2015-2016 Academic Year in Review

When I arrived on campus on August 5, 2015, I was an Ohio State student nervous to take on my second year.  I was starting my new job as an Office Assistant on August 6th at 4am and was constantly questioning my major.  In addition to these worries, I was still the shy and cautious individual that I was when I left campus for the summer after the Spring 2015 semester.  Growth has always been important to me, so I set a goal for myself to grow during my second year at Ohio State.  I decided I wanted to become more self-confident – in everything from my major to who I am as a person.  That’s what this year has been for me: a journey toward achieving a more confident me.

I became comfortable with my position as an Office Assistant and am still growing everyday from the position.  I talk to residents that I do not know and give them individual attention even when work at the office begins to pick up quickly.  Last year, I held myself back by being nervous about talking to new people, which can be a problem at college since almost everyone here is new to you.  Now, I talk to people on elevators, at the desk, around campus, and in class.  I consider myself an outgoing introvert because I am introvert that loves getting to know people.  I am confident in discussions now and feel comfortable asking tough questions to friends or just talking to someone who seems down.

As I was feeling uncertain about being a mathematics major, I took the time to make the changes necessary to help me work toward a goal of helping others as I discovered this was one of my biggest passions in life.  The unexpected moment that made me realize it was time to act and make a change was at the Global Citizenship team’s retreat for the International Affairs Scholars program.  We were viewing a TED Talk by Drew Dudley titled “Everyday Leadership.”  If you watch this video, you will see that we have “lollipop moments” in which we impact those around us everyday without possibly ever realizing it.  I had my “lollipop moment,” and, now, I am a psychology major and smile to myself every time I walk past the Psychology Building because I feel confident in the decision I have made and am genuinely excited to see where this journey will lead me.  I am currently contacting research labs on campus in order to become more involved in psychology on campus and to explore various career options.

I am also looking into summer positions such as Camp Recky, LiFEsports, and University Ambassador in order to further grow as a leader and become more involved in areas of the campus community that I find to be the most meaningful, such as youth development programs and tours for prospective students.  Next year, I hope to become more outgoing than I already have and to step us as a leader in the residence hall community, within the organizations I am involved in, and whatever employment positions I might be given the opportunity to hold.  It is important to grow, and to grow we must be aware of what areas we need to improve in.

Smith-Steeb Office Assistant 2015-2016

oa staff 1

Since August 5, 2015, I have had the opportunity to become a big part of the community of Smith-Steeb Hall by being an office assistant.  This position has given me the most growth out of everything that I have been involved in thus far.  I have improved my communication skills, am less shy when talking to people I do not know, and have discovered my true passion is helping others.  Coming from a small town in Appalachian Ohio, community has always been one of my core values, and this position has allowed me to contribute to the community of my residence hall.  I know that this is occurring because I will see residents that I have worked with around campus or in passing during my shifts, and they’ll take the time to stop and chat.  I am grateful to have had such an opportunity and to have been apart of such a wonderful team.

LiFEsports Track & Field Clinic

lifesports

On Saturday, April 2nd, I volunteered at the LiFEsports Track & Field Clinic.  LiFEsports is a partnership between The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work, Department of Athletics, and Department of Recreational Sports.  Its name stands for “Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports.”  It is a recreational program for youth who come from vulnerable circumstances, and it aims to teach them SETS (self-control, effort, team work, and social responsibility) through their summer camp and clinics held throughout the year.  I got the opportunity to lead a group of middle school youth from the Columbus area.  Working with these youth emphasized to me that coaching is a career path that I want to pursue.  I am pursuing a Coaching Education minor and am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer with a program that really does have a lasting impact on the youth that it works with.

