Part I

What is one thing you

would change about this
year? Why?

I wish I would have been more open to finding a

community for me earlier in the year. My first experience
with any community was the Honors Retreatand I felt
very disconnected from many of my peers except my
group leader. I do not regret going because not only did
President Ono mention me in his speech but I did meet
some faces that would play an important role to me later
in the year. My next attempt at finding a community was
the First Year Leadership ProgramI went in with one of
my buddies from high school and a roommate and found
it difficult to branch out. I finally did find my community
in college as a sister of Phi Sigma Rho but I believe it was
because I was forced to have my guard down. I know I
missed some opportunities to make connections because
I was in denial about my need for new people.

What is the most significant event,

experience, or challenge you overcame this
year and what did you learn from that
experience? How is experience influential in
terms of how you see yourself today?

The most significant event of this year was accidently joining a sorority.
Phi Sigma Rho, the engineering social sorority, does informal rush and
my friend asked me to come along to an event with her a few weeks into
the year. I went; before I knew it we were being initiated and then I was
stuck. I did not even know we were a Greek sorority until after initiation.
When I did find out we were Greek, I became insecure about our place
as an organization in the community. It was not until the first major
Greek event that I warmed up to the idea of involvement as a sorority.
Phi Rho and the Greek community has since taught me so much about
the impact of brother- and sisterhood on a level greater than self. Going
Greek has given me goals and motivations for involvement at UC and
the greater community. By the influence of my sisters, I have been
elected to the leadership role of Director of Recruitment and I see myself
continuing work with future sisters as a mentora position I truly love.

Part II

What piece of advice would you like

to give yourself as you prepare for
the upcoming year, be that
academically, personally, or both?

A piece of advice that I would like to

give myself for the upcoming year
would be: say yes to anything that may
turn into an adventure. I want to get
out of the house and do things and this
past year I felt afraid to fly solo.
Adventure makes for good stories, and
I love the adrenaline behind it. If Im
going to build up some more character,
I need to have some new adventures.

How have your thoughts about who

you are and what you want to do
changed or evolved this year? How
will that inform your next steps?

One of the major projects of my Teamwork

and Leadership seminar was a reflective
journal on me as a person and a leader. The
project turned into 50+ hours of looking at
who I was and who I want to be. I am proud
of many of the components that I am made
of but I need to recognize the pieces that
need exercise. This year I have evolved to
become more reflective on who I amand I
am thankful to the University Honors Program
to bring this key to success into my life. My
next steps include taking what I have
reflected on, and making feasible goals.

What is at least one goal

that you have set for
yourself for the upcoming
year?

One goal I have set for myself is a simple one: read at

least 4 news articles, 4 times a week. This is something
that I saw value in after spending much time with Greg
Sizemore and from my admiration of President Ono. I

Transition to UC

What strategies did you employ in

the face of challenges stemming
from the transition to college? Were
they effective? Why or why not?

One of the strategies for facing challenges while

transitioning to the University of Cincinnati was to
utilize my caring communitythe small group of
people around you that deepens who you are a
person. My dad was someone really important to this
process because of his wonderful advice and
outward perspective. As the weeks rolled on with
school, my roommate Joanne, became someone who
grounded and challenged me. As the end of first
semester approached, my Big became someone who
was constantly showing her support in addition to
verbalizing it. My caring community was not
something that grew strong for me overnight but
instead took vulnerability and trust. Being able to
find people to express who I was became the best
strategy to my establishment at UC.
This is the nicest picture I could find of Joanne and me... I liked how she didnt make me take a million pictures with her
everywhere we went until now.