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Year in Review
Academic Year 2018-2019: My first year at The Ohio State University was one to remember. Not only for all the memories I made with my friends, but also all the lessons I learned on my own. It was a difficult start with the courses I was taking head on without any previous preparation classes. Chemistry 1210 and Calculus were very difficult, and very time consuming. I knew had to put in more effort than anyone else because I never took these classes in high school so I was already a step behind. In the end, I believe I did display my hard-work ethic and pulled out a decent grade in Chemistry, but my Calculus could have been a little better. Fro my second semester, I built a better foundation for my study habits and really forced myself to get done what was needed. My grades could have been slightly improved, but I guess that’s where the first year live and learn experience comes from. I now know better, more effective study methods and that every point counts. It is important to try new things just to see what door will open next. You never know when a new opportunity will pop up, and it really is all about making connections fro your future. I learned to always try in every activity, assignment, and exam because you never know when the material or points will be beneficial in the end. With my Health Science Scholar Program, I was constantly reminded to live a balanced life. This includes anything from physical to emotional health, while still focusing on my future and ensuring I make the best out of my life. This was probably the biggest impact on me as I learned to constantly remind myself that everything will be okay and my health is above every downfall or negative event in my life. I learned how to make my own decisions, and learn from my mistakes. Each day is something different and you learn something new every day. College is what you make of it and it depends on whether or not you grab onto the opportunities handed to you. Finding the right balance between a social life and academics was the most difficult challenge, and still is, but as time kept rolling, I found out that you just have to make your own decisions and not listen to those people that don’t value the same things you do. Build a good foundation full of positive support from your friends and college will be much smoother.
[ “Year in Review” is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student. You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year. 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.]
G.O.A.L.S.
[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. 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.
- Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
- Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
- Academic Enrichment: While excelling in the classroom, I have also made the effort to purse academic enrichment beyond the norms of the university. In the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to have an internship in the field of health care. I worked for a local private practice in the area of Audiology. With this experience, I developed more fully in professionalism, communication skills, and knowledge in the field of health care. Some of my daily duties included interacting with patients in person and on the phone, maintaining patient records, monitoring inventory management, assisting professional Audiologists, and cleaning and troubleshooting hearing instruments. This opportunity allowed me to make connections with other local health care providers and increased my knowledge and awareness of the ins and outs of health care.
- Leadership Development: In the classroom, many of my psychology classes consist of group assignments and projects. In order for these to be successful, I took the initiative to contact the members of my group and decipher where everyone’s abilities would best suite the tasks at hand. In my community, I have been involved in many service events that vary in the wide range of our population. I am involved in a student organization called Buckeye Campaign Against Suicide in which I am on the executive board as the Treasurer. With Health Science Scholars, I am part of the Task Force in which I display skills of planning, executing, and establishing events within the program. I am also a Peer Family Lead within the scholars program in which I take responsibility for various members of my family. At the beginning of my second year, I was involved with the OWL Program in which I was a coordinator for a group of welcome leaders that also volunteered. These are a few leadership roles I have taken over the first two years of my college experience. I plan to develop these roles and indulge in my leadership opportunities as my years continue.
- Service Engagement: During my first year The Ohio State University, I achieved a total of 22 hours of service. I attended two of the service days for OSU, one for community commitment and one for MLK Day. The other services include: Ties for Tots in which I tied blankets for children in hospitals, Blood Donation, Garden of Hope for those battling cancer, Youth Bankers Club for children to learn about banking, and painting an elderly couples house. For my second year, I decided to commit to a service program. Through Ohio State, there is a service program called Semester of Service that allows students to volunteer at various service cites throughout the Columbus area. My service site was at New American Welcome Center North YMCA in which I volunteered weekly for my entire second year. While participating in different tasks as they came about, my main focus was with the teen after school program. With teenagers from a diverse community, we joined in physical activity, arts and crafts, music, and homework activities. The goal of this was to provide an environment that both supported and encouraged teens to be the best they could be.
Career
Artifacts
[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.]
About Me
Hi there, my name is Griffin West and I am currently a psychology major with a special interest in the Mental Health field. I plan on continuing my education into graduate school in order to become a clinical psychologist. I come from a small town called Sidney, Ohio, but I am thrilled to live my best life in the city! I really enjoy being a buckeye at The Ohio State University in order to learn more about my major and what makes people tick. I have a great desire to help and care for people. I want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I am very intrigued with the part of our society that struggles the most with hardships in life, and I hope to make a difference in these lives with my future career. I currently love to listen to music, hangout with friends, and play tennis in my free time. I love to meet new people and I hope to meet many more throughout my time here at college!
