of OSU’s STEP program. I also plan on getting involved with undergraduate research and developing a senior thesis likely in the area of English with a concentration on digital media studies.

I believe that my honors contract demonstrates my commitment to the ideal of academic excellence. I have chosen to double major in English and Anthropology in order to push myself into new areas of inquiry that I perhaps had not previously considered. In my two chosen majors, I am pursuing challenging coursework including a large amount of upper-level courses as I believe these courses will be most conducive to my eventual goal of being accepted into grad school and gaining a position in a research institution that will allow me to pursue research in the humanities, specifically in video game studies. In line with this end are two specific courses: Intro to Video Game Studies and Intro to Narrative Theory and Narratology. Both of these courses, along with my more general coursework in both English and Anthropology will give me a solid foundation upon which I can base my future studies.

As far as leadership activities go, I am currently involved in Mosaic Magazine, where I along with a team of other students review literature submissions and decide what will go in the magazine. I am considering running for Lit Editor for next year in order to take on more of a leadership role in the organization. I am also planning on being involved with the board of the English Undergraduate Organization, where I will be in charge of something along the lines of social media management. As far as relation to my career goals, taking on leadership roles will give me the confidence to advocate for myself and for what I believe is right, which will undoubtedly be useful in the future.

I am not currently involved with any long-term service projects, but I hope to change that soon. I plan on getting involved with SDES next year and participating in their various service projects. I have participated in a few short term projects, but nothing that lasted longer than a day. I recognize this as the major weakness in my compliance with the GOALS standard and will set out to change that in the coming months.