Collegium CommuniquéTHE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY HONORS & SCHOLARS CENTER

On November 30th, Collegium students had the unique opportunity to hear from outgoing Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Collegium senior Mal Mrozek (top right), who worked with National Foundation for Women Legislators in Washington, D.C., this summer, introduced the Secretary. Collegium and graduate political science students attended this installment of the Collegium’s Career Path Speaker Series, a set of talks scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year (to learn more about this initiative, see page 2). Secretary Brunner’s relaxed demeanor and candid stories of her path provided a glimpse of the life and responsibilities she has embraced, helping her audience to imagine their own prestigious careers. (Bottom right, Collegium seniors Mal Mrozek and Marco Satala; bottom left, Collegium junior Martin Dalefield poses with Secretary Brunner).

Ohio Secretary of State Kicks off Collegium Speaker Series

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

AUTUMN 2010

Collegium students Tyler Merz and Chris Skovron hanging out with fellow presenters in Saõ Paulo, Brazil. Read more about their experience in the Director’s Letter on page 2.

Student Scholars 4Students undertake, present, and publish their research

Summer Stories 5-11Collegium students’ sum-mer endeavors

Alumnus Profile 12Adam Rusnak discusses the Harvard Law Pro-gram and beyond

Program Updates 2-3Letter from the Director,Collegium activities and initiatives

PAGE 2 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1Pr

ogra

m U

pdat

es

Dear Friends,We welcomed another strong group of freshman into the pro-gram this year; several are al-ready engaged in research with faculty at Ohio State. In addi-tion to the freshmen, we added 13 sophomores and juniors.

As you read through this issue of the Communiqué, you will notice many of our students are traveling abroad. As the University seeks to interna-tionalize, we want more of our students to have academic ex-periences away from campus. However, such travel places a financial burden on students. In order to help, we are seeking to establish several scholarships

targeted at specific areas of study, such as Environment and Sustainability. We are working with University Development to look for donors to fund these scholarships, which will help Collegium students become more global citizens.

Recently, I was able to travel to Brazil as part of the OSU Research Exchange with the University of Saõ Paulo. Five OSU students, including two Collegium seniors, Chris Skov-ron and Tyler Merz, presented their research at the 18th Inter-national Symposium of Scien-tific Initiation and traveled with delegations from Portugal and Canada. This was another ex-

cellent oppor-tunity for our students to reach out glob-ally and share their accom-plishments.

As always, I would like to thank the Collegium staff and associated faculty, all of whom have impressed me with their dedication to our students.

CFC Career Path Speaker Series

Letter from the Director

Students in the Honors Col-legium New Student Seminar recently gathered with four members of the Collegium Faculty Community (CFC) to hear about the steps these fac-ulty members took to become leading scholars in their fields. After a group meal, Doug-las Southgate (Professor of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Econom-ics), Paul Beck (Professor of

Political Science), David Tomasko (Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering), and Amanda Simcox (Professor of Molecular Genet-ics) sat down with the students and shared expe-riences from their undergraduate career to their current position at Ohio State.

In an honest and fun exchange, Professor Simcox and Tomasko admitted that they would probably

not have been admitted to the Honors Colle-gium, and the entire panel recounted the often unexpected phone calls or invitations that shaped their careers. After the panelists concluded, the floor opened to student questions such as, “What was the best advice that you didn’t follow?” and, “What are the perks and frustrations of being a faculty member?” Ultimately, the panelists advised students to find work they loved and plan ahead, but remain open to new opportunities as they arise.

This panel served as the inaugural event of The Career Path Speaker Series, a new Collegium initiative proposed by Professors Beck and Southgate. During the coming year, Collegium staff and students will generate a list of commu-nity leaders, politicians, and professors to invite for a discussion of how they reached their current role. Check the Collegium website for upcoming speakers!

Former Director David Tomasko spoke

at the event

Director Brian Winer

COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE 3 Program

Updates

Rhodes Scholarship Finalist

In recent years, the Collegium has seen an increase in students studying less commonly taught lan-guages that are critical to furthering the United States’ interests abroad. The U.S. Department of State sponsors the Critical Language Scholar-ship program (CLS) to support such study, offering fully-funded intensive summer language institutes overseas in thirteen foreign languages. During the summer of 2010, Collegium junior Kenneth Hensley participated in the CLS sum-mer institute in Vladimir, Russia. At the end of the program, his Russian skills were evaluated at

the advanced level, which contributed to Hensley obtaining a position with a government intelligence agency for the upcoming summer. Jamie Gusch-ing, a junior in international business, participated in the Turkish CLS program in Ankara last summer, an experience that led her to apply for a Fulbright grant to return to the country after graduation. The CLS institutes are rigorous and purposeful pro-grams, and our office encourages students to apply in addition to advising them through the application process. Check back in the Spring to learn about CLS recipients at Ohio State!

