Author: strutynski.1

Year End Review

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This year I have no doubtably learned just how much we impact our environment. More importantly I have learned just how important it is for us, the youth of our generation, to get involved. I had never been very involved in community service or environment programs before this class, now I have more volunteer experience than any of my friends or family. It has been incredible to see what a group of young students are capable of doing to help our planet. One of the best memories I have from the ENR scholars class is from the beginning of the year when we all went down to the Olentangy river. Here we spent the morning and afternoon cleaning and picking up trash in and around the river. I had never felt this type of purpose in my life, it felt as if I was truly making a positive impact on our community.  

Outside the classroom, I leaned many things. I was able to truly grasp a stronger meaning of life. With a member of my team attempting suicide, I learned the value of life and just how precious it actually is. I learned so much about mental health and who to reach out to if I was struggling. I learned who my true friends were and who I could count on no matter what. I learned responsibility and how to take care of myself being thousands of miles away from my family. Overall I feel as though I learned how to be a better human. 

One of my favorite memories was volunteering to sort recycling from regular garbage at one of our home football games. My synchronized swimming team and I took on the responsibility of standing outside the entrances to the stadium and collecting garbage and recycling. This was another moment where I felt like I was a part of something so much bigger than myself. I felt like I was truly contributing to OSU in such a positive way. The fact that we volunteered as a team only made it that much more special. 

Next year I am extremely grateful to be going back to OSU as a member of the Synchronized Swimming team for the second year in a row. We were not able to finish off our season and compete at our National collegiate competition due to the corona virus, so I am beyond excited to achieve that goal next year. 

Columbus To Do List Part Two

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In reflection to my To Do List, I was able to go dine at the Northstar Cafe. I had been wanting to try their food for a really long time so I suggested it as the place to eat for my friends birthday celebration. Me and five of my close friends were delighted with their excellent service, a beautiful well lit cafe and most importantly a wide range of vegan food options for my vegan friends! I ended up having a wonderful asiago cheese dip and a mint iced coffee. Both of these items were things I had never tried before and were very intriguing to say the least. I have to say, their mint iced coffee is probably my new personal favorite drink. Because this cafe is in the Short North District, my friends and I were able to shop around after our lunch. From the cafe, we visited many little gift and jewelry shops and even stoped to get ice cream on our way back. I used to think Columbus wasn’t a very trendy city but visiting all the quaint little shops up and down the Short North has proved otherwise. Next time I am down in that area I would like to walk further down towards the middle of Columbus and eventually explore the downtown area.

My recommendation is if you do want to try out Northstar Cafe, or any restaurant in the Short North, you should firstly try the mint iced coffee but also set aside some time to browse the nearby shops! The Short North has proved to be a very nice atmosphere and is actually quite different from the rest of campus, despite only being a short bus ride away.

 

Here Is my mint iced coffee that I clearly thought was very picturesque. It had real mint leaves in it which gave it a subtle non-overbearing minty taste.

My only complaint about this cafe is that it is always very busy and it did take awhile for a table to open up for my friends and I. I would recommend calling ahead or perhaps visiting the cafe in smaller groups. They didn’t seem to have any tables big enough to accommodate large parties, and as such seemed to be a more intimate cafe. Their menu was very health centered and as such was a bit pricey, especially for a university student, but all in all I would give it a 8/10 rating.

Alumni Interview

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I have chosen Allison Rickman as my alumni for this project. I was instantly drawn to Alison because she was the only alumni with a Biology degree, which is what I am currently working on as well! Because of this shared connection, I believed that she would be the best person to offer me advice and guidance going forward.

Here is what she had to say in regards to my proposed questions;

 

 

