A global citizen scholar is someone who, driven by their passions, use their strengths to better the world around them. This year I discovered my passions for learning, social justice, the environment and helping others. Not only did I act on my passions this year, but I have set myself for amazing opportunities next year too.

With my passion for learning, I challenged myself profusely in the classroom. This year more than ever I realized my capabilities and strived to be the best student possible. In my honors English 2089, I strengthened my writing skills and discovered my creative side. I also challenged and made myself proud in my required classes such as Biology and Chemistry. With this success, I was chosen as a Peer Leader for the Learning Commons next year, where I will be able to help freshmen in similar classes that I took navigate their first year of college. I have also gotten a part as a Teaching Assistant for the Music of the Beatles class in the fall. This growth has helped immensely in the “scholar” part of global citizen scholar.

With my passion for social justice, I worked hard in clubs such as the Feminists to create change on campus. I was also chosen to take part in the Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL) program next year. In this program, I hope to learn more about social justice issues and take action at UC. I have even reached out to my old high school, where I am hoping to work this summer to install free tampon and pad dispensers in the woman’s bathroom. This has helped strengthen the “global” aspect by reaching out to other students on campus and those in my hometown.

With my passion for the environment, I took part in a lot of outreach programs that worked to clean Cincinnati. The program Clean Up Cincy was very eye opening to me and I realized just how bad the trash problem is in different areas around Cincinnati. By helping to clean up local parks and take place in events that try to better the environment, I have realized how important it is to take care of our planet. I hope to join an environmental club next year, such as LEAP, so that I can spend more time with this kind of work.

Lastly, with my passion for helping others I took part in the program Bearcat Buddies. This program was the best part of my semester this year and it was very rewarding. By working with 6th grade students in math, I realized how amazing it is to work with others and to help others achieve their goals. This was one of the main factors that motivated me to apply to be an LC leader, and is also a reason why I applied to be an Honors Belong Ambassador. The program has also motivated me to try and help as many people as I can and has greatly contributed to my development as a global citizen scholar.

I am very grateful for my first year at Cincinnati and excited for the opportunities I have for next year. Next year I will be taking part as an LC leader, an honors ambassador, a teaching assistant and a member of WILL. I am excited to grow my leadership skills and develop my passions even further. I can't wait for next year!