 

Personality Type Presentation

Personality Type Presentation

As an Office Assistant in Smith-Steeb Hall, my Resident Manager had each of the OAs present his or her Myers-Briggs personality type.  I had looked into this before and every test I have taken has resulted in the INFJ personality type, which stands for introvert, intuitive, feeling, and judging.  Learning about the personalities of my co-workers has emphasized the importance of being able to cooperate with various personalities in the workplace.  Personality psychology is a subject that I am interested in.  I am currently enrolled in Theories of Personality for my psychology major.  This course has discussed other personality inventories and tests, such as the Big-Five.

ScienceBite Article

ENR 2100 ScienceBite Article

During the Spring 2015 Semester, I took Introduction to Environmental Science to fulfill my Natural Science GE Requirement.  For this class, I had to create a ScienceBite article, which is a short-format article that presents one specific topic from the field of environmental science.  I decided to focus mine on mountaintop mining in Boone County, West Virginia because I am from Appalachia, and mountaintop mining negatively effects this area.  I had never heard of Boone County previously and wanted to better understand what is occurring.  This article is one of my academic projects that I am most proud of.  I learned a lot about my topic, and I learned a lot about the peer-review process of research.

Introduction to Peace Studies: Position Paper

Intro to Peace Studies Position Assignment

I decided to take International Studies 2800 (Introduction to Peace Studies) to fulfill one of my general education social science requirements.  The course learning objectives were to be able to articulate different understandings of the word “peace,” demonstrate familiarity with how different (and maybe incompatible) understandings of the word “peace” matter in politics, and to articulate critiques and assessments of political issues (domestic and international) with a vocabulary of Peace Studies as a means to engage with concerns about how disagreement and conflict matter for politics.  One of the assignments for the class was a Position Paper in which I made a claim about a controversial topic and used the selections of various authors from the textbook to support my argument.  The assignment was challenging for me, but it is one of my favorite papers that I have ever written thus far in my college career because I got the opportunity to express a topic that was meaningful to me.  The class has helped me to become more open minded and to better understand where people with opinions opposing my personal views are coming from.

Boo Radley Society: “Tear”-able Puns

Boo Radley Tear-able Puns

I am a co-captain for my committee within the Boo Radley Society this year, and, as such, I helped created a small committee event for the Autumn 2015 semester.  We decided to do “Tear”-able Puns, which is the event that sparked my interest in the student organization during my first semester at Ohio State.  Bulletin boards on campus are typically covered in advertisements, but, “Tear”-able Puns are there to brighten students’ days.  The event is just one of the many ways that Boo Radley spreads a positive atmosphere across campus, and I am very proud to have been able to lead this random act of kindness.

G.O.A.L.S.

When it comes to learning, knowledge for the sake of knowledge is an important concept to me. Some students memorize definitions for exams or take easy classes to improve their GPA. I prefer not to do that. I take classes that truly interest me and will challenge me to open my mind to new perspectives and ideas. Doing this has made me a more globally aware individual. I took African History (1870 to present) in the spring of 2015. The class covered important events in history that we, as students of Western education systems, do not typically learn about. I also took Introduction to Peace Studies in the fall of 2015 in which I learned you have to try to see where someone with an opposing view is coming from in an argument. I plan on further increasing my level of global awareness as I continue to study psychology because psychology research within one culture may not be generalizable to another cultural. This truly shows that all cultures are different and equally important.

I am planning on becoming more involved in the psychology department and am currently searching for research opportunities. I want to be a research assistant in a social psychology or personality psychology lab starting either in the summer or autumn of 2016. After becoming more familiar with the research process, I might pursue my own research in areas of interest to me. I am new to the psychology major and want to gain experience in various fields of psychology as an undergraduate student in order to better determine what career track I want to pursue.

