Updates

Cassandra Dula, 2014 Recipient

Cassandra Dula recently had a prominent role in the 2017 Homecoming festivities as she was a member of the Homecoming Court! Read more about Cassandra

Ashley Diggins, 2016 Recipient

Last year at Ohio State (my first year) I had an amazing experience, so I was counting down the days all summer to going back to school and starting my second year. This year, I’m really busy, but I love being involved. I am interning at a public relations firm in Columbus called MediaSource and I’m gaining a lot of real world experience. I am writing for Her Campus and The Lantern. I am involved in a social sorority and an honor fraternity. I love spending time with my friends and game days are such a fun time. I definitely made the right decision to attend Ohio State!

Brian Kulp, 2013 Recipient

Brian graduated from Ohio State with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and honors in Integrated Business and Engineering in Spring of 2017. He will be continuing his studies at Harvard Law School in the fall, and anticipates working in the field of intellectual property law upon graduation.

More importantly, Brian got married in June to, Katie Wilson, who he actually met at the Philly Buckeye sendoff picnic four years ago! They will be moving up to Boston together after they return from their honeymoon!

Cassandra Dula

Cassandra is entering her senior year at Ohio State, and is on track to graduate in the Spring of 2018 with majors in Political Science and Psychology, and minors in Russia and International Studies. She is involved in the Student Alumni Council, and will be serving on their executive board as Executive Assistant this upcoming year. Additionally, she is still participating in research through the sociology department and will be completing an Honors Research Thesis through the political science department.

This summer she has been back home in Philadelphia interning with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, which is a think tank located in Center City
Philadelphia. She is working within the Eurasia Program, and the research focuses on Russia, Eastern Europe, and their relationship with the U.S. After
graduation, she is planning on attending law school, and will start applying after taking the LSAT in September.

2016 Scholarship Award Recipient Ashley Diggins

First of all, I am so thrilled with my decision to attend school here. These last couple of months have been the best months of my life. I have made so many amazing friends already, who I look forward to calling lifelong friends. I currently have A’s in all of my classes, and am really hoping to keep up those grades in order to earn a 4.0 for my first semester here. I am enjoying being in the School of Communications for my major of journalism and am extremely excited to take less general education courses and more major specific courses in future semesters. I have decided to minor in political science to supplement my major. With the AP credits I had from high school, I am eligible to graduate in three years, so I may end up using my possible extra time here to minor in Spanish. I really lucked out with my professors-they are all wonderful and encouraging, especially with freshmen students (although I do have to say I’m very happy I am taking my last math class ever this semester). I am involved in a few different clubs, one of which provides an open forum for political discussion, and the others participate in community service. However the extracurricular involvement I am most excited for is rushing next semester and joining a sorority. I am in love with everything about this school-the welcoming people, the beautiful campus, the challenging academics, the busy social life, and so much more. The only aspect I’m not too crazy about is the dining hall food! My most fun moments have been at the football game tailgates and the games themselves! I love the energy and positivity you feel all over campus on game days and am very sad that there’s no football games in spring semester. My experience here has been nothing but positive and I look forward to the years to come. I am very grateful to the Philly Buckeyes for their help in my attendance here and look forward to attending their events over the summer (and soon enough becoming a member)! I am also continually grateful to my parents for their tremendous support of my education and college experience. I am most grateful to The Ohio State University for the happiness it has given me in only a couple months.

Go Bucks!!!

2016 Scholarship Award Recipient Natassja Boham

To the Philadelphia Ohio State Alumni Club,

I just wanted to begin by thanking you all for your generosity in granting me the scholarship for the 2015- 2016 year! My first year at Ohio State was everything (and more!) that I was hoping it would be! I met so many incredible people that opened up my entire perspective on life and helped me grow in ways I could never have imagined!

My first football game day with my roommate.

