Artifact #1

My first artifact is the Kairos retreat that I went on senior year of high school. I actually went on 3 Kairos retreats in total, one as a participant and two as a leader. This retreat is something that I was very passionate about and helped make me into the person I am today. Everyone in the senior class goes on one of three retreats during their senior year. On this retreat students are placed into small groups and get to learn more about one another and the struggles they each face. Over the course of the retreat everyone grows closer to one another and can really analyze the person they are and who they want to become. It was a really great opportunity to get to know my classmates more fully as well as myself. During the retreat I had to be open to talking about my life experiences and be accepting of others. Through listening to others and getting to know them better I learned that I am a very empathetic person (Empathy happens to be one of my top 5 strengths). Planning this retreat was also a very long process so not only did I learn to be more accepting of those around me, I leaned exactly how much work is required toplan an event of this magnitude.

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Pictured above: My last Kairos retreat and the group that I got to lead!

Extra-Circular Impacts

STEM Scholars has taught me many transferable skills that will help me in my future career. Through scholars, I have been able to develop personable skills that allow me to connect with others more easily. STEM has also provided me with multiple ways to be more effective at completing a task and managing my time, both of which will be very important in any job that I have in the future. STEM has enabled me to research the field that I would like to go into and determine that it is what I want to do in the future. I have learned the importance of serving my community and continually giving back through my volunteering at a local school.

 

Through Phi Sigma Rho, I have been able to connect with many different people that have also enhanced my personable skills. I have also learned how to manage my time more effectively. Although I have not been a member of this chapter for very long, I am very excited to get more fully involved in this organization and learn more applicable skills.

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

Welcome to my e-portfolio page! My name is Alexandria (Alex) Orkis and I am currently pursuing a chemical engineering degree with hopes of future work within the medical field. This portfolio should give you insights on my career aspirations, my personality, and the skills I posses that make me a unique individual. While it is hard for some people to express their strengths, I hope to show you why mine are organization, determination, and teamwork in addition to my understanding of the concepts presented in my studies. I have done a fair amount of learning in a classroom setting, but also realize that learning is not limited to that situation. Attending lectures is vitally important on the road to success, but real world experience is just as crucial. I have been able to work on a new set of skills while I am employed throughout school. I can see how to build a successful business, atmosphere, and employee morale. I hope that I am successful in painting you a better picture of who I am and who I aspire to be.

Year in Review

From the start of my schooling I have gone to a small school. My 8th grade class had only 68 children in it. When I went to a high school that had over 700 students I thought I went to a large school, having a graduating class of 154. This school size allowed me to be involved in multiple clubs, serve as a captain on multiple sports teams, and become president of my class. Coming to Ohio State has shown me just how small my previous experiences have been. Half of all of the kids in my middle school went to my high school. So as I transitioned to a school double the size of my current school, I had my best friend and multiple other friends alongside me. When I started applying to colleges, I chose to apply to only big state universities. I did this because I was not 100% sure of what I wanted to do and I knew that these schools would be able to accommodate any changes I wanted to make.

I was very involved in my high school and knew that I wanted to get involved as soon as I arrived Ohio State. Having a community was also very important to me. Since my previous schools had been so small, I was used to having a tightknit community to belong to. STEM EE scholars gave me that community right away. Immediately I found myself surrounded by people who shared similar interests and were easy for me to connect with. I greatly valued this opportunity provided by STEM, so when I learned that it had a Leadership Council, I was eager to join it. I wanted to make the program that had enabled me to have an enriching first year and meet some of my closest friends, better. As a member of the leadership council, I plan all of the intramural sports which allows me to stay connected to the athletics I liked to be involved in during high school.

