Growing with Grow Next Gen

My STEP project this past summer was an internship through a program called Grow Next Gen. This program is sponsored and coordinated through Ohio Soybean Council/Association and Education Projects. As an intern I traveled across the state of Ohio to facilitate activities and teach lessons to help educate consumers on agriculture, with a focus on soybean production. Interns also recieved the opportunity to attend professional development trainings and interact with professionals within the industry.

Part of why I chose this internship was because of the opportunity it gave me to gain experience in teaching the public on concepts related to agriculture, food, and energy production, as my major is Agriscience Education. Growing up within the agriculture industry, raising livestock and living on a grain farm, I just assumed that food production was just common sense to people. Obviously as I’ve gotten older, especially as I entered college, I began to learn that is not the case. It became even more apparent as I began working with consumers this summer. But, just because they didn’t know did not mean that they had no desire to learn. They asked so many questions, some simple, and some very complex. I had a lot of great conversations that made me stop and think, and taught me what I could do to teach others better.

One of the most impactful events I had the opportunity to work at was the Ohio State Fair & Expo. Grow Next Gen had booths in two buildings at the fair, where we had tables with demonstrations and interactive activities. One of our most popular demonstrations is our biodiesel powered boats. We use biodiesel (derived from soybean oil) to power these little steam boats. Once you get them going, they make these little “toot” noises so it always drew a crowd. This demo always sparked conversations on the difference between using biodiesel, ethanol, and fossil fuels for energy. These were some of the best conversations and interactions I had because I wasn’t only educating others, they were educating me.

I think one of the biggest disservices anyone can do is reject others ideas. I am fully aware that I don’t know everything so when people ask questions I don’t know the answers to or share their ideas that I may not agree with, it is still so important to see where that person is coming from and then working together to find solutions and answers. Whether it was questions about GMOs, biodiesel, or soybean production, I did my best to know everything I could. I used my personal experiences and just knowledge I had gained through the internship and through schooling. But there is always one or two individuals who will try to discredit you because they don’t want to be wrong or they just don’t want you to be right. I’ve learned to be patient and that it isn’t my job to change minds, just to share what I can and what I know so they can learn.

Another component of my internship was professional development. We recieved opportunities to network with industry professionals and recieve some professional development training. A large focus was creating our “brand”. This provoked me to look at myself and be able to identify how I want others to percieve me, how I want employers and co-workers to see me as a young professional. This is something I will continue to explore throughout my professional career.

As a young professional in the agriculture industry, I feel a responsibility to be honest and sincere when working with consumers, as there is a lot of misconceptions and misinformation spread to consumers that makes them distrustful of the industry and those who work hard to provide them safe and healthy food. As future educator, it is my goal to help shape my students into informed consumers, productive citizens, and leaders within their communities and professions. This experience has allowed me explore where I am comfortable in the role as an educator and has also allowed me to explore where I can improve, which with time and diligence I know I can.

STEP Project

1. In my STEP signature project, I participated in an internship through Equitas Health. In this internship, I was able to write a large portion of a grant worth over $8 million, which required me to host meetings with clinical supervisors and other health professionals. Additionally, I was able to learn about current issues in HIV care and become an abstract reviewer for the Transforming Care conference.
2. One of the biggest changes I notice was the change in how I viewed my own abilities. Going into an internship, I expected to be doing mostly administrative work (like copying papers), but I was able to make a large contribution to the organization. My boss, Sue, taught me how to read and respond to an RFP, then allowed me the freedom to do the rest. I thought that was something only grad students or beyond would be allowed to do, and it has given me confidence in my ability to try things that sound challenging. Additionally, it has changed my views on how to approach healthcare. I have dome most of my studies and have the most personal experience working in urban communities, so it is easy for me to consider the unique needs of that population. Hearing about the challenges people living with HIV (PLWH) and trans people face in rural communities was new information and the rural population was one I had not learned much about.
3. As I discussed, the biggest activity that led to my transformation in confidence was writing the Ryan White grant. Sue taught me how to read the RFP and showed me a few of the grants she had written in the past. Then she handed me the RFP for the upcoming year and allowed me to do the rest. I had to schedule, plan, and conduct informational interviews with the clinical supervisors for around 6-7 regions. I developed the pertinent questions to ask, which we reviewed together, then I had to do the qualitative interviewing. I got to collect data about the current trainings, needs of the community, and provider partnerships. This is of crucial importance in the field of public health, and very rarely do undergraduate students get the license to do this themselves (under the guidance of a knowledgeable person in the industry).
This experience allowed me to feel confident in my abilities. It is easy to learn things in a classroom and recite them for a test, but it is so much more impactful when you can take the academic and personal experiences and apply them. It made me confident that the learning that I am doing at this university is actually applicable and that I am competent enough to use it.
During this process, I was able to talk to people from a variety of regions around Ohio. My job was to interview them to determine what healthcare needs (specifically related to PLWH) were the most pressing in the area; however, I was able to learn so much from this activity. I spoke with people from Youngstown, Akron, and all around Ohio. Some of these places are rural areas, whose people experience discrimination in a very different way than I have seen. This has completely changed my view on how to approach queer healthcare in a culturally sensitive way.
4. This change is significant because it has given me the confidence to pursue grad school. My parents never got graduate degrees so I was unsure whether I would want to go that route. After seeing positions in this field through my internship, I want to pursue my education and become a more equipped public health professional. I will use my experience from this project on my graduate school application, and my boss will be a great reference.

