Global Awareness
In order to become globally engaged during my time here at Ohio State, I have enjoyed the interdisciplinary and global nature of my Geography major program and my History and Nonprofit Studies minor programs. These areas of focus concern cultures and ideas all over the world, and have shown me global diversity is an important factor we must rely on to solve the problems that face our world today. I also had the opportunity to study sustainability and conservation in New Zealand as a way to apply my knowledge from my classes through firsthand experience. In addition, I have gained certification Diversity, Intercultural, and Community Engagement Program (DICE) through the Multicultural Center, which has taught me about the global communities that are right here at Ohio State, giving me an understanding of the wide spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives on campus.
Original Inquiry
During these last three years, I’ve taken courses in all different disciplines, which has shown me that research is an important part of every field. From a literary research essay in my English 1110H class, research on a historical art method in Art 2100, to a paper on the effects of climate change on weather patterns in my Environmental History class, I’ve gained valuable research skills that will be useful in my future classes. In addition, the ENR 5797 classes I took in New Zealand involved research through having conversations with locals about social and environmental topics as well as my own first-hand experiences in seeing the evidence of positive and negative environmental impacts. This taught me that research comes in many forms aside from searching online or working in a lab, which I experienced through the original development that was a key part of my lesson and activity planning for my internship at the Howard County Conservancy. I’m also excited to begin involvement in the Environmental Behavior Change Research Group at the School of Environment and Natural Resources this fall, as a way to critically engage with faculty-designed research.
Academic Enrichment
The honors program requires taking classes in 3000 or 4000 level classes as an underclassman, which has so far taught me important skills, such as learning to manage my time and to study. I’ve also enjoyed the small class sizes and the emphasis on critical thinking in my Honors classes. My major program allows me a lot of flexibility in considering different disciplines to take classes in, so I hope to continue taking courses from a wide range of studies so that I can better understand my academic interests and strengths. I hope that my minor programs will be complementary to my major in allowing me to focus in on the application of environmental, social, and rural issues in nonprofit organizations. In addition, I have had the opportunity to apply these academic skills at an internship at an environmental nonprofit organization, which combines each of the fields of study I’m pursuing.
Leadership Development
This past year I served as a Resident Advisor in Paterson Hall, which helped me gain skills such as community-building, conflict resolution, crisis management, program planning, outreach, and so much more. I also served as a Peer Mentor for the Arts and Sciences Honors Survey courses, giving me another way to reach out to first-year students, and I got the opportunity to lead a Buck-i-Serv trip to Greenville, South Carolina, where we helped out at a local Humane Society.
Service Engagement
I’ve participated in the Community Commitment Days at the beginning of the past two fall semesters, as well as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service this past January. Those were great experiences because I got to know other Buckeyes in a short amount of time while learning about local organizations that need volunteer service. In addition, I had the opportunity to go on Buck-i-Serv trips to Biloxi, Mississippi and Empire, Colorado, which involved experiences such as cutting out invasive species along the Mississippi River and in Colorado, helping clear out and organize materials for a summer camp for people with disabilities. Finally, last spring I participated as a Homework Helper at a Columbus Metro Library through the Semester of Service program. This opportunity involved working with kids of all different ages, languages, schools, and backgrounds in many subject areas, and I’ve really learned more about some of the challenges that kids in the area might face and the importance of a free and safe place kids can go to pursue their schoolwork. I’ve loved getting to know the students and the other volunteers, so I’m excited to continue to be involved there this upcoming fall.