Collegium senior Surili Sheth was selected as a national finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Of the 837 nominees, the Rhodes Committee select-ed 209 national finalists for the award based on their demonstration of superior academic ability, leadership, and the potential to make an effective and positive contribution throughout the world.

Surili certainly embodies these characteristics in both her scholarship and outreach. As an eco-nomics and political science major with a minor in math, Surili has conducted undergraduate research on development since she began volun-teering in the slums of Ahmadabad, India, during the summer after her freshman year.

As she immersed herself in the community with a local NGO, Manav Sadhna, she was amazed to see the response of the students, who began to model their futures after the workers and volun-teers that they met through Manav Sadhna. She saw the potential to create a new generation of leaders for change. Surili returned during the following two summers, and her interest in the connections between education and development merged with her academic career.

While studying abroad last spring semester, she completed academic coursework in development studies and a grassroots internship in educational

curriculum develop-ment. She has con-tinued to merge her volunteering with fieldwork, dedicat-ing three summers to research for her hon-ors thesis comparing development models in Indian slums. Her work has been aided by her fluency in Hindi and Gujarati and the close working relationships that she has built with multiple NGOs in the area.

On campus, she is a co-founder of the Interna-tional Development Coalition, a student group dedicated to raising awareness and promoting dialogue about global development, and she has been a member of OSU’s Mock Trial team. She has also served as a page for the Ohio House of Representatives and volunteered for the Home-less Families Foundation.

In addition to the Rhodes Scholarship, Surili has also applied for a Carnegie Junior Fellowship and Fulbright grant to continue her research in India next year. See our spring Communiqué for up-dates about her plans next year!

Surili Sheth

Department of State Critical Language Scholarships

PAGE 4 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1St

uden

t Res

earc

hPAGE 4 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

In April, I attended the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the University of Montana, a conference that brought together under-graduate researchers from all disciplines. My project, “Fictional Parliamentarians and the Likable Legislator,” explores the representation of members of parliament

in British fiction. I presented my work as part of a panel in the humanities sec-tion with students from across the country working with modernist literature. Traveling with other Ohio State students in the Arts & Humanities helped us to build connections across our departments and to solicit input on our work from students with training in other disciplines. Chris Skovron

Chris SkovronLocation: Missoula, MTArea of Research: English, Political ScienceGraduation Year: 2011

In May 2010, I began working on a project exploring the potential role of the gene DCPS as a tumor suppressor in squamous cell carci-noma. I presented the results at the 2010 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting & International Research Conference in a presentation entitled, “Effects of DCPS overexpression on mRNA splicing and stability in cutane-ous squamous cell carcinoma.” Students at this conference rep-resented more than one hundred academic institutions from across North America and abroad. Proj-ects included research ranging

from preliminary findings to well-established conclusions.

Kelsey prepares her samples in the lab

Kelsey Gray

Location: Raleigh, NCArea of Research: Biomedical ScienceGraduation Year: 2012

The Honors Collegium expects its members to distinguish themselves beyond the baccalaureate degree. As undergraduates, many Collegium students have published their research and trav-eled widely to join new labs or present their findings at conferences. Students receive funding for their trips from a variety of sources, including Collegium grants.

I interned in the Molecular Neuro-pharmacology Section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of 27 institutes and centers in the National Institutes of Health. My research centered on optimizing a new measuring assay for dopamine receptors. Assays such as this are important tools to develop selective drugs – ones that ac-tivate only selected pathways of a given receptor. This may lead to improved treatments for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. My research

culminated in a presentation at the NIH Poster Day, during which I was able to present my findings to, and receive helpful feedback from, some of the leading biomedical scientists of the world.

Martin conducts research at the National Institute of Health

Martin DalefieldLocation: Besthesda, MD Area of Research: Pharmaceu-tical Sciences, ChemistryGraduation Year: 2012

Collegium Students Share Research

COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE 5Student Stories

COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE 5COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE

In the summer of 2009, I con-ducted field-work in South Africa for my Honors Thesis project on comparative perceptions of violence among South African and Northern Irish youth.

