Global Awareness – Because of my major of political science, I’ve been able to learn about numerous countries including Western Europe and Latin America. I have also worked on a large project about Mauritania, a small country in Africa, which has expanded my view of the world even further. This will continue through the end of my time in undergraduate political science and I look forward to creating an even broader global perspective from the classes I take through OSU. I have also attended many OUAB events which have allowed me to listen to speakers that have also added to my knowledge at a global level.
Original Inquiry – In sophomore year, I have been able to begin research in a real area of interest for me. Doing political science research was always a goal and I hope I can continue doing research for my undergraduate thesis. I began doing research work under a graduate student who is interested in non-state actor rebel groups and their sometimes positive effect on the public. I also hope to create research of my own and perhaps publish a paper which follows my interest in exploring violence statistics. Because I am going to graduate with a BS in political science, I have gained a lot of statistical and research method experience.
Academic Enrichment – Other than my political science major, I have also nearly completed a general psychology minor. I have a real interest in psychology and science that I knew wouldn’t be a focus in my major program so I took it on as a minor. I also am interested in the role of psychology in law and politics so the major and minor go fairly well together. At many times there was overlap between the two in the way that I would learn about a psychological theory/personality that would then come up as an idea in many political science readings. I chose my GE courses to focus on my interests in literature and comparative studies, which I would like to get a minor in but do not have the time in my schedule.
Leadership Development – I have had multiple jobs in my time at OSU in research but also normal college student jobs. Whether it be in either scenario I enjoy taking a leadership role but often find myself preferring to be the person who pushes for a plan and sticks to a schedule. I like to get things done and do work efficiently, so my work in a leadership role usually has me as a planner who will get things done while everyone else waits for a deadline.
Service Engagement – I plan within the next year to do a political science internship in a campaign in order to gain experience in engaging with people. I want to learn about social problems and how they approached in the real world. Joining a grassroots political campaign will hopefully give me a background in service engagement and allow me to understand the political community better.