G.O.A.L.S.

The University Honors & Scholars Center at The Ohio State University serves high-ability, motivated undergraduate students. While embracing diversity in both ideas and people, the Center fosters purposeful learning communities that enhance students’ academic and social experiences. The Center facilitates impactful, rigorous, and unique opportunities that further student success and involvement in our G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement.

G.O.A.L.S.

G – Global awareness

O – Original inquiry

A – Academic enrichment

L – Leadership development

S – Service engagement

What resonates with me:

A

I have always strived, or at least tried to strive, to be engaged in academic enrichment as a student. Beyond taking accelerated classes, I believe academic enrichment may best be received outside of the classroom. In high school, I was fortunate earn a trip to the World Food Prize here at Ohio State, a symposium where I presented my research paper describing how cow flatulence could be collected and processed for green energy use in rural Brazil. Now, at Ohio State, I plan on taking rigorous courses to curate a work ethic fitting for life after college and get involved in scholarly extracurriculars (such as research).

S

Another thing that heavily resonates with me is service. My parents taught me at a very young age that I am extremely fortunate to live where I live and grow up how I did; I now realize that I did nothing to deserve a safe childhood environment as it was the hard work of my parents that put my brother and I in that position. Along these lines, my mom has taught me that fortunate people have a responsibility to help less fortunate people. I first realized these values when I drove just 15 minutes away from where I lived to volunteer at Run the Race Center, an after-school sanctuary for inner-city kids in the west side to Columbus. I found it mind-blowing how steep the socioeconomic status of an entire area could drop just a mile or two from my house. In high school, I spent a substantial amount of time at Run the Race Center to help its organizer Racheal Muha and to serve the kids who spent their time after school there. After I get my feet on the ground this first semester, I plan to get involved in community service here at Ohio State.