I am now completing a study abroad program at the University of Ulster in Derry, Northern Ireland, pursuing coursework in peacebuilding, Northern Irish culture, and identity politics in order to compare the progress be-ing made towards peace in another divided, post-conflict society. I also volunteer with St. Columb’s Park House in their Anti-Social Behavior Programme, which works with at-risk Northern Irish youth. Studying in Northern Ireland has given me the op-portunity to experience everyday life in a post-conflict society and has given me great insight into the barriers to-wards promoting greater tolerance and equality among those who have expe-rienced political violence. I look for-ward to returning to Northern Ireland next September to begin a master’s program at the University of Ulster as

a Rotary Ambas-sadorial Scholar.

Northern IrelandWhat: Study AbroadArea of Study: Interna-tional Studies, FrenchGraduation Year: 2011

Elaine HouseholderSeva KhambadkoneThanks to a Colle-gium travel grant this summer, I had the opportunity spend a few weeks in Rancho Grande, Nicaragua,

a rural, mountainous region left destitute after the failure of the coffee plantations that supported the community. Students in Project Nicaragua, the student group I head, worked with the local community to build a feeding sta-tion and a farming and technical school for children and adolescents in the region. We taught basic English and computer skills to the students and began a study on the community’s needs.

After I returned to the States, the leader of our affiliated non-profit in Rancho Grande solicited my help in raising money to build a new school that would replace the current building, a two-room, derelict shack. She had already raised $70,000, but needed $30,000 more before construction could begin. In the follow-ing five weeks, I organized a fundraising event working with several physicians, volunteers, and OSU students to find a venue, create and distribute invitations, organize the night’s entertainment, and procure hundreds of dol-lars of monetary and silent auction donations from local businesses and leaders. In all, we raised about $38,000, enough to finish the school with some savings. The school is currently beginning construction, and I am grateful that I could help the community to invest in a sustainable future.

To round out my summer, I was also able to present my research at the annual Sigma Xi Scientific Research Soci-ety conference. I presented on research that I have con-ducted with Professor John Bruno for the last two years in a presentation titled, “Mediation of Cortical Glutamate Release by Nucleus Accumbens: Relevance to Schizophre-nia.” This work could help us better understand the brain chemistry responsible for schizophrenia, perhaps leading to more effective drugs and therapies.

NicaraguaWhat: Service and Research TripArea of Study: NeuroscienceGraduation Year: 2012

Seva with her students

Elaine at Northern Ireland’s Coastal Causeway

PAGE 6 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1Su

mm

er S

tori

es

I began my sum-mer on a five-week architectur-al study abroad program with Professor Jac-queline Gargus. While abroad, I studied architec-tural history in Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.

After the trip, I traveled on an Architecture Research Travel Award grant from the Knowl-ton School of Architecture and the Collegium’s Travel Grant to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Her-

zegovina. While there, I conducted research into the city’s post war architec-tural climate and revitaliza-tion, which I presented to the Knowlton School this fall. Before the quarter began, I also led a weeklong Habitat for Humanity trip to Chicago. The trip was organized through SERVitecture, a student group of which I am President, and it al-lowed incoming architecture students the chance to participate in one of our design and build projects. These projects let students develop our design skills and help build homes for struggling families.

I spent my summer in Bomet, Kenya, which is in the rift valley and near Tenwek Hospital. I worked and volunteered at a rural research hospital, where I helped to conduct two studies through available patient charts. Our first study focused on mother to child transmis-sion of HIV and the second studied CD4 count in the T-cells of HIV patients in order to measure immune status. Beyond my studies, I was able to volunteer, scrub in on a surgery, and even feed a prema-ture infant in the NICU.

In addition to staying with a local family of medical workers, I volunteered at orphanages and taught art to American and Kenyan students. Getting to know the community and their traditions was amazing, and I hope to return in my future career.

As someone who wants to study the paths of transmission for infectious diseases, I know that my work will have to incorporate culturally specific responses in addition to scien-tific research, so this summer was an especially valuable mix of both. As I seek to reduce the spread of diseases in devel-oping regions in the future, I am grateful for this experience, and the Honors Collegium for supporting my work.

Joanna Daigle

Ryan Connolly

KenyaWhat: Public Health ResearchArea of Study: MicrobiologyGraduation Year: 2013

EuropeWhat: Study AbroadArea of Study: ArchitectureGraduation Year: 2011

Joanna Daigle with her student in Kenya

Ryan Connolly

COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE 7Sum

mer Stories

With help from a Collegium Travel Grant, I spent my summer studying agriculture and rural development in the Czech Repub-lic. I took courses on Rural Sociology, European Agricultural Economics, and Czech Language and Culture at an agricultural university just north of Prague. I also toured the countryside and visited many farms and factories. It was fascinating to speak with Czechs about the history of agriculture in the region and to discuss European Union policies, which favor agriculture in old EU nations such as France, and also place a greater emphasis on developing organic and sustainable agriculture.

