This past semester I had the opportunity to take all major classes for the first time in my academic career here at Ohio State. The project shown below was one of my first digital projects I was assigned this semester. Although I have completed many since I wanted to include this specific one because with this project I was able to explore a part of Ohio State’s campus that I had not visited before, Waterman Cow Farm. When visiting the site I was introduced to a whole new side of OSU that I did not know much about at the time, but upon photographing the cows for many hours I started to appreciate this more rural environment located so close to the city. Something about exploring a new part of campus while still fulfilling an academic requirement is a great feature that I was unaware my curriculum here at OSU had.

This past February I had the chance to participate in my very first BuckeyeThon, here at Ohio State. After a few months of fundraising this event was well worth the wait. The chance to spend a total of twelve hours on my feet, for the kids, was a memorable and uplifting experience. Although the night was tiring, it was easy to get through as I had my fellow Mount Scholars beside me. The event itself was a lot more than I expected, in more ways than one. The amount of hard work that went into organizing the event was incredible and I am so grateful to have peers who willingly dedicated hours to the planning of it. As I left the event the following morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful I was to have a community around me who is willing to step up to raise awareness and money for such an important cause. All the kids smiling faces as they ran down the middle of the Ohio Union at the start of the event is something I carry with me everyday, as I continue my journey here at Ohio State. And I hope that my peers have the same opportunity to experience such a great event during their time here at Ohio State, if they haven’t already.

As my first semester here at The Ohio State University begins to wrap up, I reflect on the moments where I felt most proud. Although the semester has not been easy in any means, I do believe it has been worth it. The picture above represents the buckeye community that I have grown apart of and one that I have looked to for guidance during challenging times this semester. Attending one of my first Ohio State games as a member of this community meant a lot. It helped me to put certain academic obstacles I had faced into perspective and celebrate the small successes within them. This moment, of attending a football game with friends, helped me to recognize how important it is to have a community to lean on and fellow buckeyes to celebrate with.

As a Mount Scholars member I was able to meet these great individuals my first few weeks of school, here at Ohio State. Although I have not been here long, having these friends to lean on during this transition has made all the difference. As classes start to pick up, and we all get into our own routines it is comforting to know that I can come back to these smiling faces every evening. Meeting my fellow mounties and getting to know each of them has truly made me feel like a member of the buckeye community. This short amount of time I have spent at Ohio State has proven that I did, in fact, find my home away from home and I can not wait to grow even closer with my peers in the years to come.

[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.]