Interning With the Delaware County Fair, Delaware, Ohio

The 2019 Delaware County Fair was September 14th through September 21st. Through the duration of my internship I ran all the social media pages, went to vendor shows, and covered all events on the fairgrounds before, during and after the fair.  

One of the biggest changes that I noticed in myself during my internship and afterwards was that on social media outlets you cannot make everyone happy, which is also true in the real world, but more so on social media. I did not expect people to not like the content I was posting. In the end, I know I did the best I could and that is all that matters. I think this was a big realization and transformation for me, because I had a hard time with everyone not being happy and not being able to please everyone. In the real world, that is just the reality and my internship helped me realize that. Despite not being about to please everyone, I learned that I love pleasing anyone I can. Making someone’s day or making them smile is the goal every day. Another transformation I saw in myself was becoming more of an adult. I had more responsibilities that I had to account for, and I truly think it made me more of a responsible person.  

Some of the events that led to this transformation was being the only one running the social media outlets and having the responsibility of being at any and all events during my internship. My boss and associates were counting on me to catch all the events and build awareness for all of the events. I would have to create two to three posts about the event before it happened so people could know about the event and plan for said event. If the public did not know about it, it would come back to me that I did not publicize that event.  

One of the events that made me more of an adult, because I was responsible for the event was the Window Decorating Contest. In downtown Delaware we asked business to participate in the contest of decorating their store fronts with the fair theme. I had to get sponsors for the first, second and people’s choice prizes, plan the dates, coordinate with Main Street Delaware, find judges for the events and much more. We coordinated with Main Street Delaware because that is where all the businesses of downtown report to. They also host an event every first Friday of the month where the shut down main street in Delaware and have a huge vendor fair for three hours in the evening. I planned the window decorating contest to be judged on the September First Friday, because we were already non-profit vendors at the event and I wanted to get the people involved. The contest ended up going great and it made me learn the basics of putting on an event and being responsible about it.  

One of my favorite events I was a part of was our Senior Citizens Day during the fair. It was on Tuesday, September 17th and I was the official photographer. The fair had gotten a picture printer donated. I created a border for the pictures that read “Senior Citizens Day 2019” and had all our sponsors. We had many buses come in from nursing homes around Delaware. One of the best parts of that day was taking pictures of everyone, printing them out, and then giving them back. The smile and shock on their faces when they got the picture back was priceless. We had a great turnout of the event and great feedback. The event made me feel good about myself and made me realize making someone smile or be happy will make any day better.  

The changes that I had during my internship were valuable to me because they made me grow up a lot. My freshman year and some of my sophomore year of college I was that person that wanted to go out and have a good time and not be responsible. My internship this summer made me realize that there is more to life that just having a good time. You have responsibilities that come first and sometimes those responsibilities can change your life or simply just make your day.  

Interning for a Venture Capital firm

1.This summer I completed an internship with LOUD Capital as an Operations & Marketing Intern at their office in Atlanta, Georgia. LOUD Capital is a venture capital firm based in Columbus, OH that specializes in early stage investments into start up companies. Throughout my internship, I provided marketing support through creation of decks and content design, and handled correspondence for the Atlanta office. I also assisted in financial analysis of prospective portfolio companies.