I began my first semester as a Biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, but by the start of the second semester, I had switched to the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences as an Animal Biosciences major on the pre-veterinary track. As a result, I began taking much more hands-on classes that allowed me to truly study what I love and what I hope to be able to do for the rest of my life. One of my first classes with CFAES was Intro to Animal Sciences Lab; this was by far my favorite class I took all year. Every week we went to a different location to learn about a different species of agricultural animal. We went to Waterman Farms and learned about the two main types of Dairy cows, and how milk is harvested then processed before being sent out to consumers. At the Swine Center, we learned about the life cycle of a pig, but my favorite part by far was getting to hold a piglet barely 24 hours old! I thoroughly enjoyed every lab we had, but my favorite was our final lab where we visited the Equestrian Center; this lab was almost like a fulfillment of a childhood fantasy- learning about horses! In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I will be volunteering there in the fall!

As a member of the Environment and Natural Resources scholars group, I learned about sustainability, and how Ohio State is at the forefront of sustainable design and green energy. I listened to accounts of ongoing projects to beautify Columbus, and toured the Byrd Polar Research Center; I got to see samples of ice hundreds of years old, harvested directly from the North Pole! Our group went camping at Hocking Hill and completed a six-mile hike on the second day! As someone who has never before gone camping, this was a very new and challenging experience. We all went down to the lake after dinner, and sat and watched the stars together- it was an experience I will never forget; the sky was clear and completely filled to the brim with a gorgeous and astonishing array of stars. It was an incredible way to start off my experience as a scholar.

I met Urban Meyer at a book signing!

Getting involved on campus is both easy and difficult at the same time- there are almost a thousand clubs on campus. It’s hard to choose which one is best for you. The summer before my first semester, I was part of a pre-enrollment program on campus, Buckeye Service Connection, that volunteered at several non-profit organizations in Columbus for three days while staying in the dorms. The leader of that program, Jake Cohen, reached out to the group mid-year about an opportunity in the Pay it Forward Cohort. Pay it Forward (PIF) is a university funded cohort directly affiliated with the Office of Student Life that focuses on large scale volunteer events on campus as well as short, affordable volunteer trips to non-profit organizations in Ohio. Since we are funded by the university, and not technically a student-run club, we have a program that helps to fund volunteering in other clubs who may not have the connections that we have. In order to become a chair on PIF, I had to go through a group and individual interview before being selected to serve on the cohort. I am a Spring-Into-Service chair; I will be helping to plan a week-long series of volunteer trips in the spring along with two other chairs. I also had to take a class last semester about leadership and community service; I learned about hunger insecurity and how it’s affecting communities in Columbus, along with America as a whole. Part of the class was hands on service, in which I was partnered with the Broad Street Food Pantry; every Monday morning I volunteered there for several hours helping to distribute food to members of the community. As a whole, being part of the Pay It Forward Cohort has impacted me the most and opened my eyes to issues I would never have considered before. I am looking forward to serving on the cohort and giving back to the university.

These experiences are only a small taste of my first year at Ohio State, and I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to be able to attend such a fantastic institution. Beyond the obvious surface experiences are all the underlying times that made me feel at home on campus. I met so many amazing individuals, some of whom are now my closest friends. I attended football games, hockey games, tennis matches, and more. With such a wonderful first year, it will be tough for my second year to top it! However, I am looking forward to returning to campus in just a few short days, and I just wanted to take this time to thank you all so very much for helping make my experience at Ohio State possible. It meant so much to my family and I to receive the scholarship, and it is just a testimony to the fierce feeling of community among Buckeyes around the world.

To my fellow Buckeyes, thank you so much- and Go Bucks!

Natassja Boham

2013 Scholarship Award Recipient Brian Kulp:

Choosing to come to The Ohio State University has been one of the best decisions of my life! While the work always keeps me extremely busy, the sense of community and school spirit keeps all of us Buckeyes going strong even through this 6-month winter that never seems to go away.
I am happy to say that my girlfriend (who I met at the Philly Buckeye Sendoff) and I are still happily together after over a year and a half. We always talk about how we never see each other on campus unless we plan it, so the fate that brought us together to that awesome event two years ago is incredible. For that, I have to thank this organization immensely.

