What specific experiences (honors or not) in the past year have had the most impact on your personal and professional trajectory? Articulate specific personal and/or professional goals for the next year.

 

This year was definitely a year of a lot of development and change in my views of the world and of myself. From starting completely over when I came to college, to my boyfriend transferring halfway through, to my first road trip with no parental supervision, a lot has affected me this year, honors or not. It all started with me being the only person I knew who went to University of Cincinnati. Most of my friends had left to go to Ohio State. I had to start all over in making friends while I watched them continue to hang out with each other up in Columbus. It was hard at first, but within a few days I had met people like me. That group of friends that I met during welcome week are still my closest friends at the college to this day. It gave me confidence in being independent and fending for myself rather than relying on people I already knew and was comfortable around.

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Furthermore, another experience that had a lot of impact on me personally was my boyfriend, who was currently going to OSU, deciding he made the wrong choice and needed to transfer to UC. This caused a lot of emotional turmoil because I was conflicted between really wanting him here with me while also worrying that he might be making the wrong choice transferring so early. I reached out to a lot of trusted friends and mentors to talk through it and eventually, once he made the transfer, I was only ecstatic. I became more comfortable reaching out for help from others and talking about how I felt and what I was truly thinking inside. 

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Finally, an honors experience that has had an immense impact on my personal trajectory was my road trip down Route 66. It involved me and a few of my friends, and it was our first time being completely independent and traveling with no parental or adult guidance. We had to be responsible, logical, and problem solve on our own. We lasted the full 11 days and managed to have a lot of fun with very little issues. There were some scary moments (a threat of tornadoes in Oklahoma and the car acting up in Colorado) but other than that it was seamless and we did an amazing job. This trip has definitely opened our eyes to our abilities to survive without our parents, and especially showed us what we need to work on (like how NONE of us are able to start any type of fire, even when we have coals and lighter fluid). Furthermore, it gave us a new perspective on the United States and how people in rural areas make do compared to us living in a comfy suburban home. We drove through many Native American reservations, saw run down towns that were once bustling road side stops on route 66, and witnessed the beauty of six national parks (Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, and Arches). We even interacted with travelers from the UK who were also traveling down route 66. We taught them how to make a s'more and they taught us about the different stereotypes in different areas in the UK (like Manchester vs Londoner vs Scotch). It was an amazing learning experience for everyone involved on this trip, and I am so happy we were able to do it.

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My goals for next year are to do a spring semester honors seminar that travels abroad, to plan another honors experience trip for next summer, to continues getting A's in all of my classes, and to continue keeping a close relationship with my friends from high school and my friends from college. Next school year we will be living in an apartment with a kitchen in it, so we will not have a dining hall plan. We must be organized and knowledgable in order to cook our food this year, so this summer my goal is to collect a lot of recipes and make sure to practice planning out meals and preparing what I need to prepare. Furthermore, I have a staff position in one of my clubs so I need to make sure I effectively balance school, work, my club responsibilities, and helping out around the apartment. I am very excited to be even more independent next school year, because cooking for ourselves is territory that we have not yet delved into. 

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This year all in all was very developmental and one of the most impactful years I have had. Starting with graduating high school and starting college and ending with an independent cross-country road trip, I can't imagine what next year has to offer. 

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