2. I was exposed to the world of finance through this internship. I saw the good, the really good, and the bad. Studying for my SIE gave me theoretical and textbook knowledge, and analyzing & creating financial models for current & potential portfolio companies provided me with a  unique experiential learning opportunity. I knew that I was not sure of what I wanted to do going into this internship, and I am still not 100% sure coming out on the other side. However, I am 100% more informed about the financial industry, and I am sure I want to pursue some type of wealth management or investment banking position.

This internship also taught me the power of networking, relationship building, and a good handshake. As the only intern in a small office, I was able to attend many different events pertaining to access to capital, financial support of minorities, emerging regional markets, and start up critique to name a few. At these events, I learned how to be genuine and strategic with my time as I was not able to speak to every individual that interested me. I learned how to make meaningful small talk, and find synergy with seemingly unrelated organizations. I learned how to properly follow up with contacts I had made, and how to make the best use of the time spent during these follow ups by researching the individual ahead of time. I came to these meetings with questions and ideas to ask and run past these individuals. I was afforded lasting relationships through this experience, and able to help institute some pretty cool programs in my community.

3. The highlight of my summer internship was not in a meeting, or when I helped close a deal (though these were some pretty awesome moments). The highlight was being afforded the opportunity to assist in the creation of a weekly panel series called the “Black Man Lab.” Through the connections I had made this summer, I was able to help bring in some of the most influential black men in Atlanta. The purpose of the Black Man Lab was to connect inner city youth with influential business, government, and industry leaders of today. The Black Man Lab not only allowed me to give back to my community, but it also afforded me connections with prominent members of the Atlanta city council.

Another event I was able to attend during my internship was the 2019 Hope Global Forum, which is a conference focused on discussions and action towards building a better economy. The conference consists of leadership events, digital engagement, enactment of research, and advocacy for changes to public policy. This event afforded me the opportunity of a lifetime: it allowed me to meet my real-life hero, Chris Lyons. Chris Lyons is an audio engineer, venture capitalist, and social activist. If I had to choose what I wanted to do with my life right now, I would choose to be like Chris Lyons. As the manager of the Cultural Leadership Fund, a venture fund that was created to connect the greatest cultural leaders in the world to the best new technology companies and enable more young African Americans to enter the technology industry, he effects change in the global community. Seeing Chris’ success inspires me everyday to be the best version of myself.

I was also given the opportunity to meet the General Partners of Legacy Capital, Andre Grant-Acquah & Emanuel Jones II. These two have taught me more about business, family, and relationship building in the past 90 days than I have learned since starting college. While not only introducing me to real estate, these two have taught me (hands on) what it takes to be a black professional in the city of Atlanta. Somewhere between mentors and older brothers, I was blessed to be connected to two of the city’s up-and-coming moguls.

4. This transformation is valuable because it has opened my eyes to my potential. I’m only limited by my imagination and ability to think outside the box. I dictate my future. I set the terms of my success. By no means will I do this by myself, but I will choose the right people/team with whom I’ll change the world. This summer taught me that it’s bigger than me, and that true success is only achieved when your accolades are measured by how you impacted others. I want to be an inspiration, an innovator, a disruptor, a leader, a friend, a father, and one day a husband. This internship has taught me that I have to take steps everyday to reach my goals. It has taught me how to ask the right questions, and when to ask them. It’s shown me how blessed I am, and that I need to pass that blessing along in my community, family, and general interactions. It’s taught me to think bigger, and ultimately, be a better man. Finally, it’s taught me to dream lofty dreams, for as one dreams, one becomes.

Interning for a Venture Capital firm

1.This summer I completed an internship with LOUD Capital as an Operations & Marketing Intern at their office in Atlanta, Georgia. LOUD Capital is a venture capital firm based in Columbus, OH that specializes in early stage investments into start up companies. Throughout my internship, I provided marketing support through creation of decks and content design, and handled correspondence for the Atlanta office. I also assisted in financial analysis of prospective portfolio companies.

2. I was exposed to the world of finance through this internship. I saw the good, the really good, and the bad. Studying for my SIE gave me theoretical and textbook knowledge, and analyzing & creating financial models for current & potential portfolio companies provided me with a  unique experiential learning opportunity. I knew that I was not sure of what I wanted to do going into this internship, and I am still not 100% sure coming out on the other side. However, I am 100% more informed about the financial industry, and I am sure I want to pursue some type of wealth management or investment banking position.