I am currently involved in the university’s pilot class for the Integrated Business and Engineering Program, a unique interdisciplinary experience that selects 30 or so students each year from Fisher and the College of Engineering to become a cohort. As an engineer in this program, I have the privilege of taking nine courses only offered to business students and have access to a whole host of resources. Because Ohio State is one of only a handful of universities across the nation who have this type of program, I consider myself truly blessed to be a part of it. Life in chemical engineering is anything but boring. The late nights all pay off though, and I will be interning in the Research Engineering Department of ExxonMobil this summer! I am also involved in a variety of clubs on campus and have truly found a place that I can call home.

That national championship though had to be the highlight of my Buckeye career. I got goosebumps just typing that last sentence. It is amazing to think how football is so much more than a game here. I followed our Buckeyes down to New Orleans to see us beat Alabama. That catch by Michael Thomas from Evan Spencer…Unbelieveable!! Roll Tears! Then I returned to campus for the championship and felt the pride of a million Buckeyes all over the globe as the final seconds ticked off the clock. This place is so much more than a place where I can get my degree and I am so thankful to be a Buckeye.

2014 Scholarship Award Recipient Cassandra Dula

Since I’ve started in the fall I have actually added a major here at OSU, and will be triple majoring in International Studies, Russian, and Psychology starting in the fall. I’ve become a member of Student Alumni Council and have also begun doing research in the Wegener Lab for Social Psychology. In addition I have a job in the Wexner Medical Center’s Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, which has been really great in connecting me with some of the adults on campus. I’ve had really great classes all year and can’t wait to start it all over again in the fall!

2011 Scholarship Award Recipient Caroline Hathaway

Hello, fellow buckeyes! What a four years it has been. I am officially graduating in May, with a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology. I can’t believe my time is almost over at Ohio State, but I know I will be a buckeye forever. Besides my classes, I have been spending my time working with undergraduate admissions as a university host and tele-counselor as well as working with my sorority as the president. After spring break, I will finish up my last month of school – hopefully enjoying my time in Columbus with friends before we all graduate! I will be heading off to graduate school in the fall at Washington University in St. Louis to complete a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. I am very excited to begin the next chapter of my life knowing that there will be buckeyes wherever I go. It’s truly a magical feeling! Go Bucks!

– Caroline Hathaway

2013 Scholarship Award Recipient Kieran Teppen

Brain Kulp and Kieran Teppen get intro=duced to Brutus at the Ohio Union

Coming to OSU has been one of the best choices I’ve ever made! I’ve been able to build a huge social and professional network and feel like I really found a place I belong. I’m currently involved in research at the Wexner Medical Center, the president of a new student organization I founded, tutoring in the residence halls and am working towards my Microbiology Major, Public Health Minor and my future plans to pursue an MD/PhD. Everyone I’ve met at OSU has been incredibly willing to help me in whatever I’ve needed and every staff or faculty member I have gotten to know has been incredibly dedicated to their students. OSU was certainly everything I hoped it would be and I can’t wait to spend 2 more years here!

Caroline Hathaway, 2011 Scholarship Recipient

Dear Philly Buckeyes,

Hello from Columbus! I am now a sophomore at The Ohio State University and I absolutely love it. I am so privileged to attend this great university in a great college town. I am living off-campus now, which is a completely different experience then the dorms! Freshmen year was a big adjustment. Being out of state, I knew I would not be heading home a lot, so I took advantage of everything Ohio State had to offer. I met awesome friends and quickly learned how to tackle the huge campus. Also, switching to semesters is so weird! I was used to taking 3 or 4 classes per quarter and now I’m taking 5 or 6! It’s crazy. I attended every football game and so many other sporting events. I wish I could have made the trip to the Final Four game. The spirit and fan base is amazing. I also made many friends from all around the United States. I love how a big school opens your eyes to SO many new ideas and ways of life! I am currently majoring in Human Development and Family Science on the Pre-Occupational Therapy track. Last winter, I became a sister of Delta Omega Kappa, which is Ohio State’s only Pre-Health sorority. It is awesome to have a community of girls to grow and learn with. I couldn’t be happier with the choice I made as an OSU student and I am excited to see what the rest of my college career has to offer. GO BUCKS!
Love,