I also traveled to Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands. In Hol-land, I visited the Dutch Botanical Gardens, which were fascinating because of the instrumental role that they played in the development of tropical agriculture, such as the cultivation of coffee beyond the small region in Africa to which it is native. My summer experience allowed me to draw comparisons between US and EU agriculture and gave me a better appreciation for the state of sustainable agri-culture on a global level.

Over the summer, I began interning at the Jaipur Virasat Foundation (JVF), a traditional arts NGO in Jaipur, India, that champions a heritage-based model to economic develop-ment in Rajasthan. I will con-tinue my work there through autumn quarter. JVF studies, manages, and promotes Rajast-han’s performing folk artists in hopes of increasing their liveli-hood opportunities. My first project is designing a keepsake booklet for donors like Prince

Charles and the Maharajah of Jodhpur using my knowledge of magazine-design principles. It is very rewarding to use my background in journalism to advance the goals of this great organization.

During my time here, I have seen the Taj Mahal, slept under the stars in the desert, bar-gained with shopkeepers (in Hindi!), danced with traditional Indian folk musicians at an

international music festival, cheered for the Canadian field hockey team at the Common-wealth Games, and seen more forts, temples, and palaces than I can count with my fingers. I also had the opportunity to volunteer at the UNESCO-en-dorsed Rajasthan International Folk Festival in October, which was a spectacular five-day production held at Mehrangarh Fort, one of the best-preserved forts in India.

Czech RepublicWhat: Study AbroadArea of Study: Crop Science, GeographyGraduation Year: 2013

IndiaWhat: InternshipArea of Study: English, Political ScienceGraduation Year: 2012

Deanna with fellow intern and local artists

Kelly explores innovative agricultural techniques in the Czech Republic

Deanna Pan

Kelly Lewis

PAGE 8 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1Su

mm

er S

tori

es

This summer I spent a month in Düsseldorf, Ger-many. Through a program with the Institute for International Communication,

I studied business customs and language in a city that is both a cultural and commercial hub of Europe’s largest economy. In addi-tion to daily classes, I had the chance to take VIP visits to E.ON, a multinational energy company, the Messe-Düsseldorf, one of the world’s leading exposition centers, and the Düsseldorf-Harbor, a center for European media, where a combination of presentations, tours, and personal dialogues exposed me to the inner-workings of world class corpora-tions. In addition, I toured the historic Old

City, countless art and history museums, and picturesque land- and cityscapes along the Rhine that make Düsseldorf a truly one-of-a-kind place.

From April to July, I conducted research in Quito, Ecuador, and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, for a project entitled “Autodetermina-cion?: Bilingual Education and Human Rights in Ecuadorean and Bolivian Urban Indigenous Communities.” My project seeks to determine if urban indigenous children have the right to bilingual (Spanish and an indigenous language) educa-tion and whether urban indig-enous parents prefer bilingual

education more than monolingual education. As part of my research, I volunteered for two organizations that provide services to children of indigenous migrants and conducted interviews with indigenous par-ents, students, NGO directors, and bilingual teachers.

Justin Schulze

Adam Windnagel Kelsey Gray

Ecuador & BoliviaWhat: Research Area of Study: International Studies, EconomicsGraduation Year: 2012

GermanyWhat: Study AbroadArea of Study: Finance, GermanGraduation Year: 2013

Adam Windnagel

Justin conducts an interview

I volunteered in India with the Global Health Initiative for two weeks. Our group rotated through various departments at Care Hospital in Hyderabad, such as billing, the Medical Intensive Care Unit, Radiol-ogy, the Emergency Room, the hematology lab, and the cardiology lab. I observed several similarities and differences between this hospital and those in the United States. For example, Care Hospital offers advanced diagnostic tests such as MRIs and CT scans, but they only use gloves when deemed absolutely necessary in order to cut costs. Since funding is limited, prioritizing is an essential part of running the hospital. In addition to spending time at the hospital, we visited Sphoorti Orphanage in Hyderabad and the more than one hundred chil-

dren who live there. Interacting with the children and work-ing at Care Hospital were inspiring expe-riences.