This internship also taught me the power of networking, relationship building, and a good handshake. As the only intern in a small office, I was able to attend many different events pertaining to access to capital, financial support of minorities, emerging regional markets, and start up critique to name a few. At these events, I learned how to be genuine and strategic with my time as I was not able to speak to every individual that interested me. I learned how to make meaningful small talk, and find synergy with seemingly unrelated organizations. I learned how to properly follow up with contacts I had made, and how to make the best use of the time spent during these follow ups by researching the individual ahead of time. I came to these meetings with questions and ideas to ask and run past these individuals. I was afforded lasting relationships through this experience, and able to help institute some pretty cool programs in my community.

3. The highlight of my summer internship was not in a meeting, or when I helped close a deal (though these were some pretty awesome moments). The highlight was being afforded the opportunity to assist in the creation of a weekly panel series called the “Black Man Lab.” Through the connections I had made this summer, I was able to help bring in some of the most influential black men in Atlanta. The purpose of the Black Man Lab was to connect inner city youth with influential business, government, and industry leaders of today. The Black Man Lab not only allowed me to give back to my community, but it also afforded me connections with prominent members of the Atlanta city council.

Another event I was able to attend during my internship was the 2019 Hope Global Forum, which is a conference focused on discussions and action towards building a better economy. The conference consists of leadership events, digital engagement, enactment of research, and advocacy for changes to public policy. This event afforded me the opportunity of a lifetime: it allowed me to meet my real-life hero, Chris Lyons. Chris Lyons is an audio engineer, venture capitalist, and social activist. If I had to choose what I wanted to do with my life right now, I would choose to be like Chris Lyons. As the manager of the Cultural Leadership Fund, a venture fund that was created to connect the greatest cultural leaders in the world to the best new technology companies and enable more young African Americans to enter the technology industry, he effects change in the global community. Seeing Chris’ success inspires me everyday to be the best version of myself.

I was also given the opportunity to meet the General Partners of Legacy Capital, Andre Grant-Acquah & Emanuel Jones II. These two have taught me more about business, family, and relationship building in the past 90 days than I have learned since starting college. While not only introducing me to real estate, these two have taught me (hands on) what it takes to be a black professional in the city of Atlanta. Somewhere between mentors and older brothers, I was blessed to be connected to two of the city’s up-and-coming moguls.

4. This transformation is valuable because it has opened my eyes to my potential. I’m only limited by my imagination and ability to think outside the box. I dictate my future. I set the terms of my success. By no means will I do this by myself, but I will choose the right people/team with whom I’ll change the world. This summer taught me that it’s bigger than me, and that true success is only achieved when your accolades are measured by how you impacted others. I want to be an inspiration, an innovator, a disruptor, a leader, a friend, a father, and one day a husband. This internship has taught me that I have to take steps everyday to reach my goals. It has taught me how to ask the right questions, and when to ask them. It’s shown me how blessed I am, and that I need to pass that blessing along in my community, family, and general interactions. It’s taught me to think bigger, and ultimately, be a better man. Finally, it’s taught me to dream lofty dreams, for as one dreams, one becomes.

My Reflections as a Software Engineering Intern at Cerkl

My STEP Signature Project involved moving out to Cincinnati, Ohio for the summer to pursue a software engineering internship with Cerkl. I worked along side a team of software engineers to implement a variety of front end and back end web development projects.

I approached this internship having very little experience in web development, so this gave me a chance to learn about what it would be like to have this be a career. While I had a lot of fun doing my work with Cerkl this summer, I cannot see myself doing web development for the rest of my life. I was under the assumption that web development would be something I would be passionate about, but that was not the case.

Furthermore, my view of the world change as I now understand the difficulties of truly being independent. From getting groceries every week to paying bills, the experience I had living independently was very different from living in dorms. It opened my eyes as to how prepared I would need to be to live independently after college. I believe I am now more prepared for this than I would have been had I not done this internship.

One of the activities I did at Cerkl was that I designed, programmed, and implemented an entire new section to their internal support site. This gave me a lot of experience in working from scratch in web development. However, even though this was a very large project for me that I was lucky to be a part of, it did not feel very rewarding, as I was just implementing something that would save some time for clients and other employees. This experience helped me realize that if I were to spend the rest of my life as a software engineer, I would like to spend that time doing something that actually makes a larger impact on people. This is why I am hoping that artificial intelligence would be a better field for me than web development.