Caroline

2012 Scholarship Recipient, Mike Strauch

Hi! I am Mike Strauch, a freshman at The Ohio State University, and one of the students awarded the Philly Buckeyes’ 2012 alumni scholarships, and I LOVE Ohio State. Freshman year is underway and I already feel fully assimilated to campus life. Although a few things first seemed daunting, I now feel fully comfortable as a student here. The large number of student amenities here is truly amazing. From the beautiful gym(The RPAC), to the stunning Ohio Union, to the rock wall at the Adventure Recreation Center(ARC), to the awesome outdoor fields and frisbee golf course at Fred Beekman Park, there are so many great things to do and keep me active. Academics are also great as I really enjoy all my classes. But nothing here compares to game day. My dorm is across from St. Johns Arena so I get a front row seat to the pre-game festivities, and I love it. It is truly an amazing experience seeing the whole area transform on game day. The games are incredible and my seats are awesome, in other words, OSU is just a fantastic place. THANK YOU!

-Mike Strauch

Scholarship Recipient, Patrick Schaffer

The switch to semesters has brought on quite a different type of workload than quarters did, and while not harder than quarters, it’s been quite an adjustment campus-wide. As for me, I am currently focusing on taking the MCAT in January, and that has been basically consuming my time outside of the classroom. I am currently enrolled in an on-line Princeton Review class 3 nights a week for MCAT review, and hoping that it pays off in a score I want in January so that I can continue to pursue my goal of going to medical school. Medical school applications will start for me in the late spring/summer of 2013, and currently I am set to graduate in the Fall of 2013 a semester early, beings that I only have 30 credit hours left to fulfill both my biology major and psychology minor. I still plan on remaining in Columbus after I graduate working and preparing for medical school which if all things work out will begin in August of 2014. In other news, I am very excited to let you know that this year, a former high school classmate of mine is starting her freshman year here at The Ohio State University and loving it, and that my sister who is currently a high school senior has Ohio State at the top of her college list. I take great pride in continuing to help students from the greater Philadelphia area realize the great opportunities that can be found here at The Ohio State University!

Go Bucks!!

Patrick Schaffer

2011 Scholarship Recipient, Greg Kemper

My experience so far at OSU has been great! Classes are going well and so is the switch to semesters. I’ve gotten quite involved in campus with many different things. Last year I participated on the OSU Swim/Dive team as a diver and assisted as a manager.  I am currently the local volunteering chair for the Global Health Initiative where I organize different volunteering activities for the members with different clinics and other opportunities around Columbus. I also started research in the Carson Lab at the OSU Medical Center right after Christmas break last year and am currently working on my first publication. I work with Melanoma and different proteasome inhibitors to try and improve current treatments.  I am still involved with the Honors Collegium with the university and actually have changed my major to Microbiology.  I am also pursuing a Public Health minor. This first one and half years has been great and I really look forward to the rest of my time here!

Greg

2012 Scholarship Recipient, Katie Williamson

Hello Philly Buckeyes!

Well, it’s finally fall and I’m in Columbus living the college dream.  I have survived my first set of midterms, cheered on the Buckeyes at every football game thus far, including the away game at Michigan State, and learned the best places on campus to eat, study, and nap.  I can honestly say I never expected to love this place as much as I do.  Words can’t describe the pride I feel when I put my arms around total strangers at the end of a football victory and the entire stadium sings Carmen Ohio.  In less than two months time, I have become a true Buckeye!

The start of classes was definitely a shock.  I now fully understand that I am attending college for school not just fun.  I am learning to manage both my schoolwork and social life while enjoying it all.  Every morning I wake up loving this place more and more, and I know I am so privileged to be here.  Though my majors in Food Science and pre-dentistry promise to keep me working hard for the next four years, I look forward to every minute of it.  OSU is my new home and I couldn’t be happier here.  Thank you again for the scholarship that has helped make this experience possible for me!

Go Bucks!

-Katie Williamson

2009 Scholarship Winner, Jill Gonzalez

Hello Philly Buckeyes!

