OHP Experience Reflection

The Ohio Honors Program had a large impact on my college experience and provided me with opportunities to be curious about topics outside of my typical engineering classes.  Through my curriculars experience, I was able to take classes regarding culture and leadership, which in turn helped me value my co-curriculars experiences more.  From each honors class I have taken, I have learned invaluable lessons and gained vital skills that I apply to my everyday life.     

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I have always been passionate about learning about other cultures, so whenever a class on it was offered, I took it.  The culture class that had the biggest impact on me was Dr. Gerard Krzic’s, which I got to take the summer leading into my senior year.  It was just me and Dr. K when we met online so we were able to dive into each topic and apply the material to my personal life.  The class was centered around the Peace Corps workbook – Culture Matters.  We worked through each chapter and reflected on the activities.  My favorite chapter was learning about social relationships because of how much they vary depending on where you are.  Although the in-class activities were fun, my favorite part of the class was being a conversation partner for one of the Japanese exchange students, Miki.  We spoke on FaceTime every week to talk about various topics, and she ended up becoming a good friend.  At the end of the summer, I came back to Athens for a weekend and got to meet Miki in person, as well as her other friends.  Without this class, I would not have met Miki, and I would not have learned as much as I did about the Japanese culture.

 

Through all the honors classes I have taken, and the experiences I have had along with them, the concepts of interdisciplinary and experiential learning were emphasized as the crucial key to learning.  Without interdisciplinary learning, people only hit the surface level of the knowledge they could have by connecting disciplines they are either in or passionate about.  Interdisciplinary learning is taking a step further to fully immerse yourself in what you want to learn about, which ties into experiential learning.  I believe experiences teach the best lessons, which can then influence other aspects of life. 

           

There are numerous lessons I have learned throughout college in the Honors Program that I want to bring with me into my professional world.  Being a woman in STEM is something I am proud of, and every time I walk into an engineering setting, I am immersed in the engineering world which has its own unique culture.  Something I love about engineering is that although it is a male-dominated field, each person has a diverse background, which leads to everyone bringing different ideas to the table to help solve a common goal.  The epitome of engineering is human centered design and that is the reason I wanted to go into that field.  It ties together culture, people, never-ending learning, and creative thinking to help others.  Those four topics were emphasized throughout my time in the Honors Program, and I am excited they will carry over into my professional life.    

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