Posts

Spring Break

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As a college student, spring break should be best the single most best week of the year. It’s the time to be a stereotypical college student and par-tay it up. It’s even better for me because I already call the ultimate party destination home. While I might live on the west coast of Florida, known for its resident population of the 60 yr+ community, and not the east coast where all the fun happens, it still beats staying in Ohio, a state very well known for its wonderful weather.

Going to the beach, hanging out by the pool, and being in the sun (oh my lord I never knew how much I missed the sun until I started college here) are all fine and dandy but it was so nice to be able to hang out with my family, and, most importantly, my dog. Overall spring break was pretty great; I got a sunburn (that will eventually turn into a tan), saw Captain Marvel twice, and even got a tattoo.

Even though I came back to school realizing that I probably should have done more homework, it was nice to go on a mental and physical vacation. I never really understood how rough college life would actually be, and now that I’m living it, it’s hard. While school, work, and just thinking about the general future can get to me, it’s important to understand that not everything needs to be figured out at once and that it’s okay to stop and breathe for a second.

Columbus To-Do List

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I explored the “Local Food Favorites” Columbus to do list. I went to two different locations with my roommate, Grace. We first went to Nida’s Thai on High, where I had some pretty amazing sushi that made me real homesick for Florida. For my birthday, we decided to go out to eat somewhere and also try something off the To-Do List. I wasn’t really in the mood for anything in particular so North Market, in Short North, was the place we decided to hit. There are so many options to chose from that even the pickiest of eaters could find something to enjoy. From North Market’s website, “North Market is home to dozens of unique, independent merchants, farmers, and makers who deliver personal and personable service every day of the week.”

We wandered around the market, taking stock of what each vendor had to offer. There was fresh seafood, sushi, dumplings, soft pretzels, cheeses, doughnuts, cookies, bread, and SO much more. There was even a vendor for Nida’s Thai! However, my mind was made when I saw fresh, homemade pasta. “Pastaria” is the name of my new favorite restaurant in Columbus. They specialize in homemade pasta, sauces, and several different desserts. So there I stood, staring at all the options available to me trying not to drool. I decided on linguine pasta with a tomato/alfredo sauce, which I ordered with a side caesar salad (because, in my opinion, every good pasta dish needs a good salad.) If there is anything to know about me, it’s that I’m a HUGE tiramisu fanatic, so if I ever see it on the menu, you know I will be ordering it. I of course justified this purchase, saying that it was my version of a birthday cake. Pastaria is a place I think any Italian lover should visit. The staff is incredibly friendly and the food is honestly some of the best I’ve ever had. I will definitely be coming back again and again over my next few years at OSU. 

This To-Do List has showed me all of the different options Columbus truly has to offer. There are so many businesses and restaurants that cater to just about everyone’s needs that anyone would be hard pressed not to find at least one place to fall in love with. I want to continue exploring this ever growing city and discover not only new restaurants, but parks, museums, and festivals as well.

Artifacts

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I talked with my mentor Ansley Watkins, who is a second year Natural Resource Management Major. She was first an Animal Science major, then switched to Forest, Fisheries, and Wildlife, but finally chose to pursue Natural Resource Management. She liked the aspect of being able to balance learning about environmental systems and social sciences.

Ansley is part of the Morrill activities board, the LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation) Program, The Movement, the Morrill Scholars Program, undergraduate student government, and is an SENR ambassador. She told us that it was important to be involved on campus and to be active. She has also participated is several undergraduate research programs. She was able to tell us where she was able to look up how to participate in undergraduate research and how research actually worked.

Ansley said she was happy that she decided to join the Environment and Natural Resources Programs during her first year. Last year over fall break she went on the backpacking trip. Even though she had never gone backpacking before she had a great time and was glad she went. She is also on the leadership council panel, where she said she helps to plan events for the program. Her advice to us was to get out of our comfort zone and to try things we haven’t done before.

Ansley said she was still deciding on what she plans to do after completing college but she said that she will probably go on to graduate school. She also has a few ideas on what she plans on doing job wise. She wants to either work in education, teaching younger kids, working abroad, or working with the government to help implement policies directed towards the environment.

Ansley says that she does not really make a schedule for herself as she does not want to restrict herself to a strict schedule. She just writes down what she has to do for the day, and upcoming assignments, and when she has free time she sits and works. When she was a freshman she wish someone had told her that it was okay to take time for herself. She said she has more of an introverted personality so there are times when she just takes time to reflect on things by herself.

About Me

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Hey! My name is Jordan Vann and I am from Marco Island/Naples, Florida. I am very dedicated to protecting and advocating for the environment and nature. I am a first generation college student, so my parents have always pushed me to succeed and get the best education I possibly can.
Ever since I was little I’ve always had more of a connection to animals than humans, and because of that I hope to one day become a wildlife veterinarian. I have previously worked at a veterinary hospital, with dogs and cats, which showed me very much how I would much rather work with exotic animals.
I am currently majoring in Zoology with plans to double minor in Animal Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Environmental Science. I’ve always cared about the environment, but within the past couple of years it has become exponentially more important to to me to try and help it.
Environmental destruction has hit very close to home for me within the past year. Since October of 2017, Florida has been under attack from a toxic algal bloom commonly referred to as “red tide.” Thousands upon thousands of marine organisms have died since the start of the bloom and certain areas of Florida have had to declare a state of emergency. This horrible man-made destruction can be prevented, but nothing has been done yet, which is why I have been more dedicated to protecting the environment.