I can’t believe I’m entering my third year here at Ohio State! This school continues to surprise me year after year. After a summer studying abroad in Paris, I am ready to get back to lovely Ohio! This year I will be living with seven of my closest friends in an off-campus apartment complex. Although it will be my first time totally on my own, I am so excited for it! The only thing I’m a little apprehensive of is my cooking skills–or lack thereof! I am also enrolled for 23 credit hours of classes this fall, ranging from Earth Science to Strategic Communication.  month ago I interviewed for a communications internship and an up and coming sports website, Pickaroo.com (check it out!) and successfully landed it. I’m also still pursuing my Buckeye TV career as a sports broadcaster for all Buckeye sports. This fall I will even be reporting on the sidelines of football games, so keep an eye out! Each year at this school gets better and better, even if it seems like that’s not even possible. I am positive my Junior year will be full of new and wonderful things, and I hope Senior year is far, far away!!

Go Bucks!!

Jill

An Update from Patrick Schaffer, our 2010 Scholarship Winner

Hello Philly Buckeyes,

Just checking in and giving an update on my second year at The Ohio State University.  Wow, what a difference a year makes!  At this point last year, I was completely flustered and didn’t even know what to do with myself outside of school work and classes, but this year I kind of wish I had some of that time back.  This year I am living off campus on E 12^th Ave in an apartment with two of my friends, and that is quite a transition from dorm life, however I really am enjoying the new experience.  Also new this year, I am working as an undergraduate researcher in the Seeger Lab, which has been a great opportunity for me.  Despite the fact that my job mainly consists of mating fruit flies, the position has a lot of potential to move up within the lab or others on campus.  Along with that I have been inducted into the ALD/PES and NSCS honor societies and am involved in Project Nicaragua, Pre-Med Club, h2o, and Block-O.  Also, despite our football team’s falling in the rankings, I have already managed to go on one road trip for the game in Miami, and am scheduled to go to that school up north in November for the game as well.  There is no longer any doubt in my mind that I’m where I belong, and I am looking forward to the challenges and good times this school year will bring me.

And As Always, Go Bucks!

-Pat

2010 Scholarship Recipient, Jill Gonzalez

I’m about to embark on my third quarter here at Ohio State and I couldn’t be happier! I am so glad that I confirmed my attendance here about a year ago, and was thrilled that the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter has helped me along the way with their gracious scholarship! I had an eventful fall filled with football, honors classes, and newfound friends. Then winter began with a Rose Bowl win, one miraculous snow day, and a membership to Kappa Delta sorority. Spring is sure to hold many surprises, one being the grand opening of our huge new student Union. I’m extremely excited for the upcoming quarter and better yet, the  years to come at Ohio State. After being here for this short time, I now know what “how firm thy friendship” truly means.

Recipients Biographies

2011
The Philly Buckeyes, in conjunction with the OSU Alumni Association, recognized the Caroline Hathaway and Greg Kemper above as Alumni Scholars for the 2011-12 school year. They were chosen from among 32 highly qualified applicants and will represent the Philadelphia area on campus in the fall.

Greg will graduate from Parkland High School in Orefield, PA and has had a distinguished high school career where he excelled in both diving and in the classroom. He was very active in a variety of activities ranging from the Science Club to numerous honor societies. His passion is Science and he plans to major in Biochemistry while pursuing a Pre-med path with the ultimate goal of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon.

Greg commented that once he experienced the campus he knew that O.S.U. was the school for him.

Caroline will graduate from Woodstown High School in Woodstown, NJ and also had a very distinguished high school career. Her passion is swimming and had a stellar high school career. Unfortunately, she experienced an injury in her junior year which, while affecting her swimming, exposed her to the field of occupational therapy. Volunteering at a children’s hospital in Wilmington gave her a keen understanding of the field and her plan is to study Health Sciences as an undergraduate and occupational therapy as a graduate student.

Caroline was also involved in a number of activities including, but not limited to, VP of Student Government, National Honor Society and the French Club.

She also had the distinct pleasure of meeting Archie Griffin at our recent cocktail reception. Caroline plans to immediately post a picture of “Archie” on her facebook page. There are not too many students that have the chance to speak with “Archie” before starting classes and Caroline is sure to be the talk of the dorm.

We wish Greg and Caroline well as they begin their OSU education and look forward to seeing them along with other freshman and alums at the Freshman Send Off in August.