End of the Year Review!

My first year at The Ohio State University has been an absolute blast! From the first day I arrived in August, I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much about myself and various other topics.
Something I learned in a class that has impacted me has to be in my Russian 1101 class. Though I’m not going to continue pursuing the language, I’ve had a great time learning Russia’s culture and unique alphabet. In this class, I have memorized extensive vocabulary; from saying hello, describing clothes, introducing myself and family members/friends, nominative cases and prepositional cases, and more! Learning another language has continuously challenged me throughout my spring semester and will be an experience I am always thankful for!
Something I have learned outside the classroom is getting involved is the best way to make friends. In such a busy and large university, you often don’t see the same people daily and this can make it difficult to make solid friends or even find a group you’re buddies with. If you find something you enjoy to do with a group of people that have similar interests as you, you’re sure to put yourself on a path towards the right direction.
Something I’ve learned about myself this year is I was a lot more shy than I thought I was! I lived in the same town my whole life, so I grew up with the same people for 19 years. I remember being shy at the beginning of high school, I just liked to stay quiet and keep to myself. However, going into my senior year, I wasn’t afraid to talk to anyone or be completely myself because everyone already knew me. Coming to a huge university really shook things up for me (which, in essence, is exactly what I wanted and needed!) but it was hard for me to come out of my shell. I kept feeling like I wasn’t being entirely me, or I was being too much of myself at once. I just doubted myself a lot. Now, I’ve met so many different people and I’ve learned that I can be myself in every situation, but I can be a little more professional vs. goofy and friendly at times.
I’ve changed as a person by pushing myself to experience everything and really find who I am/ what I want out of life. First semester, I was heavily involved with Air Force ROTC. I was improving on my fitness and pushing my own limits, attending extra events, I joined the ladies Air Force basketball team and a book club where we analyzed and discussed books focused on leadership. Going into my second semester, I figured out that the Air Force, though ROTC taught me so much and exposed me to a different side of life, was something I no longer wished to pursue. In this, I struggled a lot at the beginning of 2019 because I felt a sense of uselessness. I no longer had a group to belong to, something I could label myself with and keep me busy. I had to really sit back for once, look at my life, and realize that not knowing exactly where you’re going is completely okay. This experience and transition has made me much more introspective and thoughtful.
Among many memories made, I think some of my favorite memories include going on a camping trip with my scholars group (Environment and Natural Resource Scholars), attending OSU hockey and Blue Jackets hockey games, going ice skating with my friends, exploring German Village and eating at Katzinger’s, taking a trip to Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and hanging out with friends after my Russian class. Next year, I’m looking forward to more adventures such as these and the endless possibilities of finding new hobbies and new people to cross paths with. I’m very excited for my dorm next year and to be roommates with a good friend of mine. It’s only up from here!