I started out my college career in the autumn of 2014 as a theoretical mathematics major, but I decided to pursues a psychology major in the autumn of 2015. In addition to my new major, I am pursuing minors in mathematics and coaching education. I decided to study psychology because I am interested in people, specifically at the individual level, and aspire to help others. I want to do this as a school psychologist or counselor in which I can help students realize their strengths and potential, while guiding them in the right direction. I also hope to do the same as a high school soccer coach, which is where my coaching education minor will help me reach this goal. I am currently enrolled in Theories of Personality for my major and plan on taking The Self. Together, these courses will help me to better understand individuals and how to interact with them in my future career endeavors. In autumn of 2015, I took Foundations of Higher Math, which was a logic class (rather than your typical math class). I am now qualified to be a math undergraduate TA at Ohio State because of my completion of the course and am planning on applying for the 2016-2017 academic year. As I continue pursuing my interests in the classroom, I hope to earn internships to gain outside experience, including (but not limited to) an assistant high school soccer coach position in the Columbus area in fall 2017.

During my first semester at Ohio State, I was a server at Sloopy’s Diner on campus. This position helped me to become more comfortable talking with people that I do not know, while also helping me improve my time management skills. (There were days when I had class until 1:35pm, work from 2pm-7:20pm, and class again from 7:40pm-9:40pm.) I decided to become more involved on campus during my second semester, though, and left my position as a server. With my free time, I joined the Boo Radley Society, which is a random acts of kindness student organization on campus. As of fall 2015, I am a team captain for my committee within the organization. As such, I organize social events for my committee and help plan our committee’s events. My leadership philosophy is listening to those that I am leading and combining all of our ideas together in order to make the final product a team effort with contributions from every member. My leadership role in Boo Radley is an excellent example of this philosophy because, when planning our events, my committee works together every step of the way. The importance of teamwork is visible in the strong community that my committee has. I am planning on applying to be on the executive board for the 2016-2017 academic year because I want to take the next step and give even more to this great organization that has given so much to me. I am currently and office assistant in my residence hall. This position has allowed me to be both a resource and leader within the residence hall community. It always feels rewarding when I am walking on campus and a resident stops to talk to me. The positions that I have held at Ohio State have all given me the opportunity to help others, which is what I want to do with my future career.

As mentioned previously, I am a team captain in the Boo Radley Society. I am also a peer mentor in the International Affairs Scholars program at Ohio State. Both of these organizations have given me the opportunity to serve the campus community. I have been given the opportunity to become peers with two first year IA scholars. I have also tried my best to create a positive environment on campus and spread random acts of kindness through Boo Radley. Recognizing that the little things in life are what truly make a difference to the people around you is something that I want to continue throughout my life, and I want to help others recognize this through my own actions. Even when life gets busy and stressful because of college now and careers someday, I want to take the time to serve others around me who may be feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of everyday life. Sometimes it can make all the difference. You never know when that difference needs to be made, so you should strive to make it every day.

About Me

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Hi!  My name is Shana Parker, and I am a second year student at The Ohio State University.  I entered my freshman year as a Theoretical Mathematics major but recently switched to Psychology.  However, I still enjoy mathematics so I plan to pursue a minor in Mathematics and possible Coaching Education. With my education, I hope to become a counselor for college level students.  Outside of the classroom, I am involved in the Boo Radley Society, Buckeyethon, and the International Affairs (IA) Scholars program.  The Boo Radley Society is a random acts of kindness student organization at Ohio State, and our goal is to create and promote a more positive atmosphere on campus.  I am the captain of my committee within the club and, as such, help plan events while creating  community.  I represent Boo Radley as a Buckeyethon Team Captain, which means I am responsible for fundraising and recruiting students to represent Boo Radley at Buckeyethon, which is a student philanthropy that raises money for Nationwide Children’s Miracle Hospitals through a twenty-four hour dance marathon each year.  As an IA Scholar, I have learned to keep an open mind and to not accept social stereotypes.  Instead, I have challenged myself to learn about the world, its problems, and its habitants and their cultures.  I am  currently an Office Assistant in my residence hall and find it to be quite rewarding because I get the opportunity to meet and help my fellow residents on a daily basis.  I have chosen my major, minors, and activities because I am genuinely interested in people and helping them. As mentioned earlier, I aspire to be a counselor, and I hope that the knowledge and experience I am gaining through my involvement at OSU will help me help others someday.