2016-17 Year-in-Review

My first year at the University of Cincinnati has been filled with challenges, changes, excitement, and stress. In some ways, my experience went as expected, yet in others, it was completely the opposite. One of those differences I discovered about halfway through my first semester was the fact that professors won't always necessarily tell you when assignments are assigned and leave you to check some online resource for due dates. This became especially problematic when I noticed zeroes on assignments that I didn't even know existed because I tended not to check Webassign on the weekends and those assignments were due oftentimes on Sundays at 11:59. Through this experience, I started checking for homework daily, which ended up bringing my homework and quiz scores higher. Another unforeseen challenge I had to work around was the thick accents that some of my professors and TAs had. Though some words might have sounded unintelligible towards the beginning of the semester, I was able to piece together what they were saying to us and could have gotten into conversations with them towards the end of the semester. Undoubtedly when I graduate and start venturing into the professional world, I will meet more of people with accents I won't necessarily understand, but I can use what I've learned to grasp the meaning of the conversation.

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Off campus, I was involved with the University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Engineers Without Borders. My involvement in these groups has cemented my role in the community. As a member of the orchestra, I would use my gifts and talents to enrich myself through artistic expression and growth and provide the community with an opportunity for free access to cultural enrichment. Through Engineers Without Borders, I have assisted at several volunteer sites for Habitat for Humanity. Some of the projects we worked on were refurbishing used household items for purchase, constructing a shed for a new house, cleaning up a neighborhood in Newport, Kentucky. In addition to providing a roof over their head, a house gives people across many socioeconomic backgrounds a sense of pride, a sense of ownership, and a boost to their self-esteem, which can spur them to further growth within their family and community.

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One piece of advice that I would give myself is to worry less. For instance, I wouldn't want to look at my grades because I worried that I had flunked a specific course due to the passing grade being a C - despite the fact that I have not received lower than a B- throughout my first year at UC. It's easy to tell myself to not worry; it's harder to relax. Going forward, if I begin to worry, I should distract myself by doing something enjoyable, or if that doesn't work, talk with someone.

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A goal that I have set for the upcoming year is to earn a co-op position at a respected civil engineering firm.

Looking back, my first year came with a lot of freedoms, but with those freedoms came stress and responsibility.