Personally, I thrive in an environment where I can be close with those around me, Scholars provided me an opportunity to meet other students who would be taking the same classes I would be taking. This gave me a multitude of people who I could be friends with and study with on a consistent basis. All of the students I have met during my first year are extremely talented and bring many skills to the table. Since my high school was so small I was never exposed to some of the diversity I see every day at Ohio State. I was astounded at how much some of the people I met knew. They all have had very unique experiences that I can learn from. For example, I did not know many people who lived in different states and now some of my best friends live hours away. For the most part everyone I had known before had a very similar home life and belief system. Coming to college has shown me that not everyone has the same beliefs that I do or values the same things. Because of this, I have been able to reevaluate my own personal beliefs and determine what genuinely matters to me.

Since entering the Scholars program I have become a more open minded individual who is much more rooted in their beliefs. Through the program, I have found the opportunity to develop as a leader through becoming a part of the leadership council. I have been able to look past the narrow mindedness that I had before. As a student I have learned exactly what it takes to study for an exam and how to do well in a class. I have also learned that as long as I try my best failing is not always a failure.

G.O.A.L.S.

Through my first year in the Honors and Scholars program at The Ohio State University I have been able to more fully understand the G.O.A.L.S of the program. The G stands for Global Awareness, which helps me and other students experience diversity and learn to appreciate the uniqueness of every persons background. This year I have met many people whose background differs from mine, allowing me to be more aware of others viewpoints. Original Inquiry allows me to find what I am passionate about and incorporate that into my studies. While I have not yet begun participation in undergraduate research, it is something I would like to start next year. Academic Enrichment shows students the importance of taking hard classes and devoting time to their studies to become the best students they can. Leadership Development is also a crucial part of G.O.A.L.S. This encourages students to find clubs or other organization that are interesting to them and take an active role in them. By doing this, students can gain skills that will be necessary in future careers. Service Engagement is the last part of G.O.A.L.S. During our time in college we will be gaining many skills and knowledge. It is important to be able to translate what I have learned into something I can share with others or something I can do to help others.

One aspect of G.O.A.L.S that I feel is especially applicable to what I want to do is Service Engagement. I chose my area of study because I felt that it was something that I could use to help others in the future. I think engineering is a great way to help others because I will be motivated to complete a project or design knowing that it can be used for the good of others. I did not chose to be a chemical engineering major because I thought it would be easy, or because I wanted to make a lot of money when I graduated. I chose to become a chemical engineering major because I knew that I could help other people with my degree. Right now I plan to work for a pharmaceutical company upon graduation and help aid in the creation/manufacturing of new medicines and drugs.  I want to use my talents to aid those who are sick and their families.

Another aspect of G.O.A.L.S that I think applies to what I see as success for myself is Global Awareness. I think that it is really important to be aware of the background of those around us. When we understand where others are coming from we can be more open to their opinions and can work toward solutions to common problems more easily together. Each person provides a unique skill set that can be utilized when trying to solve a problem. Others may able to think of an idea that I could never think of because of their past experiences. It is important to keep ourselves open to this fact.

I think these two portions of G.O.A.L.S speak to me because I grew up in an atmosphere that highlighted the importance of every individual and helping others. I did countless service hours in high school and was very involved throughout all of my schooling. Through planning activities and leading small groups I learned that everyone has a different story and viewpoints. Despite what someone goes through or how they act, they have worth as a person. When we all come together to work towards a common goal we can use our differences to find better solutions to problems. In the next year I hope to figure out a plan to help me study abroad. I think the STEP program at Ohio State will be crucial in helping me be able to do this. When I study abroad I will get to experience a different culture and way of living that will allow me to understand others better. As previously mentioned I hope to start research next year. Although I will not be conducting my own research I will still be able to help others by helping the professor. I do not know what the future will hold but hopefully in a few years I will have gained a job in the pharmaceutical industry so that I can help others. I also hope to travel so I can experience even more cultures. I hope that I find a job that allows me to achieve my personal goals that I can stay at for a long period of time (10+ years).

