Author: rowe.323

Unifying Passtime

This one might seem a little silly, but bear with me. Disc golf was a family activity when I was growing up; the perfect way to get the whole family outside and active on a beautiful lazy afternoon. The youngest of three by several years, the time and opportunities available to me for spending time with my siblings was limited because of their busy schedules. Some of the fondest memories from my childhood involve getting overly competitive with my brother, finding lost discs and boastfully adding them to my collection, running like mad through the forest after my dad’s lengthy throws, and enjoying the great outdoors with my closest companions.

My sister now lives in Chicago and my parents are an ocean away, leaving my brother and I on our own in Columbus. I’m fully convinced that disc golf has been the overriding reason why we’ve stuck so firmly together, playing almost everyday during the summer and once or twice a week otherwise. It’s the reason I have a support system that has helped me in inexplicable ways during this crazy college ride.

Beyond bringing me closer to my family, disc golf has also enabled me to build genuine relationships with my fellow Buckeyes. I say ‘genuine’ not because I only form meaningful friendships with people who play disc golf, but because when we play we put our phones away, ignore social media, and enjoy the moments we’re spending together. During my freshman year and the summer that followed I introduced innumerable people to disc golf and I’ve found immense joy in not only watching them develop a new set of skills and gain confidence in them, but interact personally and meaningfully with others and myself.

The seasoned yellow disc below is one that I’ve had for over 10 years. Its one of my most cherished possessions and I have no plans of retiring it any time soon.

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Passionate Ink

tattoo

When people ask me about the outline of Africa tattooed on my wrist I actually find it extremely difficult to answer. I have so much to say that boiling it down into one concise response is nearly impossible. I got the tattoo during the beginning of my freshman year at OSU so that the images of living in Angola and working with the most incredible animals in Africa would still be fresh in my memory.

Towards the end of my sophomore year of high school my parents sat me down at the kitchen table and half-jokingly asked if I was interested in moving to Luanda. I had never heard of the place but they explained it to be the capital of Angola, a highly overpopulated city on the oil rich coast of the Atlantic ( my dad is an engineer for BP). Having never traveled further than Canada, I saw this opportunity as the adventure of a lifetime and gave my parents a confident ‘let’s do it’. We made the painstakingly complicated move early that summer and I carried out the remainder of my high school years in Africa.

I was thrust into a completely different culture and lifestyle and entered a junior class of just twenty students from all different countries at the Luanda International School. The next two and a half years consisted of clawing my way through the absurdly demanding diploma program while also being able to explore places in the world I had never dreamed of seeing. Breaking out of the bubble that was my small suburban town of Toledo and discovering a world of new cultures, tastes, music, ideas, and perspectives broadened my way of thinking and extended the reaches of my goals immensely.

Nothing has ever influenced my goals to the extent that working with African species has. Growing up I had always known I would work with wildlife, but I never could have imagined being french kissed by a lion or bottle-feeding a baby vervet monkey in a diaper. These experiences are among the happiest of my life, and I’ve been inspired to work towards a career in which I can fight to conserve and protect these invaluable species.

george lion-kiss

My family, including my best and furriest friend Beanie, still live in Luanda and will for another three years. I will luckily be able to visit them once or twice a year and continue to volunteer at conservation projects and wildlife sanctuaries throughout Africa.

I would not be the person I am today if I had closed the door on such an opportunity. With a mind open to the world for everything it can teach me, I go and say, “Thank you Africa, I’ll be back as soon as I can”.

 

G.O.A.L.S Reflection

Global Awareness

Up to this point in my life I have been exceedingly fortunate to have the opportunity to live outside of the United States and to travel. During my time living in Luanda, Angola, I was able to see the world from a different perspective and experience a culture very different from my own. As my parents are currently living in Luanda, I plan on visiting them as much as possible and staying involved in the community so that I may continue to learn and grow from a different culture. I also plan on continuing my work with wildlife in other African countries, where I am able to work hands on with invaluable African species as well as learn about the area and the people around me.

Original Inquiry

I am extremely eager to get involved in some sort of research. I would be most interested and engaged with research involving animals, especially larger mammals. This coming summer it is my goal to create ties with the Columbus Zoo, and from this I hope it becomes possible to preform research on site.

Academic Enrichment

Completing the Academic Plan was strenuous and frustrating, but I am confident that with it I will be both engaged and challenged in my courses throughout my time at Ohio State. My passion is and always has been animals, therefor a chose Zoology as my major and I will also complete the necessary requirements to be able to apply for Veterinary School when the time comes. After working with endangered African species, I gained a thorough respect for conservation and environmental preservation, and so I added an Environmental Science minor. Apart from my major and minor, I chose a wide variety of GE courses so that I may expand my knowledge. I am most excited to take a German course in which Holocaust film is studied and examined from a German perspective (German 3252).

Leadership Development

Leadership is definitely an area that I will need to develop in the coming years. While I often find myself as the leader, AKA sole-contributor, of group projects, I have yet to venture outside of the classroom in terms of leadership positions. In the coming semesters I plan to join as many clubs as possible involving dogs and animal shelters, and in time I hope to take on a leadership role in one of them.

Service Engagement

In Luanda I was actively involved in the community, working at orphanages on the weekends and wildlife conservation sites during holidays. I deeply regret not being involved this semester; I wanted to get a feel for college life and all of my new responsibilities. However, next semester and over the summer I plan on finding and joining an organization that works with the homeless in Columbus, as well as a shelter that I can volunteer at.

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

picture

It was on an elementary school field trip to the Brookfield Zoo that I first looked into a lion’s eyes. It was a hot day and the lions were lounging in the shade on stone slabs a good distance from the exhibit glass. My eyes immediately fixed on a handsome male lion looking our way and when the group around me shuffled on, I stayed exactly where I was. He then stood up, sauntered along the edge of the enclosure towards the glass where I was standing, stopped directly in front of me, and looked at me with the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen; and that is precisely when I knew I would work with wildlife for the rest of my life.

After that experience I wanted nothing more than to be a veterinary doctor on a zoo staff. But my dream evolved as I grew up and had more of these unforgettable encounters. The next pivotal moment took place at a conservation project in Nelspruit, South Africa, where I was able to personally work with lions and other invaluable African species in a more natural habitat. From this project and from similar projects that I have volunteered at since, I have gained priceless experience as well as knowledge about these species and the many threats to their survival. Wildlife conservation is my passion and I will work tirelessly for it.

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]