  1. During my time at OSU I have been involved with ENR scholars, an organization called the Undergraduate Genetic Counseling Club and I am currently holding a job as a student research assistant for a Genetic Counselor. I am a Biology major and am in my last year of my undergraduate studies. Based on my experiences so far, I have found that if there is something you are interested in, try and find other people interested in that as well because these will be great people to talk to but also great resources for courses and even graduate school applications if you are going that route.
  2. ENR scholars for me was very different from most things I had been involved with prior. Outdoor activity was something I never really had time to get into and am still currently slowly doing. However, this scholars program allowed me to expand my horizons and find new things that I would like to try and learn new things about the world around me. I was also able to be involved with the leadership counsel which allowed me to focus on leadership skills and planning things for larger events that was something I had not done before.
  3. So far the most interesting classes I have taken have been the molecular genetics course I took in Autumn semester 2018 and the cancer genetics course I am currently taking. As I am interested in genetics and currently applying to graduate programs for genetic counseling. Because these are the topics I am interested in, these classes are much more enjoyable for me to take.
  4. The only student organization I have and am apart of is the Undergraduate Genetic Counseling Club. This is an organization apprised of students who are interested in pursuing genetic counseling and has been a wonderful resource for me. I have been able to learn more about the profession I am pursuing from this organization and have had the opportunity to network with practicing genetic counselors in the Columbus area.
  5. Currently I am a student research assistant to a genetic counselor and a full time student. From my experience so far, I have found that when navigating the professional world, the best thing you can do is be yourself. I realize this seems silly, but at the same time employers and graduate school programs are looking to make sure that you will be a fit for their company or program and thus it is extremely important to be yourself and show them who you are. Also remember that if you receive interviews, they believe you are qualified so be confident in the answers you are giving to their questions.

 

Alison responded in amazing detail and I could not have chosen a better candidate for my interview. Her advice on finding people who are interested in similar topics and issues really stood out to me due to the fact that, I actually have not met another biology major yet! I plan on seeking out some more biology majors to see their insight into the future, what they envision themselves doing career wise and how they plan on getting there. I believe once I start taking more of the biology major courses this will come easier but for now I will be more aware when talking to others. I learned most of all that her time as an ENR scholar opened her up to her outdoorsy side, one that she would never have found otherwise. I would like to say that I have had a very similar experience so far! It has been very exciting for me to be able to explore the outdoors and try new activities that I would have never otherwise signed up for.

To Do List Part 1

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For my Columbus To Do List, I am choosing to do the Local Food Favorites. I am very much a food person, every weekend I try to go to new restaurants with my friends. As a person who hates cooking at home, I almost always eat out. I am a big fan of brunch and breakfast foods so I am most looking forward to going to Northstar cafe. I have also heard a lot of good things about The North Market and am very intrigued about what they have to offer. In my experience, going to restaurants isn’t only about the food, it is about the entire restaurant atmosphere. Chatting and spending time with friends while eating a delicious meal has become one of my favorite pastimes, I hope to further my passion with this hobby with the completion of this list! Unfortunately I have not been able to try any of the restaurants on this list quite yet, so in my post today I will be detailing one of my favorite restaurants around Columbus thus far.

 

Restaurant number 1 – Forno

 

My favorite restaurant in Columbus so far is Forno, here they serve a wide variety of pizzas and appetizers. My go to pizza here is the breakfast pizza, which is a huge four cheese pizza topped off with three sunny side up eggs. They also serve an amazing avocado toast on their brunch menu! Their dessert menu isn’t very long but they serve an authentic buckeye cheesecake with a chocolate buckeye nut on top. Pictured above is my friend and I with our buckeye cheesecake! I would highly recommend this restaurant to any pizza lover and I will definitely keep going back!

 

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

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My name is Louisa Strutynski and I am a Biology major here at OSU. I was recruited to the university to be a part of the Synchronized Swimming team and am currently here on athletic scholarship! Synchronized Swimming has been a huge part of my life for the past 10 years. It has allowed me to travel all across the world for competitions and finally has brought me here for an opportunity to receive a high level education. Some of my biggest achievements include competing at several junior and senior FINA World Championships and being on many USA National Teams.  This sport is what has made the person I am today, giving me many important life skills such as; time management, leadership, how to work cohesively with a group, people skills, interview and public speaking skills, as well as how to problem solve in high stress situations.

 

Despite being a citizen of the United States,  I have lived in Calgary Alberta Canada for the past 13 years. I consider Canada a large part of my life as it is really all I have ever known and most of my immediate family still reside there. Me and my best friend from Calgary actually moved down to OSU together this year!

 

Being a Biology major, I am incredibly curious and passionate about all things  environment and Science related. This is why I was immediately drawn to the ENR Scholars group. I am so incredibly excited for the community service opportunities given to us through this group and can’t wait to further my knowledge on our environment in todays world. Once I graduate from OSU with a Biology degree I would love to go to graduate school and specialize in Marine Biology. I have always had a strong love for the Ocean and truly believe being a field researcher for marine life would be quite an exciting career. I want to give back by being directly involved,  as a researcher I would be able to be right there finding new ways to save one of our planets most important ecosystems.

 

Here are some of my favorite moments from my swimming career thus far-