Kelsey makes new friends at the Sphoorti Orphanage

IndiaWhat: Medical VolunteerArea of Study: Biomedical Science, PhilosophyGraduation Year: 2012

COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE 9Sum

mer Stories

This summer I volun-teered with Teach Huaraz Peru, a non-profit orga-nization which focuses on improving the quality of English education in Huaraz. During my two month stay, I served as a teaching assistant in Eng-lish classes at both a pri-mary school and a com-munity language center. In addition to assisting students with basic grammar and pronunciation, I incorporated American history and culture into my lessons in an attempt to provide a motive for learning English beyond an exam grade. Serving in the schools and living amongst the people of Huaraz, I was fascinated by the interconnected-ness between education, culture, and political

authority. As I return to Ohio State for my sophomore year, I bring with me a new sense of curiosity in education as it relates to culture and politics.

This summer I studied Ger-man language, culture, and history in Dres-den, Germany, under the direction of Dr.

Andrew Spencer through the OSU German Sum-mer Language Program. Four days a week were spent in the classroom learning about grammar and culture. One day a week we would travel to a nearby historically and culturally significant city to see firsthand what we had been learning about in class. Our studies outside of the class-room took us to a variety of places from the capi-tal of Germany, Berlin, to the small garden city of Hellerau. Overall the program was a great way to increase my German speaking abilities and my comprehension of the language.

I recently completed a two-month, intensive language program at the KORA Russian Language Center in Vladimir, Russia. I was able to complete these studies as one of twenty students selected for the Critical Language Scholarship Program, run by the US State De-partment for students interested in languages critical to national se-curity. In addition to living with host families and completing dai-ly exercises, I was able to volun-teer at the Vladimir local library

and extend my studies through cul-tural exploration trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg. I plan to con-tinue my language studies in tan-dem with my linguistics research, ultimately focusing on code break-

ing and Russian phonetics, both of which will prove integral to national security. This program has prepared me well for my fu-ture career, and I am now apply-ing for an advanced Critical Lan-guage Scholarship Program this coming summer.

Kenneth Hensley

Kelsey Shoub Brian Marein

RussiaWhat: Language studyArea of Study: Linguis-tics, RussianGraduation Year: 2012

PeruWhat: VolunteerArea of Study: Political Science Graduation Year: 2013

GermanyWhat: Language studyArea of Study: Political ScienceGraduation Year: 2013

Kenney and fellow CLS student in St. Petersburg

Kelsey explores Germany

Brian helps a student with her English lesson

I was awarded an NSF REU to work at the Cornell Center for Materials Research during this past summer

under the preeminent scholar, Dr. Darrell Sch-lom. I focused on a theoretical study of the ther-modynamic stability for different phases in the vanadium/oxygen system and then the use of this study to grow specific phases from this system in a stoichiometric, commensurate manner. This

system, if grown properly, has been predicted to show electronic properties that have never been seen before in an oxide material. I was given full control of this project and performed the growth of these materials with a state of the art molecular beam epitaxy chamber designed specifically for Dr. Schlom. This experience allowed me to explore a new project and share my work with new and inspiring faculty. Tyler Merz

Ithaca, NYWhat: Research REUArea of Study: Engineering PhysicsGraduation Year: 2011

This summer, I worked for Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, a non-profit group based in Cleveland

that distributes funds to local arts organizations. I had the opportunity to listen to the deliberations of the panel that evaluated organizations applying for grants, as well as CAC staff discussions on the chal-lenges in the creative sector and their plans for the future. I also learned about

the Cultural Data Project, a database for tracking the economic impact of the arts.

The most important project to which I contribut-ed was CAC’s effort to showcase their economic and social impact in preparation for the Novem-ber election which included an initiative to renew the taxes funding their work.

My summer internship with the News + Knowledge (N+K) division of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public gave me the opportunity to directly support more than 100 entrepreneurs who develop business solutions to global problems like food and water scarcity. My first undertaking was the intern-led overhaul of my division’s website. To elucidate Ashoka and N+K’s complex mission, I partnered with another intern to create

two official marketing videos for Asho-ka that earned prominent placement on the global home page. The capstone of my summer, however, was personally presenting the report that I compiled on innovative solutions to media censorship to Ashoka CEO and Founder Bill Drayton, who helped us refine our proposal to be even more effectively implemented.

