Semester in Review

Although my semester isn’t over yet, I have had a blast the first couple months here at Ohio State. I’ve made many new friends from my dorm, class, and clubs. These friends have exposed me to new cultures and experiences. The classes I’m taking are both challenging and intriguing. I’ve learned to develop better study habits after taking my first couple midterms. I’m excited to schedule for next semester so I can continually develop my academic success. I’ve volunteered for the Wesley Glenn retirement community and the Columbus city marathon, and I’m looking forward to volunteering in more places.

Academic Enrichment – I had the opportunity to attend a scholars event for personal finances. Finances are not typically talked about in high school, so I wanted to see what I should be doing to get ahead in terms of finances. At this event, I learned some very important tips in terms of budgeting and credit. Holistic learning is very stressed in the scholars program, so I was excited to learn about important information that wasn’t necessarily related to my major.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness- Cultivating and developing an appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. Coming to OSU has already immersed me into a culture of becoming globally aware of the consequences of my action. I’ve noticed myself emphasizing greener practices in my life – using less water, turning off the lights, and actively recycling. Global awareness can come from helping the environment around you and around the world. To become more globally aware, I really want to study abroad during my time at OSU, so I can be exposed to different cultures and backgrounds.

Original Inquiry – Understanding the research process by engaging in creative inquiry projects and independent experiences with different researchers. A major reason I picked the biological science scholars program is the heavy focus on research. Research is something I am very interested in, and want to be more apart of.

Academic Enrichment – Pursuing academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.

Leadership Development – Developing leadership skills to demonstrate in the classroom, community, and activities that prepares for a role in society. It is important to be involved in the activities you do, but developing leadership takes it to the next level. Having strong leadership skills are extremely important after college. Going into an engineering track, projects are usually completed in groups, so developing leadership skills early is advantageous.

Service Engagement – Committing to service in the community. At the service fair at the beginning of the year, I was almost overwhelmed by how many different service clubs there were available to join. Some were extremely specialized for one group of people and others were more broad. Service was a big part of my high school experience, so I’m always trying to integrate service into my everyday life.

Artifacts

My senior capstone project was titled “Summer Camp Fun!”. I worked very closely with the youth minister from my church to help create a detailed plan for a one week summer camp for incoming 6th- 8th graders. Growing up, I had regularly attended the camp for elementary school, but the middle school camp was a recent addition. I really love being involved in my church, so helping with the camp was exciting. This project created personal growth in areas I didn’t expect. I wasn’t very good at public speaking, but I had to speak in front of individual small groups meetings and give directions at large group meetings. The picture below is me leading prayer in the gym of my church. 
My capstone project also taught me the importance of thinking on your feet. For the first day of camp, I had planned to have a field day filled with hula hoops competitions, tie dye, and tag team races; however, there was a very large storm, so all of our activities had to be rearranged. Service within my church is a very important aspect of my life, and I look forward to continuing different service projects with faith and kids in my journey at college.

About Me

Hi I’m Lauren! I’m from Cincinnati OH, and I went to Mount Notre Dame which is a all girl catholic high school. I’m majoring in chemical engineering. Growing up, math and science were my favorite subjects in school, but it was my chemistry teacher who really instilled in me the desire to expand on curiosity and fascination I had in the science field. My goal in life is to never be bored. I want to be fully invested into whatever I am doing, and embed passion into everyday activities. Before I wanted to be an engineer, I thoroughly believed I would own my own bakery. Starting from the age of 9, I would bake one desert to share with my extended family at Sunday brunch. I hope this ePortfolio shares some insight into my academic, personal, and professional development at tOSU!