G.O.A.L.S

  • Global Awareness: I definitely want to be involved in a study abroad. That is one of my biggest goals in college. But I would mostly like to go a summer mission trip, a trip where I could learn about a country and its culture, language, and traditions, but also get to do service as well.
  • Original Inquiry: I want to take as rigorous a course schedule as my mental health, and advisor, will permit. I don’t see the point in school if we aren’t challenging ourself and trying to prove as academically accelerated as possible. I want the satisfaction of not leaving OSU until I know I learned as much as I possibly could have. Whether that be in the form of a research project, study abroad, or just regular course work, I just want to know I academically experienced all I could.
  • Academic Enrichment: One of the biggest reasons I picked OSU is because it is in Columbus and very close to the statehouse. I want to be able to do internships and learn from people in the job positions I hope to be in some day.
  • Leadership Development: I joined USG and Morrill this year. I obviously am an underclassman and the leadership positions are held by the Juniors and Seniors predominantly. I would love to work myself up into being more of a leader as I grow in the clubs I am currently apart of.
  • Service Engagement: Community Service is a large part of my life. I run my non-profit, The Hummingbird, and I also attempt to participate in as many service projects as my schedule will allow. I just don’t see a point in life if we aren’t actively reaching out and exploring more options to better our community.

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Mentor Portfolio

I interviewed sophomore Grace Beedles for my mentor interview. This is a transcript of our interview:

Dalal: Where are you from?

Grace: I am from Cleveland, Ohio!

Dalal: Why did you pick OSU?

Grace: It has a very good political science program and that is what I wanted to major in and you have the ability to study anything just in case I didn’t like political science. 

Dalal: What was the biggest struggle coming to college?

Grace: I struggled with valuing my time and put myself in too many things or said yes to too many things and overextended myself. This year I have become a lot more comfortable just saying no!

Dalal: What are you involved in?

Grace: I am part of the general body of buckeyethon which raises money for cancer research, and I am on the executive board for PSL. I am also involved in undergraduate research and am currently working on a project on Russian intervention and the 2016 election. I am also looking into another project on gun violence and polarization in the media. I am also a tour guide but I haven’t been able to give any tours yet because of COVID so maybe spring semester.

Dalal: What is your go to fun fact?

Grace: In the third grade I won a reading contest and got to meet Lebron James at a Cavs game!

Dalal: What is your favorite color?

Grace: purple 

Dalal: And last question, if you could be any fictional character who would you pick?

Grace: This is a really hard question but I think it would have to be someone from tv and be someone on the show community or someone on glee. 

 

So what I learned from this interview is that Grace and I are kind of similar. We both chose OSU because of its great political science program and we both struggle saying no sometimes. I have overwhelmed myself a little so I am going to try and take her advice and say no a little bit more. But I think the biggest thing I learned is that sophomore year does come, you do get out of freshman year and freshman year confusion period which is nice to look forward to. She also gave me a lot of cool ideas for clubs and activities to join, especially the PSL executive board next year sounds very nice!

About Me

My name is Dalal (sounds like wow) Shalash. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and am majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (pre-law) with a minor in Spanish. Academically I am very interested in everything philosophy, politics, and language based. One of my biggest goals for my academic life is to get into a good law school and do a a study abroad. My dream job is to become an immigration lawyer and work for a non-profit.

I have actually started a non-profit, DIY art business called The Hummingbird. It encapsulates two of my favorite thing: art and community service. Last month, we donated to the Yemen Foundation but we have also helped a variety of different programs including: The George Floyd Memorial Fund, The Navajo Project, and the Trevor Project. My passion for humanitarian work, politics, and community service are the reasons why I joined USG, Morrill Scholars, and PSL.

My parents are from Palestine and Syria which means three things: I am bilingual in Arabic, am ethnically middle eastern, and have a large family. I am one of 12 siblings (I am the third youngest so number 10) and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. We also all have the same middle names, Mustafa Mohammad Omar Mohammad (yes two Mohammad’s and yes Mustafa like the Lion). Being Middle Eastern has shaped/influenced a lot of political views, specifically in terms of American involvement in foreign affairs. I have spent months in Palestine working at a refugee camp because of the unfortunate American feed war/occupation currently happening. My philosophy in life is the anti-egostim approach: the idea and concept that we have a responsibility to help those that can not help themselves for the sole purpose that we were put on the Earth at the same time. I believe in civic responsibility and collaboration efforts to unselfishly help ones neighbor for the sole purpose that it is the right thing to do.