Spring Break Review

Second semester began January 7th and since that moment, things have been in full swing! So many things have occurred in these past couple months and I know everyone was ready for this break.
For my much-needed school hiatus, I went back home to good old Northwest Ohio. Friday when I got home, I visited my niece that was born just two days before! She was even more beautiful in person and I’m so thankful she arrived healthy and very happy.
Saturday, a friend and I travelled to Cleveland to check out the vintage clothing shops around the city. We kind of “vlogged” the experience just for fun, which kept us super entertained. When we arrived in Cleveland, we went to a little coffee shop called “Rising Star Coffee Roasters”. I’m definitely no food expert, but that is the best and highest quality coffee I’ve ever had! I got a vegan mocha and an everything bagel with cashew cheese. The mocha wasn’t too sugary, but more wholesome and very coffee-bean flavored. Another cool fact about this little shop is that it used to be an old fire house! Throughout the rest of the day, my friend and I stopped at Chelsea’s, Flower Child, and Sweet Lorain. Personally, my favorite shop had to be Flower Child! Though it was more on the expensive side, I really enjoyed the quality of clothes they had in stock. This shop also had vintage furniture, records, blankets, jewelry, and even archived magazines from Ohio State University! For lunch, we made our way to the infamous West Side Market. This trip to Cleveland was definitely one for the books.
Sunday was a day spent with my family, whom I am endlessly thankful for. We had my brothers, Dakota and TJ, their girlfriends, Melissa and Leah, along with my nieces, Emma and Sophia, my nephew, PJ, and my mom and stepdad all at my house!
On Monday, I came back to Columbus for the Mumford and Sons concert. I went with my friend, her brother, and his friend. I’ve always enjoyed Mumford and Sons music, but was never a diehard fan. However, this concert was absolutely wonderful and I’d recommend them to anyone who enjoys real talent and wholesome music. On Tuesday, I got to chill out with my mom.
Wednesday, I ventured down to Columbus another time to pick up my boyfriend from the airport. He visited his uncle in D.C. for a couple days, then stayed with me at my house for the remainder of break. He’s from New Zealand, so I showed him around Northwest Ohio and the places I spent my time growing up. Thursday, we went to Maumee, Ohio and visited Side Cut Metro Park. I’ve always really loved this park, as it has a view of the river and beautiful foliage. After that, we went to the Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, Ohio. Going home, I took the wrong exit and accidentally drove to Michigan so I guess that was just a bonus!
Friday was spent going to a limestone quarry near my house, then my favorite Mexican restaurant called Casa Fiesta. We also went to my schools Spring musical, which was Annie.
Saturday was an adventure to Lake Erie! We went to Marblehead in Port Clinton and Magee Marsh in Oak Harbor. Later that day, we went to a Toledo Walleyes game (they won!). Sunday, we returned back to campus and settled back into our dorms.
My first spring break may not have been “extravagant” in the sense that I didn’t have a typical break, such as going to Florida. However, I had the best time with those who are closest and mean the most to me. This break, I learned that vintage shopping is so much fun! I learned that the lead singer of Mumford and Sons has a brother who lived in Columbus for a short time and that they really enjoy screaming “O-H!” out into the crowd. I learned that my nieces and nephew are growing so beautifully and becoming such intelligent kids. I learned that I need to stop acting that I know where I’m going and keep the GPS on, or I’ll end up in Michigan! This break couldn’t have been more perfect in my eyes.

Here are a bunch of photos from Spring Break 2019!:

Columbus To-Do List (Numero Dos!)

For the past four months, I’ve lived in Columbus, Ohio while attending the Ohio State University. Each month has gotten better day by day, and the uplifted spirits have urged me to explore the beautiful city that I’ve been blessed to be a part of. In my last Columbus To-Do List, I visited the beautiful German Village. My friends and I actually went there again not too long ago to see the Christmas lights! We stopped at Katzinger’s Deli, a few churches that were having Christmas pop-up shops, a chocolate store, and lastly Schmidt’s Sausage Haus. I love the charm that the German Village has, it’s just such a wonderful place to be. However, in this Columbus To-Do List, I will be talking about a Columbus Blue Jackets game!
It was on Thursday, November 15th, and someone randomly asked me to go to the game with them. I had heard about the Columbus Blue Jackets and always wanted to go to a game! Once we got to the Nationwide Arena, there were people pouring into all entrances of the building. Surrounding the arena were multiple restaurants and bars brought to life by pregaming hockey-lovers. Once inside the arena, the hustle and bustle carried on throughout the building. My friend and I got on the escalator and with the help of multiple signs, quickly found our seats. The arena was huge and pretty much packed to the brim, so we weren’t too close. Our seats worked fine for me because there’s a huge screen in the middle playing the close-ups just in case you’d miss anything.
As the game started, the stadium went dim and a man stepped up to sing a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Soon after, the game vs the Florida Panthers had begun and pucks were flying! It was a close game at first, with no one really scoring. Passionate fans were cheering on their Blue Jackets and the game started to pick up quickly. There was a man down on a ledge with the organ playing all of the proper hockey tunes to hype everyone up even more. The first time the Blue Jackets scored, there was a boom and an eruption of loud music. I hadn’t realized that they had actual cannons they set off every time the team scored! The Blue Jackets scored an additional 6 times after that and took home the win against the Florida Panthers, with a final score of 7-3!
Another very special thing about the game we attended was the fact that it was Hockey Fights Cancer Night. The Blue Jackets teamed up with the National Hockey League to raise money and awareness of the fight against cancer. During the game, they highlighted several young cancer heroes and others who are battling or fought against the disease. With lavender jersey’s on their backs, the Blue Jackets fought and won for those who are fighting a harder battle.
Overall, I thought the game was an absolutely wonderful time! Hockey has quickly become one of my favorite sports to watch and I definitely want to slide over to the Nationwide Arena before the season wins to support them once again. Go Jackets!

