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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL
Complete this proposal prior to your experience’s start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (“Add a new record”) in the “Tracking Project”
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month (excluding July).
Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.
Basic Information
Full Name: Oreofeoluwa Oyelowo
Title of Project: Bearcat Recruitment Process
Thematic Area(s): Community Engagement and Leadership
Expected Start Date: November 2, 2015
Expected End Date: April 22, 2016
GUIDELINES
1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the expected
start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months’ notice. Contact your
honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4
pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution, and
reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and pre-approved
experiences.
REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
All self-designed international travel experiences require two months’ notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.
Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.
We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.
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1. Abstract
Briefly describe the experience. What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have for this
experience? What is your timeline for this experience?
*If you are proposing an international experience, provide an itinerary.
**If you are developing this experience from an existing opportunity (class with a study tour, campus organization, co-op,
etc.) that is not already an honors seminar or pre-approved experience, how will you differentiate your experience from
what is already required of other students?
Briefly describe the experience.
I got recruited as a ROAR Guide last fall and got recruited as a CECH Ambassador for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Getting back to school this fall has shown me that these two organizations have very similar goals. The course of this
experience is to take a closer look at what it is that ties these organizations together, and how I can contribute as a member
of these organizations. I intend to look at these organizations not as unique entities, but as two parts of one body which is
UC’s undergraduate admissions.
I intend to consider what impact these organizations have on student enrolment. As a ROAR guide, I rarely get feedback
from the students I gave tours. As a CECH Ambassador, however, I would be getting a lot of feedback as they ask their
questions during the college close-ups or panels which usually come after the tours. This allows me to follow up on what
impression students have after tours. Since they also ask questions during the college close-ups, I would be able to gather
feedback on what questions are most raised and see how ROAR Guides can work at answering those questions better
during tours, to provide an overall better experience.
I would be studying the input I get during CECH Events, as that is when I get to interact with the higher number of
students, compared to giving tours as we only give tours once a week. Therefore, the hours for this event could be broken
down as follows
- 20 hours of tours
- 25 hours of events for CECH
- 20 hours of reflection
- 10 hours of reading
Total: 75 Hours
What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have for this experience?
As an international student, I made my decision of where to go to college simply based off of the information I saw
online. Now I am placed in a position where I can interact with students who are about to make that decision. I love UC
and I simply want to share that with as many people as I can, and I hope from there I can help them find their fit here.
I want to know that I had a part to play in making that decision easy for them.
Also, as an international student, getting involved on campus was one thing that made it very easy for me to make friends.
I understand that not everyone is social and outgoing enough to reach out. This is why as CECH Ambassadors, we make it
easy for them. We connect students that express interest with ways that they can get more involved on campus.
Lastly, I am looking forward to just growing as a person, to realizing the importance of my different yet similar roles in
these organizations, and to becoming a better ROAR Guide and CECH Ambassador.
What is your timeline for this experience?
The experience is going to go from the end of the fall semester right to the end of the spring semester.
How will you differentiate your experience from what is already required of other students?
One thing that sets me apart already is that I am merging two different organizations here – ROAR and CECH
Ambassadors. ROAR is majorly dedicated to giving tours to prospective students, and to help new students find their way
around at the start of the school year.
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CECH provides information about that specific college, and as a CECH Ambassador, I am involved with students after
they have been admitted to UC. During some of our events, we interact with students who are close to graduation and
have not been really involved. We connect them with resources that are available on campus.
A ROAR guide is not actively involved after the student has been enrolled and gotten comfortable. Going an extra step to
take them out of this already takes me above and beyond the expectations of ROAR.
Also for CECH Ambassadors, I am co-recruitment chair and would be actively involved in the recruitment process for our
next set of ambassadors. Since ROAR is so closely tied with CECH Ambassadors in terms of their goals, I would be
bringing some experience from ROAR as we had our recruitment process in the fall semester.
ROAR tells them to get involved, a CECH Ambassador connects them with the right tools in their college so that they
actually do.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Required Revisions:
Effective:
Brief description of the experience
Personal connection to the experience
Identified goals for the experience
Timeline from start to finish
*Itinerary (international experiences only)
**Explanation of differentiated experience
from what is required of other students
2. Experience Advisor
Identify an experience advisor and provide their contact information. Explain why you chose this person and how you
plan to utilize your advisor for this experience.
Note: Advisor(s) should have knowledge or expertise in an area related to the experience. Honors advisors, undergraduate
students, and family members cannot be experience advisors.
Betsy Macke
Assistant Director
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
Student Services Center – Teachers College, Suite 505
(513) 556-6945
www.cech.uc.edu
I chose Betsy because she is one of the Assistant Directors for CECH and plays a major role during our events. She
organizes and chairs it. She is actively involved and is present to interact with students as well. I intend to get evaluations
from her, including constructive criticism. I would also be getting information from her on what kind of questions are
asked during panels.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Experience advisor name and contact
information
Description of why advisor was selected
Required Revisions:
Effective:
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Specific plans to engage with advisor
3. Connection to Learning Outcomes
List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you make
progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your progress. Include an
estimated time commitment for those activities.
