2nd Year G.O.A.L.S.

In my first three semesters at The Ohio State University, I have learned so much and developed as an individual, a student, and a leader. The Honors and Scholars program uses the G.O.A.L.S. acronym to guide students in their Honors and Scholars experience. G.O.A.L.S. can translate into actual goals students may have for their experience here. I know that I have grown, and will continue to grow along with my goals.

By the end of my second year, there are many things I would like to accomplish. I have many goals that fit within the G.O.A.L.S. of Honors and Scholars. Starting with the G in G.O.A.L.S., global awareness, one goal of mine is to become a more active global citizen. This entails keeping up with world news, understanding other cultures, and supporting causes that help people not only in our own communities, but all around the world. I believe that this will make me a more well rounded individual, and will help me to better understand those around me.

The next part of the G.O.A.L.S. acronym is original inquiry. This aspect of G.O.A.L.S. is very important to me, as I aspire to work in clinical research. By the end of this year, I would like to secure a position working in a laboratory, either for a summer internship, or at the university for the next few years.

Next, is academic enrichment. I have already taken advantage of this aspect of the G.O.A.L.S. acronym, taking courses which interest me and teach me important things about the world around me. This year, I would like to be able to say that I have learned something new and exciting from each of my classes, something that I will hopefully remember for the rest of my life.

For Leadership Development, my goal is to be a leader to those in need. Not a leader in the formal sense of the word, but more of a mentor. I would like to work harder to help those around me, giving advice and support.

Lastly, the S in G.O.A.L.S. stands for service engagement. Throughout my life, I have always been active in serving my community. I am currently working at both Broad Street Food Pantry and Charitable Pharmacy of Ohio. These organizations are very important to me, and I greatly appreciate the connections they have helped me make. My service related goal for this year is to get more involved in activism. To me, activism is as important a service as working in a food pantry or shelter. I would like to work towards raising awareness of issues close to my heart and find others to join the cause.

Artifact 2: Teddy

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My second artifact is my dog, Teddy. I know it may seem silly to include my dog in here, but he is such a large part of my life, I feel like it would be unfair to leave him out. This dog is my life, any time I’m going through something tough, I think of him and his blithe happiness gives me the strength to persevere. In a way, Teddy represents morals that I strive for, with his loyalty to those who care for him, and unending love for all he sees.

Artifact 1: Mission to NOLA

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The first artifact I have chosen to include in my portfolio is this collection of photos from my first mission trip with my church youth group. In April 2012, I took a week-long trip to New Orleans, Luisiana with my church youth group to help refurbish and rebuild houses that were still damaged from Hurricane Catrina. While in NOLA, we worked with an organization called Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO), which buys houses still affected by the damage of Hurricane Catrina, refurbishes them, and sells them at low prices to teachers, in order to rebuild the education system in the city. Our group of about 30 high school students and 6 adult adult advisors were split up between two houses, where we did everything from painting to drywalling. Over the course of the week we accomplished more work than we could have imagined, all while immersed in the rich culture of New Orleans.

This was the first experience I had with volunteerism outside of my own small community in New Hampshire. It was also the first time I was able to directly see the effect my work was having on the community. Every day at our work site, people from the neighborhood would walk by and stop to talk to us, each one of them extremely grateful for the time and effort we were putting in to help piece their community back together. I realized on this trip how much of an impact volunteerism can have on both the community and the volunteers. My experiences with my youth group in NOLA and ever since have nurtured a love of helping others within me. These experiences have shaped my values, the most important of which being sense of community/family, acceptance of others, and volunteerism. The week I spent in New Orleans was one of the most significant of my life thus far, as it helped shape me as a person and as a loving, caring member of my community and the world around me.

Year in Review

[ “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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

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 is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

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Hannah Whitney, from Amherst, New Hampshire, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University, and a member of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars. Hannah is a pharmaceutical sciences major, with a minor in Spanish. Her other passions include literature, visual and performing arts, and volunteerism.