About Me

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Hi there! My name is Alexandria (Alex for short) Orkis. I have a passion for my studies, making others feel loved, and being the best person I can be. Currently, I am a student at The Ohio State University in my first year of studying chemical engineering. I am also a member of the STEM EE scholars program. Despite being relatively new to campus, I already feel like this is a place where I can succeed in academics while becoming a better version of myself.

Why did I choose to be involved in a STEM major? Well throughout middle and high school I started to notice that I love math and science (and seem to have a knack for them). While both of these subjects challenged me and the content did not always come easily, I always felt their importance. I knew that I wanted to excel in all of my classes, but I felt a special need to do better in any math or science course. An added bonus was that these ended up being the classes that could hold my attention and were interesting to me. I like to understand how the world around me works, and through courses like calculus, chemistry, and biology I had a better understanding of this (which really interested me).

I have always had an a feeling that I should strive to be an engineer. One of my greatest role models, my dad, is an electrical engineer and I have always been interested in what he does. He gets to use math and apply scientific principles to make computers more efficient and a wide array of other things. I myself am very interested in the medical field and medical research. I love chemistry but have no real intention of going to medical school and becoming a medical doctor (unfortunately I do not do so well when I see a lot of blood). I have concluded that becoming a chemical engineer and being able to work in the medical field would be the best of both worlds. I would be able to help a multitude of sick people, which is something I’ve always wanted to be able to do with my career, and continue to use the subjects that interest me the most to accomplish that.

I know the road to becoming a chemical engineer working in the medical field is long and contains many obstacles, but I think I am up for the challenge. I have not always succeeded in school although I try to. For example, senior year, no matter how much effort I put into my physics course, I could not obtain an A. This was something that really bothered me. For a while I solely thought of physics as the class that ruined my 4.0 and chance at being valedictorian, but now I can see the benefits of not doing as well as I would have liked to. I have learned that grades do not define who I am as a person. I can get a B and still be a kind person to everyone I meet. When I look back on my life I highly doubt that I will remember what I got in my high school physics course, but I will remember the people that I’ve helped and the friends I made along the way. It has also taught me that being a perfectionist is not realistic. The next 4 years will be a very challenging time, but with hard work I can do it. Even if I do not get the grades that I hope for, I am learning valuable skills that I will need if I truly want to spend the rest of my life trying to help people. I can accept that, as long as I keep my long term goal in mind, a few B’s along the way will not stop me.

My top 5 strengths are Developer, Includer, Achiever, Arranger, and Empathy. As a developer, I try to help others become a better version of themselves. I can see the good characteristics that others possess and push them to use those qualities for their own benefit and for the benefit of others. As an Includer, I try to make sure that everyone is included, feels wanted and accepted. I understand that everyone has challenges they face daily, by making sure everyone is included, I can try to lighten the daily burden that others carry. Being an Achiever means that I value success and feel that everyday should accomplish something. My fourth strength is Arranger. With this strength I like to organize things and find the most efficient way of completing a task. Finally, my fifth strength is empathy. This ties in well with my other relationship building strengths. Empathy allows me to be aware of the emotions of those around me and be able to respond to another person’s needs.

 
I see these strengths at work in my everyday life, especially because they fit very well into my personality and the person I want to be. I always strive to be a person who cares about the well-being of others. I understand how horrible it can be when someone feels left out or like no one cares about them. I try to make sure that everyone feels cared about and knows their value as a person. I know that there is good inside of everyone and I genuinely love to see people achieve their goals.

 
In academics, I can see the value of working in a team or with others to complete a task. Others bring a wide array of unique skills to the table and utilizing everyone’s talents can yield an even better product. Knowing my strengths has helped me learn that I would work best when working with others or in a team. In engineering I would most likely be working with others to create a final product. This would be ideal as I would be able to work in my dream field while getting to help others achieve success. Since many of my strengths deal with seeing the best in others I would be able to push my team towards success by utilizing each person’s individual strengths.