Artifact

This past weekend was the Ohio State and Michigan football game. I got to go with my best friend who is also my roommate for the second year. I met her through Mount and have been so grateful to have her in my life. When I look back on where I was last year at this time, I realize how much I have grown and moved closer who to I want to be. I have made some of my best friends as well as had amazing experiences and done things I never thought I would do. Going to the game was such a cool experience that I don’t think I have ever had before. It was so incredible to see the school spirit and comradery. I feel very confident that I made the right decision to come here for school and I have had many times where I am reaffirmed of this. At the game I definitely felt this again. I have been really enjoying my second year here and I am amazed first semester is already almost over. I have been challenged academically but I feel like I am not as overwhelmed as I was last year. I have been able to learn good studying habits and ways to ensure I am performing to the best of my ability. I am looking forward to next semester as well as the years to come.

Artifact 3

Over spring break, I had the privilege of having one of my good friends from school come stay with me for a couple of days. She is a friend I made in my scholars program, Mount. It was so fun to have her stay in my home and to get to show her around my town and where I grew up. I felt like it helped strengthen our friendship which I know will be a long lasting connection. One of the nights she was with me, I got to share with her my passion for baking. We made a recipe that I really like, almond biscotti. We took turns measuring ingredients and mixing them all up. It was a learning experience for her who had never spent much time baking. But it was also a learning experience for me because I am used to baking by myself. I had to learn how to delegate tasks and teach her certain tips and tricks. Overall, it was such a fun experience and I enjoyed getting to strengthen my relationship with a friend.

Artifacts

This was from about a month ago. A group of us volunteered at Smith’s Famous Farm to put on a fall festival. It was so fun to get to provide a memorable experience to children and made me reminisce on some of my childhood experiences. The event helped me further develop my skills of interacting with people of all age groups. It also helped me build on my problem solving skills. I worked at the donut-on-a-string station and we had to develop a system that was efficient and worked with people of all ages and heights. It took awhile to get it right but we ended up coming up with something that was very effective. The event went really well and also served as an opportunity to get to know more people in Mount.

G.O.A.L.S.

Many of the things I am involved with at OSU are in line with the Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S. Two of the most pertinent for me right now would be service learning along with leadership development. I am a part of the Mount Scholars program and we focus a lot on community service along with leadership development. We have meetings and training sessions to evaluate ourselves and grow as leaders. We have done many personality tests to learn more about ourselves. But then it is cool to discuss with others to learn how we are all different and therefore our leadership styles are all different.

We also do service projects all year. One of the big things we do our second year is called the Year of Service. We volunteer at one or two sites all year. This has been a really cool experience for me so far. I have been volunteering at Boys and Girls club and it has already been a very powerful experience. I have learned so much from the kids and it has really pushed me outside of my comfort zone.

I also plan to strengthen my global awareness this year. I am planning to do a study abroad trip at the end of my second year. I am hoping to go to somewhere in Europe but to hopefully get to explore more than one country. I am very excited for this and look forward to being immersed in a new culture.

Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have been presented with through Honors and Scholars to helped make me more well-rounded and educated.

Career

EDUCATION

 

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio                                                                    Expected May 2021

College of Arts and Sciences

  • Speech & Hearing Science major
  • Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies Minor
  • GPA: 3.89

 

VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY SERVICES

 

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Speech Pathology Department                                     May- August 2018

  • Assisted in creating speech therapy materials
  • Cleaned and organized speech therapy session areas
  • Observed speech therapy sessions (20 hours)

Mount Leadership Society- OSU Scholars Program                                                        August 2017- present

  • Develop and implement service projects within the community
  • Organize events focusing on social justice issues

Service Committee

  • Coordinate and plan monthly service projects
  • Coordinate Mount’s Adopt a Street program

Boys and Girls Club- Milo Grogan, Columbus                                                          September 2018- present

  • Weekly interaction with 6-12 year old children during after school and evening hours
  • Assist with homework, activities, and engage in play

CABI Lab- OSU                                                                                                                           October 2018- present

  • Childhood Cognition, Communication, and Brain Injury Lab
  • Research assistant, various studies

Relay for Life /American Cancer Society                                                                               2013 – May 2017

  • Committee Chair (12); Committee Co-Chair & Team Captain (11); Committee Member (10); Participant (9);
  • Planned and managed logistical components of Luminaria celebration
  • Motivated Team to exceed fundraising goals. 3rd out of 42 teams in funds raised
  • Initiated new efforts to reach community survivors to be honored at event

Project LEAD (Leadership Experience And Development)                                                       2013 – May 2017

  • School organization for encouraging volunteer involvement in Wyoming and the Greater Cincinnati Community
  • Wyoming Youth Services Summer program -Supervised art making and outdoor activities for youth aged 6- 12

 

EMPLOYMENT

 

Creations by Melody Catering, Cincinnati, OH                                                        August 2015 – Present

  • Prep Cook and Catering Server
  • Assisted chef with baking and preparing dishes
  • Cut and prepared wide range of vegetables, fruit, meat, and garnishes according to chef’s direction
  • Set up, served guests, replenished food, cleared tables, and cleaned up at upscale events
  • Responded to guests requests in a friendly, professional, timely manner

 

Babysitter                                                                                                                             2013 – present

  • Provided child care for several families with children ranging from infant to 6 years after school, on weekends, and during summers

Artifacts

This was last weekend when I went to a farmers market with a small group of people. It was part of something we did for Mount where we had to meet up with different leaders from our community and talk about consciousness of self. This was such a fun day for me because a group of 7 of us went down to a farmers market to meet two Ohio State administrators. We got to buy our ingredients and then take it back to the administrators’ house to cook them and make breakfast. Then we all sat together and ate while talking and getting to know each other. It was such a special time to talk with people I wouldn’t usually get to talk to. It was also something I never expected to do at Ohio State since it is such a big school. But this made me even more happy and grateful to be here and showed me how great the people who work for Ohio State are.

About Me

My name is Marika Shoger. I am a first year undergraduate student at Ohio State. I am currently in Exploratory Studies and undecided about my major. In high school I was very involved with Relay for Life starting as just a participant my freshman year and working my way to a committee chair my senior year. I enjoy volunteering and I am very excited to continue this passion through Mount and other extracurriculars. I also love spending time outdoors and doing things like camping and hiking. Cooking is also something I really enjoy. I am looking forward to getting involved in these things and many new things here at Ohio State.

 

Year in Review

This past year has been a crazy year. So much has happened and I have grown so much as a person. Not to mention the year flew by. It is crazy to think I am almost done with my first year of college. Over this past year I have learned a lot about myself as a person. I have faced many struggles and problems I have not had to deal with before and while it was difficult at the time, I feel it has made me a better person. One example would be living away from home for the first time. It was very difficult to be away from my parents and in a new environment where I had so much more freedom. I was in charge of basically everything and I was faced with having to make new friends and find my place. While it was not always easy, often feeling homesick, I was able to develop a great group of friends who I can rely on for anything I need. I was also able to figure out the clubs I was interested in, like knitting club or meditation club, and find other people and things I enjoyed. I figured out how to manage my classes and seek out resources if I needed help. These were all things I had not really needed to face before but I found that by struggling through this, I proved to myself that I was capable of anything that I set my mind to and worked hard enough at. I am very proud of this past year and I am looking forward to another year at Ohio State University.