I believe my interactions with my boss led to my realizations about what I would need to do after college to live independently. My boss recently graduated from Miami University before coming to work at Cerkl. To some extent, he was in the same boat as me, as he had to live completely independently for the first time of his life too. He taught me a lot about what he struggled with moving into his own place, and I related to what he was going through a lot. For example, I found myself spending way too much time at the grocery store, and he said he used to do the same before he started making a list before going, and only ever getting what is on that list.

In general, this experience at Cerkl allowed me to meet many new people. I went into Cerkl hoping to gain some experience in networking with people in a professional work environment, but I more than exceeded that. Not only did I connect with all of my co-workers, but I also made friendships that lasted past my time in Cincinnati.

In conclusion, this transformation I went through as a result of my internship with Cerkl allowed me to grow as a person both in my career and in the workplace. In my career, I realized where my potential as a software engineer lies. Whereas in the workplace, I learned how to better connect with people. These skills will be useful both in future internships, and future jobs that I have.

Reflections from My Time as an Ohio Senate Page

During my time as an Ohio Senate Page, I was responsible for assisting my office in preparing for the Senator’s various legislative activities including gathering information for committee meetings, crafting speeches, and creating amendment memorandums. I also carried out the completion of numerous administrative tasks, particularly, responding to constituents, creating a monthly e-newsletter on behalf of the Senator, and regularly posting to the Senator’s social media pages.

I believe that my time in the Senate was something truly unique for a student in my role. At the beginning of my project, my office underwent a major change and it set the tone for the rest of my summer. I took on more responsibility in the office, which meant I had bigger shoes to fill even quicker. To be quite honest, I haven’t worked as hard in any position than I did during the time of my project. Each day required me to come into work and really hit the ground running. My office, in particular, works very hard since I work for a member who is very thorough and detail-oriented.

Ultimately, the transformation that happened for me was that I realized I am much more capable of taking on new roles and succeeding in them than I thought. One of many peak moments from my project was crafting a particular letter response to a high school student who didn’t like the amount of standardized testing taking place in her school. Because of my knowledge of certain public education issues in the state of Ohio, I was able to put together quite a well-written letter response to this student. My confidence in myself and my ability to contribute to a Senatorial office even as a Page grew tremendously.

In all honesty, my office and I are like a small family. I’m very grateful to be in the office that I am because I work for a member who is passionate about what she does. She is a dynamic leader, a wise teacher, and a caring mentor. That firey motivation definitely lit a spark in each of my co-workers and me, which ultimately lead to the passage of Senate Bill 13 out of the Senate and over to the House. Briefly, SB 13 ensures equal protections for all human trafficking victims under the age of 18. Current Ohio law does not protect trafficked minor victims ages 16 and 17. Because of this, these victims are charged and tried as adults, even if they have been identified as trafficking victims. Closing this gap is an essential part of protecting all victims, especially as Ohio is one of very few states to even have this gap. My boss has been working to pass this bill for almost ten years. Imagine the excitement and relief that comes with finally getting it this far!

Working with my Senior Legislative Aide Chelsea and Legislative Aide Joseph was an amazing thing to experience. Both of them are extremely talented, intelligent, and gifted. They pushed me each day to become a better version of myself, both personally and professionally. Our level of trust, communication, and honesty allowed us to work together in the same fluent fashion of manning a ship. We held each other accountable to ensure tasks were completed on time and were to a certain standard. More simply, the three of us had a chemistry that just worked. It worked for our personal work styles and for the Senator. I feel that I was able to improve so quickly because of these two always helping and teaching me.

Above, I briefly stated how one of my peak moments during my project was crafting a response letter to a student. I want to take this time to reflect on the improvement of my writing skills. Being in a political office, words almost seem to carry twice the meaning than in regular contexts. In being held accountable for my tasks, I received lots of constructive criticism on anything I wrote and posted on behalf of the Senator. Of course, there is a certain etiquette standard appropriate for any public figure navigating public spaces, but learning the “voice” of the Senator was another aspect of my writing I had to improve. Because of the feedback I received from my office, my skills grew to a point where I would only have to make occasional style and grammar edits to my work.

