As Pirates of the Caribbean as it may sound, an artifact that is really important to me is a compass that my dad gave to me several years back when I was going away to summer camp for the first time. I remember it and value it so much because it was his compass he used when he was in the Army. And even quite possibly to his dismay the Army has always felt like the path for me as well. In high school, Navy JROTC was a big part of my life, and was big step into coming to Ohio State to pursue Army ROTC, with the hope of one day commissioning as an officer in the United States Army. As dorky as it may sound for connection sake, I look to the old, green military compass my dad gave me so long ago as what has helped point me in the direction of a purpose in my life and inspire me, as he has, to serve in the Army. For that, it is extremely important to me.
Another item that is extremely important to me is my Bible. Although it was just given to me a year ago, it holds much more symbolism of my relationship with God over a much longer period of time. See for a long period, I was very disconnected from my religion and it wasn’t until I got to high school that I really started exploring Christianity. And when I first started out, it wasn’t the easiest transition. I beat myself up over everything I did, which was good to an extent because I think I became a better person because of it. But it was due to my complete lack of knowledge in even what I believed, that being Christian started out kind of tough. It was easy to proclaim my faith but then when met with questioning I would quickly stumble and be disheartened. It wasn’t until I really began attending a church regularly that I finally learned about this God who connected with and blessed me for so many years. That church gave me this Bible just over a year ago, that I have been able to study it and grow in my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Since then, I have been blessed to be closer with him than I’ve ever been, and for that I cherish this Bible as one of my artifacts.