Global Awareness: Global awareness is incredibly important to me, and it’s something that I really enjoy working on in myself, because I love learning more about other cultures. At Ohio State, I participate in the English Conversation Program as well as Tzu Ching, a Taiwanese service group, both of which constantly teach me more about other cultures, and which I love being a part of. In the classroom, I take French, working on my fluency and cultural awareness; I also hope to start a third language soon. Furthermore, I intend to study abroad. My classes, too, show my strong focus on learning about other countries (Russian Literature, History of East Asian Art, for example).
Original Inquiry: I hope to learn more about research and even possibly take part in the next few years, but for now, I use original inquiry most frequently in music, where I improvise jazz solos and work on my own compositions and arrangements. I also perform in off-campus performances and creative jam sessions with my jazz group, which I love learning from. I’d love to create a body of my own original musical work soon, to start creating.
Academic Enrichment: I take several honors classes, and work very hard to make sure my schedule is challenging. I also work hard to do well in my classes, and to learn well from my professors. As simple as this approach is, it is truly quite difficult, and takes many hours. Outside the classroom, I pursue my own learning when possible, and hope in the future to participate in extracurricular groups or academic opportunities which would challenge me even further academically.
Leadership Development: I’ve been working on developing my leadership skills by taking charge in my classes when group work is requested, as well as by gaining confidence in my new job at Curl Hall, where I work with customers, and in my jazz ensemble, where I play violin, a bit of an unusual band instrument, but a fun one. As I grow better on piano, I will also probably learn leadership skills from that endeavor because the piano is such a crucial instrument to any band. Besides, I’ve become a bit of a leader within my English Conversation Group, since I’m the only native speaker of English there and can help facilitate communication pretty well.
Service Engagement: Every week, I spend several hours at an after school program in a nearby city which contains a high refugee population, specifically from Somalia. Children there have many challenges to face, and I enjoy helping them with their homework, playing with them, making connections, and helping them feel important, smart, and capable. I also go with Tzu Ching, a Taiwanese service group, to spend a few hours at a nursing home each Saturday morning, where we talk to and perform for the senior citizens. Here, too, I love connecting and having relationships with these wise, incredible humans, and brightening what can sometimes be a monotonous nursing home life.