(Side Note: I did not take any pictures while at the game, but I will insert one from my second journey to German Village and a professionally taken photo of the Blue Jackets member in their lavender jersey!)

Columbus To-Do List

Columbus is a place filled with many wonders from beautiful parks, an array activities, delicious cafes, and unique neighborhoods. Since I’ve arrived in the city, I was always interested in the German Village, which is one of the many unique neighborhoods in Columbus. I decided to go check out what the area had to offer and visited a few shops and restaurants I’ve heard wonderful things about.
First, my friends and I visited Katzinger’s Deli, a long-running delicatessen with a huge menu. The menu had at least 100 items, with various sandwiches, soups, salads, different types of cheeses and breads, desserts, and best of all; a help yourself pickle barrel! With much debate, I ended up ordering number 57 named Franklin’s Kibbetz and a cherry cheesecake. After indulging in a ridiculous amount of pickles, my friends and I received our food in a timely manner. I would compare the sandwich I ordered to a fancy mozzarella grilled cheese with pesto and fresh tomatoes. It was super great, and all of my friends enjoyed the food they ordered, as well. The cherry cheesecake was great, too! (So great we decided to give it a photo shoot)
Next on our little German Village adventure, we went to Schmidt’s Sausage Haus. There was much talk about the cream puffs that Schmidt’s offered, so we decided it was definitely worth checking out! Once we arrived, we were seated and got to ordering quickly. I got the original vanilla cream puff, while my friends got the seasonal pumpkin puff and a chocolate cream puff. They were ridiculously good!
After eating way too much food and on a sugar rush, we walked through the neighborhood looking for our next location, The Book Loft. Everything in German Village has such a cute, quaint charm to it, including this extended book shop. When we walked in, the man at the front offered us a map of the 32 rooms filled with books. Every single genre you could imagine is in this shop, from old war-time texts to languages to ghost stories!
Overall, I’d say this excursion off campus and into Columbus was a success! It’s nice having such a beautiful campus, but getting to see charming houses and a neighborhood that seems so safe and friendly was a great experience.

Career Exploration

My current major for the Autumn semester of 2018 is Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability but I will be switching over to International Studies; Security and Intel with Russian. I first chose EEDS because I truly care about the environment and in high school, it was almost the only thing I thought of pursuing as a career. I chose to switch because I am in Air Force ROTC. I have found that I am really passionate about the Air Force and wanted to switch to a major that would be more pertinent to the career field I am interested in, which is Special Investigations.
Special Investigations Officers in the Air Force work with counterintelligence and carry out missions crucial to security concerns. To be qualified in Special investigations in the Air Force, one has to have a Bachelor’s degree or graduate degree. It is necessary to have knowledge of special investigative policy, procedures and techniques concerning fraud, counterintelligence, and personnel background and technical security services. One must be able to write and speak English clearly and distinctly and also have normal color vision. Along with other Air Force qualifications, there must be no record of emotional instability. You must have to complete a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI), completion of Officer Training School (OTS), and Air Force Academy (AFA) or Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC). For training and education, a cadet must go to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama for 9.5 weeks.
I can best utilize my time and resources at the Ohio State University to prepare for my future by trying to get internships and possibly study abroad opportunities. With Russian, I could take a study abroad opportunity in Europe to put my language skills to use. I can also get involved in local law enforcement agencies over the summer to see what kind of work they do. In Air Force ROTC at Ohio State, I am getting training that directly relates to my future. I will take classes preparing me for the professional officer corps, both physically and performance-wise.
I have researched this career path and talked to people who are pursuing this career path, as well. It hasn’t changed my mind, but only strengthened my passion for the work I will be doing. If I didn’t want to pursue a career path as a Special Investigations Officer, I would go into Emergency Management. This career field focuses on helping civilians who have gone through natural disasters or even chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear incidents. I am definitely excited to see what my future holds.

