Year in Review

When I look back at my second year, there are a few events that stand out as having a great impact on my growth. To begin, I began this year taking over the role of Treasurer for Best Buddies. Best Buddies is an international organization that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As treasurer, I oversee the collection dues, fundraising events, preparation of funding requests to the university, and lead a few of our bimonthly events. Since I was new to this role, I spent first semester making various excel sheets and templates to make my role easier. The previous treasurer had a paper based system, but I decided to update it to make calculations and submitting online requests a bit easier. I also started a new fundraiser that we will hopefully continue to have in coming years. During the first weekend in December we had a gingerbread house decorating event where the buddies and their peer (college buddy) gave a suggested donation to come and decorate. It was a huge success and many buddies invited friends and family to come. I am excited to continue in this role next year. Although it was a bit overwhelming at the start of the year with making a transition, I believe the new systems I have developed will make this role easier for the foreseeable future.

This winter I also participated in Buckeyethon for the first time. This was an amazing experience and I’m happy that I could participate. I joined the Undergraduate Business Women’s Association Buckeyethon team and danced during the 12-hour day shift. It was truly moving to hear the stories of the kids and families that have experienced this battle with cancer, and it was those stories that got me through the day. During the day, when I felt like I could stand any longer or my feet were going to fall off, I reminded myself of one family’s story in particular. One father said that when his son went into surgery for one of his treatments the physician told him that it may be 12-13 hours before he came out of surgery. If a kid fighting for his life could be in surgery while his family had to patiently wait, standing for 12 hours was nothing. Although it was an exhausting day, it was extremely rewarding and I look forward to dancing in Buckeyethon again next year.

Finally, last week I met my pen pal when he and his class came to Ohio State for the day. This year I was paired up with a 5th grade student that I communicated with biweekly. Throughout our correspondence, I told him about my life at school and encouraged him to do well in school because it will pay off. When I met him, he was fascinated with college life and all of the different subjects that you can learn about. I look forward to being assigned another pen pal next year that I can foster a relationship with. All in all, it was a good second year at Ohio State filled with lots of growing opportunities.

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

Best Buddies is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to serving people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. When I first heard about this organization, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. Growing up with a brother who is disabled, I have developed a special place in my heart for those with disabilities. Best Buddies allows me to act on that passion of mine, and I am glad that I get to be a part of this wonderful organization.

Ohio State’s Best Buddies chapter mainly focuses on forming one-on-one friendships with those that are disabled. This year I was lucky enough to form a one-on-one relationship with a buddy. My buddy and I communicate on a weekly basis and try to hang out together once a month. One of the events my buddy and I went to is bowling. At this event we had the chance to hang out with other buddy pairs and play a game together. This has been my favorite event I have done with Best Buddies. The joy on everyone’s faces was such a wonderful sight to see. My buddy had a blast and I enjoyed the group of people we bowled with. Something I love about people who are disabled is the appreciation they can have for simple things in life. It’s truly inspiring to witness their excitement over things most people would find to be ordinary. Some of the best, most genuine people I have gotten know are people that have a disability. Through this organization, I can already tell that I am going to meet many exceptional people. I can’t wait for the wonderful memories that I have to come with this organization.

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About Me

 

Hi, I’m Rebekah and I plan on double majoring in finance and insurance. I was drawn to these majors after attending the Accounting Career Awareness Program at The Ohio State University the summer before my senior year in high school. Through this program, I learned a lot about finance and happily discovered that the world of finance might be for me. I have an interest in monetary growth and management, but also I am considering doing something in risk management, hence the double major.

Here’s some background information on me: first, I’m a Buckeye to the core. I was born and raised in the Cleveland area with my parents, three siblings, and a sandy colored dog. Although I love Ohio, I’m interested in seeing other parts of the world and I hope to participate in a study abroad program. Some things I enjoy are listening to music (I’m open to anything, but my favorite genre is alternative), doing logic puzzles, and spending time with loved ones. I’m also very passionate about helping out others. I’ve grown up with a disabled brother who has made me very compassionate towards the handicapped. At Ohio State, I would love to become involved in an organization focusing on helping others.

I’m very excited about attending The Ohio State University and can’t wait to see what the next year will bring. I’ve set some goals for my time here so that I can make the most of my experience. First, I’d like to become actively involved in some student organizations. I believe joining organizations will provide me with the perfect opportunity to form new friendships with people I otherwise might not have met. Second, I’d like to take full advantage of Ohio State’s resources. I know Ohio State has numerous connections that will help secure my success before and after I graduate. Finally, I’d like to challenge myself in new ways. I’ve always been one to stay within my comfort zone and I would like to use college as a way to stretch out of my comfort zone. I look forward to the friendship, growth, and connections that will make up my experience these next four years!

 

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