Year in Review

First Semester (AU18):

This semester has been an interesting introduction to college. Ive found that balancing all the responsibilities of school has been challenging, but manageable. I would say that the hardest part of college is keeping yourself on a routine schedule and making sure that you set time weeks to months in advance, and holding yourself accountable for doing things youve alloted to that time. As far as being a scholar, I would say that it has its benefits, but it is also more time consuming than one might think. It seems meek at first, but when you start realizing how many 10 hrs of service is, you wonder if you can get it done. That plays back into my first point, that if you allot yourself these 10 hours months in advance, and get everything scheduled and hold yourself to it, there will be no problem. However, if you don’t you’ll scramble last minute like a chicken with its head cut off, and that will further impact your other classes. All-in-all this past semester has been good, and most definitely a big learning step towards the rest of my college life.

G.O.A.L.S.

Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S:

  • 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.

 

Global Awareness is the ability of a student to understand the world around them on a global scale and on a local scale. While global awareness suggests that the student should know what is happening globally, it also is implying understanding the complexity of the culture around them.

Original Inquiry relates to a students ability to be creative in thought. Thinking about how the things around them interact and what would happen if you were to change a variable in the environment. A student can  demonstrate all these abilities through things such as research, which is a very common method. I currently plan on engaging in research over the summer leading into my second year of college at a nearby hospital.

Academic Enrichment can come in many ways. I believe that if a student is struggling in a class and goes to tutoring for help, they are engaging in academic enrichment because they are making the extra effort to learn the material in a challenging class for them, further expanding their knowledge. I currently involve myself in difficult course work, taking Swahili, Chem, and Accelerated Calculus in my first college semester. I also go to engaging events such as TED talks. I do not have a picture of me at it, but the BioSci Scholars TED talk on de-extinction was one that I attended in September.

Leadership Development can come in many forms, and I believe that it consists of the student taking on leadership roles in their community, academics, and or extra curricular activities. I have coached my old track club in the past and will be going to my high school in the winter to mentor kids in AP Calculus about college and the AP exam, as well as any topics they may find difficult.

Service Engagement is a skill that is an increasingly important resume builder. A lot of professions now a days enjoy seeing large commitment to service from an individual. I believe that a student who can find time to be very engaged in their community and balance their school work is a hardy student who is destined for success.

Artifacts

*pictures to come*

1) High School Varsity Letter w/ 3 pins
This letter is more than an achievement in my life and rather represents the lasting impact of the sport. I earned this letter my freshman year of high school for wrestling varsity at the 106 weight class. While this letter will not mean much professionally in my life, as in I would not include it on a professional resume, it has provided me with the tools and ideologies to strive for my tough goals. It has taught me perseverance and mental fortitude, and most importantly has given me a work ethic that I believe is very strong. It has taught me that if I want to do something, I can only hold myself accountable and therefore must work as hard as I can to get there.

2) Presidential Award for Academics
This award is a culmination of all my high school academic achievements and means that I have scored above the 85th percentile nationally on standardised tests such as the ACT and SAT. I was one of 3 people in my high school to receive this and to me it represents the immense amount of time I dedicate to my school work.

About Me

My name is Nathaniel Reynolds, although I prefer to go by Nathan. I am majoring in Biology, on a Pre-Med track, while my minor is in CIS. Some things about me is that I love cars and computers. My favorite car is the Nissan Skyline GTR R34 V-Spec II. I have built my own gaming PC from scratch, and it is one of the things I am most proud of. My ambition in school is to become an Orthopedic Surgeon within the next 10 years.