Year in Review

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This past year has definitely been a wild ride. I went from sweating buckets a day in Florida, to freezing my butt off in Ohio. I still wonder if coming here really was a good decision…. Jokes aside, going to OSU was probably the best thing I’ve ever done. Most of my friends in high school stayed in-state, but I’m grateful I had the opportunity to come here. I’m pretty much only here because of scholarships and there is not a day that goes by where I’m not thankful for where I am in life. I was able to come here, get away from that high school drama, and help reinvent myself as a person. I’ve had to truly learn what it means to be an adult, to make my own decisions and realize that life is never going to go easy on me.

ENR, no matter how cheesy that is, was probably the class that impacted me the most. On a personal level it helped me to make a family when I was feeling like a lonely out-of-stater. It also helped me to really focus in on what I want to do with my life. I’ve always wanted to work with endangered wildlife but now I really want to focus on helping the environment as well.

When I look back on this year, there were definitely some hard times that I will not look back on happily, if at all, but there were some shining moments that brought me closer to the people around me. One main one was on Valentines Day. My suit mates and I didn’t have any plans so we just stayed in, ate a heck ton of chocolate, and watched Happy Feet. It was such a pure moment with some of my best friends and I will cherish it for a long time. One of my other favorite moments was when one of my suit mates took me and my roommate to her house one weekend. My roommate is an out of state student as well, and it’s hard not being able to go home as often as everyone else does to see their family. That weekend felt like a home away from home and I can now count myself lucky to be surrounded by such great people.

I am excited for all of the good things to come next year. First and foremost I WILL NO LONGER HAVE TO TAKE ANY GENERAL CHEMISTRY COURSES. This is probably what I’m most excited for. During autumn semester I will finally start taking classes for my major (Zoology) along with my minor (Environmental Science). I am so excited to finally be able to learn about the things important to me (if I’m paying $40 grand a year I want to enjoy it). As of right now I am also planning on visiting two different countries within the next 12 months. During winter break I will be traveling with Volunteers Around the World: Veterinary Outreach to Peru where we provide veterinary aid to local villages. Next summer I am also planning on studying abroad in South Africa. The number one item on my bucket list was to travel to south Africa and study the animals there, and now it is finally coming true. I cannot wait to see what the future holds!

G.O.A.L.S.

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The Columbus to-do list I decided to explore was the “Local Food Favorites.” I am looking forward to discover interesting food favorites for every type of cuisine. I am very unfamiliar with this area so I hope to learn more about Columbus and my way around Columbus more easily. I also hope to learn about more places similar to those I go to back at home.

Nida’s Thai on High was the first restaurant I visited on the list. It is located in the short north and serves Thai food. It is not the chesapest place to go for dinner, but the prices we not horrible. ‘The atmosphere is nice, a place anyone can feel comfortable going for a nicer dinner. They also served many different types of sushi that, in my opinion is very reasonably priced compared to everything else served on the menu. I ordered a plate of sushi named “The Heart Attack.” I consisted of spicy tuna cream cheese, jalapeño. After the rolls are made, they are then deep fried and drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce. It was the best sushi I have had since moving to Ohio, so I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys Thai food, or sushi in particular.

 

 

Career

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The RIASEC test is defined as “a theory of personality that focuses on career and vocational choice.” This test gives you a set of different types of jobs and you have to respond to each one saying whether you would dislike or enjoy doing that particular occupation. After you answer the questions, the test breaks those answers down into six general personality categories and ranks where you fall in each one. The different categories are realistic, investigative, artistic, social, entrepreneurial, and conventional. The test then gives you the categories you scored the highest in and gives you a three letter acronym to help you find the best jobs.

When I took the test, for the most part I either really would enjoying doing a certain job, or hate it, with really little in between. I mostly fell into the investigative category, which was almost filled up the entire way. Artistic was my second one, but only half as filled as the investigative. The real kicker was the realistic category where I didn’t even have a bar at all. Still trying to contemplate what that means…

In the ended I landed myself with the acronym IAE (investigative, artistic, and entrepreneurial). While others seemed to get many job results, I got a whopping 5. Five. Those FIVE included Film and Video Editor, Sustainability Specialist, Reporter and Correspondent, Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, and an Urban and Regional Planner. A very interesting selection of jobs in my opinion. The closest one to my personal interests would be the sustainability specialist. I am very passionate about helping to better the environment, especially through sustainable living and practices.

I am currently on the pre-veterinary track and hope to become a DVM specializing in exotic animals and behavior. I am majoring in Zoology, so I am more interested in the fauna side of nature specifically. However, one of the minors I will be pursuing is Environmental Science. I am not naive enough to believe that nothing will change in the next 3 years, so I thought having a background in E.S. would allow me to have a better understanding of the natural world in case the whole Vet thing doesn’t work out.

BUT, as of right now being a vet is still the goal, and has been since I was like 4 year old,  so everything I am doing right now is working towards that goal. I am getting involved as much as I can and am making as many connections as I can because it’s never to early to start planning your future.