Danny O'Connor

Univeristy of Cincinnati: Year 2

 

It can be truly mystifying, and in some respects, completely overwhelming to contemplate the amount of change that can occur over the course of a single year; I feel that this is especially true in our younger years of life. As I close the book on my second year at the University of Cincinnati, I can safely say that I not only learned a great deal, but that I am in a position that I never could have foreseen 365 days ago. All that being said, I feel confident that I was able to take all of the experiences and lessons I obtained my first year, and use them to channel my ambition towards further success.

 

My year started off as a retreat leader for the UHP Annual Welcome Retreat. I believe this allowed me to hit the ground running, as I started the semester off inspired to join a multitude of new student organizations that I had not been involved in the year before. I also came into my second year with an on-campus job at the advising center for the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences that I had held since the beginning of the previous summer. Working part time whilst maintaining a full class schedule and various other obligations certainly posed a challenge to me that was entirely foreign up to that point. Nonetheless, it proved to be pivotal in developing my ability to balance and maintain a wide variety of involvement and responsibility while simultaneously excelling in the classroom. I also believe that, through my involvement, my second year afforded a great deal of opportunities to serve the university and give back to my fellow undergraduate students. As I move forward, I am in a better position to continue doing this than I ever could have imagined.

 

While I feel that I succeeded in a multitude of areas in my second year, both academic and extracurricular, I do not think this was the most crucial aspect of my development. Looking back, I think I would tell myself that it is good to always maintain excitement and enthusiasm towards new opportunities and personal relationships, but to never lose sight of your true self in the process. I do believe that, along the way, I was inadvertently forced multiple times to partake in intensive inner-reflection. I learned a tremendous amount about myself this past year. I formed incredibly personal relationships with people I barely even knew in my first year, while previously existing relationships became redefined entirely. Ultimately, I discovered that while I am still outgoing towards others, I am intensely introverted and find peace in reflecting on my actions and ambitions.

 

All this being said, I believe I am in a great position for my third year at UC. I am a member of the Undergraduate Student Senate, chair of the Academic Affairs committee in Student Government, president of the Political Science Student Association, a McMicken Ambassador, executive officer of my fraternity, and will be starting a new job as a research assistant for the department head of Political Science. All of these things will be provide me tremendous opportunities to serve the university, my peers, the greater community, and myself. I go into this year with a sense of how to handle various forms of dedication while also excelling in the classroom (as I was able to keep a 4.0 all the way through my second year). To try and follow my own advice moving forward, I will try to constantly remind myself to reflect on my actions, whether it be in personal relationships, professional settings, or the classroom. With the prospect of law school becoming increasingly visible on the horizon, I hope to continue pursuing my ambitions, while never losing sight of the person and community member I hope to be one day.

 

Fortunately, I will be an honors retreat leader again this summer, so I feel that my chances of success are pretty good.