My name is Cole Ehara, and as an honors student I am helpful to peers who have questions in my classes. I am involved in student organizations and attend honors college events. I maintain high grades and manage my time effectively. I am patient of and listen to other's opinions and problems. I watch what I say and how I act in all settings, as my behavior is a reflection of the school and the honors college.
I Want to Become:
My name is Cole Ehara and as an Honors Student I am helpful to peers who have questions in my classes. I am involved in student organizations and attend honors college events. I want to expand my current involvement to be into more leadership roles within my current groups! I am a tutor which has lots of extra leadership opportunities the further I pursue it.
I am apart of Delta Sigma Pi which has leadership positions and ALD/PES which also has offices, I want to expand to hold or hold higher positions in them. I plan on joining the Honors Student Government and being a Peer Mentor. I want to become a student that others can turn to for help, and be a true and proactive leader in all aspects of life, exemplifying what it means to be an honors student.
Implemented, this looks like making every space I interact with an inclusive and positive one, and working hard to take everyone’s opinions and ideals equally, and finding an equitable solution. I am patient with and listen to other's opinions and problems, but I want to learn more about leadership, which is inducive of learning and to better lead others. This would help me to equip them with leadership and problem-solving skills, as well as helping them to learn and grow. The growth I wish for I see happening naturally and continuing the more I practice them. Practice is not everything though, as when I surround myself with likeminded people it helps me focus on these, and I can ask for help when I need it from that community.
Through my semester I have grown and changed. Seeing that difference is nice as I have grown during college. I always am working on myself and improving different aspects of my life. It helps me build self-awareness and to introspect. I have an emphasis on wanting to helping to help others, but it must stem from understanding myself and actively improving myself.
I Am:
I am an Honors College student at IU Indianapolis, in Kelly school of Business, with an intention to graduate by May of 2027. I am both an Accounting and Finance major, with a certificate in entrepreneurship, and have experience in an academic literature review, in professional accounting and entrepreneurship internships, in leadership through on campus organizations and work experience as a teacher's assistant, tutor, babysitter, and in an international marketing experience studying abroad.
I Want to Become:
I aspire to become a leader wherever I land. I want to graduate, sit for the CPA exams, and land my first full-time job withing the next 3 years, potentially including a master's degree. I want to utilize my wide breath of knowledge and future certifications to help form myself into a competent leader. This is key to my field as the integrity and reputation of accountants are a requirement to the whole of business. I wish to also continue to develop personally, in serving and developing community, in continuing to travel and grow to understand more peoples, and in continuous learning out of school.
Reflection
My original H-200 statement shows what I imagined success was. I have grown so much since starting college and joining the Honors College, but also have learned about what my future will look like outside of school. In that class I had a drive to grow, but no specific direction. Since then, I have worked in many capacities and had so many world changing experiences that have educated my values. I was focused on academics, leadership as a role, and my ability to do more all the time. While they still are important to me, I've found out what my career will look like, the value of building community and teaching & learning, and the importance of expanding your perspective. Through school, work, and traveling, I have interacted with a plethora of people, leading to job opportunities, learning others perspective, and educating me on who I wish to be.
I have worked in many capacities: An elementary school & college tutor, teachers assistant, babysitter, marketer, and intern in entrepreneurial funding and financial accounting. The broad scope of teaching jobs has helped me a lot with working with people and my soft skills. I was constantly translating what I was teaching into a context or format that met their individual needs, and in an attempt to strengthen their understanding.
My internships within business helped educate me towards discernment of my future career and the values and integrity I must hold true (as well as practical skills).
My work Through the Honors college at charities like Second Helpings and Gleaners food drive deepened my understanding of what real need looks like in my community and what systems exist to combat it, but what also is left needing to be done. My times abroad have given me a wider perspective as well, seeing communities, cultures, and needs across the world, and building empathy and drive towards future exploring and understanding what else remains unknown to me. I see myself now as a small part of a larger community, which we all maintain a responsibility to help one another.
My time in college has directed my ambition into a much wider degree of areas I was unaware of and has developed and updated my old ideas of success, all through lots of new experiences.
A Contextualizing Introduction
When I created this journey map I was reflecting over my high school experience as a tool to imagine who I was and wanted to be for college. It was for my honors seminar class, (H200) in the second semester of my freshman year. My only real intended audience was myself, but with the understanding that everyone in the class could have also seen it, because our teachers graded them, and we presented ePortfolios to each other.
It is nice to see what I have accomplished over my high school years. I definitely had lots of free time and opportunities. It excites me to imagine what I can do in my college years. I worked in so many different directions pursuing fields that I grew and learned from but may not continue to use. It makes me feel confident in my diverse experience and builds a well roundedness.
Looking at my H200 journey map interests me, as it balances my experiences with my achievements, or in other words, I highlighted experiential learning along with academic achievements. This set me up for college and what I prioritized so that I can have a very balanced experience of academic and personal growth.
I am not sure if I could have ever imagined that I would live in Argentina for 4 months or get married before I graduated college. I certainly took advantage of honors opportunities while I was in college, but a lot of learning and growth for me came from transitioning into personal and career growth.