This week has been normal like any other, maybe a slight bit more stressful as I had some exams, but as the semester goes on, I have begun to notice some more humanities linked events and activities all around me. This weekend I spectated the 4-miler run at OSU which is subtely linked to humanities through its community aspect. In addition to the 4-miler, I was fortunate enough to watch Aladdin, a spectacular production, at the Ohio Theater which combines cultures of film and movies with the more traditional play. With respect to film and movies, I also watched Halloween and the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring with my family.

Lyann Trinh is a new freshman on campus pursuing a major in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pre-Med as well as a minor in philosophy. She was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, daughter to two Vietnamese parents who escaped to the United States during the Vietnam War. Lyann is fully committed to keeping as well as celebrating the traditions of Vietnamese culture through her affiliations with the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) as well the Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American (APIDA) Cohort in which she facilitates  and participates in conversations about social justice issues. Lyann loves giving back to the community through her work with MEDLIFE as well as through dance through VSA, a deep hobby of hers. Lyann is already involved in so many OSU organizations and tackling so opportunities, but like most students who come to OSU, she still looks to find and harness more opportunities as she tries to enter medical school as well as to stay rooted in her traditions.

My first week at OSU I thought would be like any other as I had a class here as a senior: boring and predictable. I have lived just under 20 minutes from campus and have made hundreds of visits for a variety of reasons, so I thought I had a fairly good idea of what I was getting myself into. Oh I could not have been so wrong. The first few days hit me like a wave as I was constantly on the move trying to attend every event, class, and explore campus, and I even ended up accidentally missing a class because I mixed up my schedule. However, the Involvement Fair was something special as I was truly given a glimpse of what my next four years would be full of: opportunities. My high school had 5 clubs at maxiumum, but OSU had over 1400, some of which were not even at the Fair. I had only one club I planned on signing up for, but that number quickly increased from one to two, two to three, three to four, and so on. At the end of the week I realized I probably could not be a part of most of these clubs, but just the idea of so many opportunities got me so excited. On the other hand, I was scared I would have a hard time finding friends, but it took less than a hour for that myth to dissipate. Humanities Scholars provided me with a group of people interested in subjects of language, culture, and history like me, and many, to my surprise, were going through pre-medicine or some science major. Everyday I walk campus I am able to see or talk to at least 10 friends, not a single day passes where I do not see a familiar face. I am so excited to start my undergraduate years at OSU, and I could never have asked for a better starting week.

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]