Saplings Mentor Meeting

I met with one of my mentors in the Environment and Natural Resource (ENR) Scholars group and asked questions from the following categories: Academics, Involvement, ENR Scholars, and Careers. I met with Maggie Edging, who is one of my mentors and a sophomore at the Ohio State University. Maggie is going to the Fisher College of Business majoring in Business with a specialization in Accounting. She chose this major because business and accounting are such broad careers, with so many different paths to choose from. Accounting is practical because it’s a job that is very high in demand, so the odds of her landing a good job stand very high. Though accounting isn’t all about numbers, Maggie enjoys working with numbers and also enjoys law. She has gotten involved with clubs because she believes it is a good way to make friends. Getting involved on campus has benefited her in many ways. By doing different clubs and putting herself out there, she has met people, made new friends, and found connections! A big point of getting involved is to not overwhelm yourself too much, but find something that will benefit your major and maybe another that you can just enjoy yourself in. For example, Maggie is in the Accounting Association. This organization holds meetings that are networking events. In the future, she will be more well known to companies because of the networking opportunities she has opened herself up to. She is also involved in the Disney Club because that’s simply something she enjoys. It’s always good to have a distresser in your life, it will make school a little less overwhelming. Maggie has enjoyed her time as an ENR scholar, as well. To maximize her time in the program, she has found that attending many of the events that the scholars group puts on is an important aspect. By going to more events, Maggie found herself meeting and getting to know more people in the group, including the second years in the scholars group. In the future, she plans on being an accountant and furthering her professionalism by becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She envisions herself starting off small, then working her way up into larger companies. A possible dream job is working for Disney. I asked Maggie what the most important thing she has learned at Ohio State so far is. She told me something she realized is that age doesn’t matter here. It’s not like high school, super separated and only freshmen/sophomore/juniors/seniors in classes. We are all intermixed here and working towards the main goal; graduating and becoming successful. Don’t be intimidated by older people, you can talk to and hang out with whoever you want here!
Overall, talking with Maggie gave me a great perspective of Ohio State. It’s interesting to me that she fused her love of the environment, numbers, and Disney into her college experience. It really showed me that you can do anything here, which is so amazing and encouraging.

About Me

Hello! I’m Caitlin Perkins, a freshman at The Ohio State University. I am in the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and School of Environmental Sciences (SENR) majoring in environmental science. At the university, I am involved in the Environment and Natural Resource Scholars group and am looking to be involved in one or two other student organizations.Throughout my life, I have thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and the many activities that nature provides. I love to go kayaking, walking in the woods, climbing trees, and exploring. Looking towards more natural things, I also really love animals. They have always been among one of my top interests and in the future, I hope to be working closely with endangered species.
Along with majoring in environmental science, I am in the Air Force ROTC. I appreciate all of the opportunities and the discipline, respect, and togetherness the Air Force has brought and taught me thus far. Not only will this program push my physical abilities, but it will push me academically; inevitably making me a stronger and more disciplined student. I plan to continue in ROTC and become a second lieutenant in the Air Force once I graduate.
When I’m not busy with schoolwork or other responsibilities, I am usually expressing myself creatively. I enjoy listening to music and playing the piano and ukulele, writing, and reading. Artistically, I am fond of drawing and making 3-D figures. Something I am always interested in doing is watching movies, my favorite genre being horror.
I’m excited that I have begun my journey at The Ohio State University and I can’t wait to see how I grow from here. If I have any tips or tricks I have picked up so far, it’s to believe in yourself and don’t underestimate your abilities. One day you can be the saddest you’ve ever been, the next can be the happiest. This all depends on the decisions you make and the opportunities you allow yourself to take. Grow, then blossom!