PAGE 10 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1Su

mm

er S

tori

es Bill Babeaux

Emily Nosse-Leirer

Washington, D.C.What: InternshipArea of Study: Business Economics, Political ScienceGraduation Year: 2011

Cleveland, OHWhat: InternshipArea of Study: EconomicsGraduation Year: 2014

Bill and Ashoka founder Bill Drayton

Emily Nosse-Leirer

Tyler Merz

COLLEGIUM COMMUNIQUÉ PAGE 11Sum

mer Stories

This summer I was awarded a Fellowship with the Polaris Project, the lead-ing organization combating domestic human trafficking in Washington, D.C. I developed traditional and social media campaigns aimed at raising awareness of trafficking and worked on policy advocacy to support legislative measures on a state and federal level to strengthen laws against trafficking. I was party to the launch of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, attended the re-

lease of the Trafficking in Persons Report at the United States Department of State with Secre-tary Clinton, and participated in the Trafficking Roundtable with Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the State Department G-TIP office. With the experience and connections I have gained this summer, I hope to work with other motivated students at Ohio State and interested community members to pass a state law this year.

My biggest priority this past year was to become involved with undergraduate research. This past summer I con-ducted research on the applicability of

plasma actuators for expediting the decay rate of wing-tip vortices under the guidance of Dr. James Gregory with the aerospace engineering department. I was allowed quite a bit of autonomy in selecting my specific focus for my research, and after an extensive literature review, I found an issue of interest and an innovative solution to address it. I currently work in the low-speed wind tunnel on campus and will continue this research with the goal of a publication.

I spent my sum-mer studying animal behavior at the St. Louis Zoo as a re-search intern. I performed live observations of Somali wild ass-es and Grevy’s

zebras. By comparing courtship and mating be-haviors of these two endangered species, appro-priate action can be taken to ensure their surviv-al. For another of the zoo’s projects, I analyzed video of a captive colony of endangered Channel Island foxes. My efforts will help determine why reproductive failure and aggression was so com-mon in these foxes from the year 2000 to 2008. I also examined nocturnal video clips of a captive population of the Ozark hellbender salamander to help develop a better understanding of its

reproductive behavior and biology, a necessary step in saving this endangered species.

Drew Enigk Raymond Tan

David Agranovich

Washington, D.C.What: InternshipArea of Study: Political Sci-ence, International StudiesGraduation Year: 2013

St. Louis, MOWhat: Research InternshipArea of Study: Animal Sci-encesGraduation Year: 2012

Columbus, OHWhat: ResearchArea of Study: Aerospace EngineeringGraduation Year: 2013

David Agranovich

Ray takes a break from research in the wind tunnel he studies

Drew records his observations at the St. Louis Zoo

Collegium Alumnus ProfileAdam Rusnak is a 2007 graduate of the Honors Collegium. He received his B.S. in Mathematics and B.A. in Classics before attending Harvard Law School. He is currently an associate at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C., where he works as a white collar litigator.

When I started Harvard Law, I had just graduated from Ohio State and was very nervous about what law school would be like. I was especially anxious about the kind of people I would meet – whether they would be smarter than me, more experienced, or more prepared. I didn’t know much about Harvard, other than what I had seen on a brief campus visit, but I had learned enough during our tour of the library alone to realize that students at law school work really hard.

My first week at school, after introductions to my new classmates, we were invited to a picnic and an open-air showing of the classic depiction of Harvard Law – Legally Blonde. My experience of my first week at Harvard was very similar to Elle’s, if less hyperbolic. My peers had already taught for years at middle schools in Manhattan, worked on Wall Street, traveled the world, started an online business, or completed their doctorate. Coming straight from college, my nervousness only deepened with each new person I met.

If the students are initially the scariest part of starting law school, I can say that ultimately they are the best part of my experience at Harvard. The people in my classes, especially the students with whom I shared all my first-year classes, motivated me to study harder, encouraged me to become more involved, and inspired me to expand my goals for the future. Some of my best friends now are the same people I found so intimidating in those first couple of weeks, and having them as part of my law school experience only enriched it. And I learned that, for all their accomplishments, they were just as nervous as I was to start law school. At the same time, I came to realize that the experiences I had at Ohio State – through my classes, activities, study abroad programs – were as good a preparation as anyone else’s. Law school was an incredibly rewarding experience for me, and I am excited now to begin my career as an attorney. I can only hope that I will have as much success as so many of my friends have already achieved.

The Honors Collegium301 Enarson Hall

154 West 12th AvenueColumbus, Ohio 43210Phone: (614) 688-5805

Fax: (614) 292-5446collegium@osu.edu

http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/collegium

Adam at his Harvard Law School graduation

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

COLLEGIUMHONORS