The confidence boost I received from my improved writing was quite meaningful to me because, in my junior year of high school, I took Composition 1 at the college level. Long story short, that professor killed (I mean, totally and completely obliterated) my confidence in writing for years to follow. Because of this project, I re-discovered how much I actually do enjoy writing.

Since completing my STEP project, I have continued my work at the Statehouse. The members have come back from a brief summer vacation and committees are picking up once more. I now look forward to the busyness that comes with an active Legislature, and I am both excited and terrified to see what bills will be up for consideration.

In pursuing my goals of having an internship in my field next summer, I feel better equipped to show myself as an ideal candidate for any retail company. My work background is so diverse and rich in experience that I really do feel I am able to step into any position that calls for a passionate, hard-working individual.

STEP Reflection

For my STEP signature project, I participated in an internship in the Camps and Clinics Department of The Ohio State Athletic Department.  The main activities my project entailed included working office shifts in the camps office as well as at the Jack Nicholas Museum where I would answer phone calls, take payments, and assist customers.  I would also check children in and out at various camps throughout the summer.

A lot has changed on my perspective of my future professional career.  Throughout my first two years of college I struggled finding my place.  I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with my life, and this gave me a lot of anxiety when I had to tell people what my future plans were.  I started college as a business major but found that I couldn’t relate to any of the specializations and after farther research I decided to become a sports industry major.  I finally felt like I had found a path and I wanted nothing more than to improve my skills in my area of study.  This is how I fell upon an internship within the athletic department.

The thoughts and realizations I have has throughout the summer have been both scary and relieving.  As I worked with camps and observed other areas of the athletic department, I started to have doubts about this being my future career path.  Those who work in an athletic department work well over forty hours a week and rarely every make over fifty thousand dollars a year.  I know that money is not everything but realizing that most individuals who work in athletics work the average nine to five and then nights and weekends on top of this had made me realize that it would be very hard for me to start a family and give them the time I would like to while working in this field.  I enjoyed the work I was doing over the summer, but I was only a part time worker and I worried that I would experience burn out if everything I was doing was magnified by four.

I struggled with these thoughts through half of the summer.  I did not want to be back at square one and this is where I felt like I was headed.  I finally had the realization that I needed to make myself happy and not put so much pressure on myself to have a concrete vision of my professional career.  I still enjoy working in sports I am just identifying the areas I know I do not want to work in and am open to other areas outside of the sports world.  I have always wanted to own my own business so I am now looking into things that can help me learn the possibilities of this.  College is about figuring yourself out, not always finding all of the answers and that is what I have realized through my signature project.

One of my goals for the summer was to network with as many people as I could.  During the networking process I would ask questions about grad school and future employment to those who I have created a relationship with.  One specific encounter I had with one of the directors in my department had a lasting impact on the realizations I created this summer.  We discussed my graduate school options where I explained my wants to go to business school instead of getting my masters in sports management.  I was advised that this was a smart option because the majority of people working in athletic department get burn out within their first five years because of the extreme workload that the job entails.  We also discussed how getting my master’s in business management would be a good option just in case I couldn’t find a job in sports because I could essentially get into any other profession with that degree.

Another interaction I had with a different director in my department, Andy Heaton helped me to realize that working in college athletics may not be the directions I would like to take professionally.  While I assisted him in an Ohio State Marching Band skull session, he started to tell me about his daughter’s soccer game that he was going to miss that weekend.  I decided to ask if he gets the chance to go to many of his kids functions very often.  He said that he does not, but it is the kind of career he chose, and he knew the implications going into it.  Even though others may be okay with missing time with their families that is not something I can picture for my future.

While working my internship I also worked a separate job over night to help with expenses.  Due to this, and making the decision to take a few summer classes, I was only able to get about four hours of sleep every night and did not have any time to have a social life.  By the end of the summer I was not only physically tired, but mentally exhausted trying to keep up with everything.  This was a large part in my realization that I needed to be happy instead of putting monetary or professional goals ahead of my own mental health.  I have always been so hard on myself to push through and accomplish things, but this stopped me from living in the moment and enjoying life, which is what is really important.

This change is significant to my life because if I wouldn’t have come to these realizations, I would be so over worried about what I am going to do with my life that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my last year of college.  This also game me a new mindset on looking towards the future.  I was always so set in my ways about wanting to have a concrete vision of what I wanted to do with my life.  Now I am very hopeful and open minded to whatever may come my way.  I also have a new found confidence to go out and try new things that I would have been afraid to try before.