My First Semester at OSU Reflection

My First semester at The Ohio State University has been… let’s say eventful. I got to go watch the best college football team in America have a very successful season (we don’t talk about the Purdue game), listen to TBDBITL, and most importantly I stayed on top of my schoolwork and I have made new friendships for not only my collegiate career but also in life.

Of course with positives there are also negatives to everything in life. My time at tOSU has been far from perfect as I have had my fair share of bad experiences but the positives of course outweigh the negatives. My overall experience on campus has been great.

Natalie Valko

 I started dancing when I was 4. It eventually got to the point where I was dancing upwards of 20 hours a week. It was a big part of my life, but in 3rd grade I was diagnosed with scoliosis. It was nothing for the doctors to be concerned about at the time, but they always kept an eye on it. While I was in 6th grade a doctor has misread my x-rays and I was supposed to be braced, but they were actually six months behind on what the process should’ve been. This meant that I had to start wearing a brace at all times of the day. Typically to get “braced” your spine would have to be 30 degrees. By the time they realized I needed it my spine was already curved beyond that. I was shocked because the thought of my scoliosis getting to that point was something that had never crossed my mind. I became restricted to my brace for 20 hours a day, I had to start buying specific clothes so that it would fit under them and remain unseen. I got referred to a hospital in Philadelphia, where I would have to go to doctors’ appointments every three months. While I was there they discovered that they had misread my x-rays yet again, and the curvature of my spine was only one degree away from needing serious spinal surgery and the insertion of rods in my spine. That basically meant that one degree separated me from never being able to dance again. This whole experience was absolutely terrifying, but very eye-opening. I realized that I shouldn’t take anything for granted. During this time my family and I put everything we had into our faith over the next two-and-a-half years. Although I had worn the brace for so much of my day, I was allowed to have 4 hours of time where I would be unrestricted; I dedicated that time of every day to my dancing. During this two-year period I experienced something that most people that are diagnosed with scoliosis can’t say: the curvature of my spine slowly decreased. The doctors were simply in shock, but they were obviously pleased with the results. For my family it was just proof that our prayers were working. About a year and a half later the overall curvature had gone down from 44 degrees to 36 degrees. Due to this significant change I was then told to only wear the brace at night. That year-and-a-half to two-years of my life was definitely the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with. My takeaway from this experience is that I should appreciate everything that I’m able to do because it can be taken away from me at any moment, seemingly without reason. I definitely have come to understand the feeling of what is it like to almost lose something that defines someone as a person, even if it was only for a short period of time. One last thing I would like to add from this whole experience is that I can truly do anything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13  has become my favorite Bible verse because I truly think that it represents me and the plights that I have had to face in my life. If I have nothing left I know that I can rely upon my faith.

So yeah, that’s my story.

My First Week at tOSU

My first week at THE Ohio State University has been very eventful. I would say in the one week I’ve lived here I have honestly become more self-aware and just straight up happier with myself. Along with going to all my classes this past week I have also delved into many other aspects of student life here at tOSU. Whether it be the late nights already at the 18th Street Library, the early Monday mornings going to my 8am class, the speed walking as I frantically searched for my next class across campus, or just going to KCom to eat a (not-so) healthy lunch: Ohio State has been a wonderful place to live thus far. Upon arrival I was very worried about the size of campus, but those fears are now alleviated. Other than that, I can honestly say my only fear that I continue to have is my time management skills because, honestly, they are far below par. My expectation for this scholars’ program is just to simply have a better understanding of the humanities and just to surround myself with a group of people that will hopefully become like a second family. 

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Hello! My name is Quardell Quay. I am a first year at THE Ohio State University. Although I am currently enrolled in the University Exploration I am very interested in English as well as International Affairs. My overall goals for this blog would be to simply make an impact on someone or something, no matter how grand or how small that is truly my only goal in creating/usuing this. One thing to keep in mind as you scroll through my ePortfolio is that I am wholeheartedly myself almost to the point of it being a fault. I will always be unique and myself no matter what obstacles face me.