This year was challenging but rewarding. As an industrial design major and a competitive fencer on OSU’s D1 fencing team, I had to manage my time wisely so I could put maximum effort and best self into both of my passions.
Being a design foundations student was challenging, particularly when we had half the amount of in-person classes. One of the most important takeaways from this first year was my understanding of design principles. Whenever I felt like a design didn’t work, I re-evaluated my idea through the lens of different design principles. This technique taught me the value of resilience. There were many times when I didn’t think a design was going to work out. But, through persistence and prototyping, I succeeded. I additionally learned new crafting techniques and worked diligently to make my final projects as well crafted as possible.
The Ohio State fencing team is a family. Through months of training, I was incredibly humbled. During practice, I lost practice bout after practice bout. But with each loss came a lesson. During competitions, I remembered the practice bouts I won and that gave me the resolve to triumph over our competitors. My first collegiate win was against Notre Dame—our toughest opponent. The excitement on my teammates faces, the high-fives and congratulations showed me how much my team had become my family.
The friends that I made this year are going to last a lifetime. The people I have met throughout my first year were incredibly kind and made OSU my home away from home.