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Identify and differentiate multiple ways to contribute towards the development or achievement of the community’s
goals.
The goal of this experience is to take a close look at the bearcat recruitment process. One of the biggest events we
have for prospective students is called the Open House. We have a lot of families coming in on such days, usually
Fridays. The event usually starts with an introductory session for the families, followed by a tour of the campus, and
finally, a college close up. We see how the ambassadors and guides have a part to play. I could be a tour guide for the
open houses, and also attend the panel where incoming CECH students get to ask their questions. These are multiple
ways to serve at this event.
Most CECH events would be this way – there would be multiple roles to play during the event. Whichever one I
choose to attend and whatever role I choose to play at that event, I am still contributing to making the admission
process as smooth as possible.

Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service mutually enhances individual
growth and the common good.
ROAR is a volunteer organization and I don’t get paid for being a CECH Ambassador. I simply love UC and want to
share that with as many people as I can. During this experience, I plan to grow as a person. This is because being a
tour guide and attending CECH events give me the chance to get comfortable talking with people and to improve my
public speaking skills. At the same time, I would be working on creating a friendly and comfortable environment for
the students and their families. I would be trying to give them the best out of UC that they could possibly get, and I
would be making things run much more smoothly for UC Admissions offices, especially as some of my tasks as a
CECH Ambassador include returning phone calls to get students to confirm their admission. In the end, my
seemingly small role is contributing to the success of admission processes and also to my development as an
individual.

Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared projects or goals.
As a CECH ambassador, I am on the executive board. I play the role of Co-recruitment chair. I still have to be
actively involved in the organization and I have to carry everyone along. Also, during recruitment, I would be working
with our directors and other members of the Executive Board to schedule and conduct interviews.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Required Revisions:
Effective:
3 learning outcomes explicitly identified
from any thematic area(s)
Examples of activities and explanation of
how each will assist the progress towards
the chosen learning outcome
Estimated time commitment for each
activity
4. Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes
List 1-2 academic resources you plan to use to enhance your understanding of the learning outcomes. Explain how each
resource connects to your learning outcome(s) and helps you execute your experience. Please include the title and
author/creator for each resource.
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Note: Academic resources are professional works that can be used to assist your understanding of the topic. Some
examples are books, documentaries, videos, or research journals.
1. Educational Leadership and the Community: Strategies for School Improvement Through Community
Engagement (School Leadership & Management) by Tony Gelsthorpe (Editor) and John West-Burnham (Editor).
This book combines the leadership and community engagement learning outcomes. It looks at how members of a
school organization can develop a relationship with people in the local community. ROAR as an organization
seeks to do that, and most CECH events are aimed at connecting with the members of the community. It also
looks at educational leadership, which involves guiding teachers towards improving educational processes. Also,
as Co-recruitment chair for CECH Ambassadors, I believe I have a role to play in portraying my college as a part
of the UC community. This book uses case studies to explain how schools can be more engaged with the
community, and I intend to apply those resources to see how my organizations can be more engaged around UC’s
campus.
2. “Daring to Volunteer”: some reflections on geographers, geography students and evolving institutional support
for community engagement in higher education by Richard Spalding.
This article takes a look at staff and students volunteering in higher education and how this enhances student
experience. This corresponds extremely well with because as stated earlier, the two organizations that I am a part
of are volunteer organizations and what I am trying to achieve is to provide a great experience for incoming
students and present students alike.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Required Revisions:
Effective:
1-2 academic resources connected to the
learning outcomes
Title and author of each resource
Description of how resources will help
make progress towards learning outcomes
and execution of experience
5. On-going Reflection
The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning outcomes.
Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection questions/topics you plan to
use to guide your reflective process.
Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs, songs, and
journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection to other areas of
involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.
I would be keeping a record of what questions are asked during the college close ups that I attend. I would use this
information to find out what the most common question is.
By the end of the trip, I would gather in the list of questions I got from my college close ups and other CECH events. I
would keep a journal in which I would write the events, and what questions were asked. At the end of the experience, I
would present the top 10 questions that I got in a graph, which I would share with ROAR tour guides.
Also, at this point, I have a book dedicated to the organizations that I am a part of. In this book, I would record my
observations during the course of this experience. I would also use it to reflect on challenging questions and their answers.
I would use this book to record the changes I make to the structure of my tours, and why I decided to make those changes.
Lastly, I would use this book to identify how this experience has helped me get better as a person, and what major
milestones show personal growth.
Finally, when I write my reflection, it would be in this three step format. These are some questions that I would answer
during the course of my experience.
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First section – WHAT? (Week 1)
What do I think are the most popular questions that incoming students have?
What role do I have to play in addressing these questions?
How informed am I about the different programs available at the University of Cincinnati?
What sets your tours apart?
Second section – SO WHAT? (Week 4)
What is your most effective method for presenting information to the public?
What kind of feedback have you gotten from your advisors?
What new things have you discovered about UC’s campus?
What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
Third section – NOW WHAT? (Week 8)?
How have you gotten better at presenting information to a public audience?
What role did the members of your organizations play in making this experience successful?
How have you improved your tours?
What events were the main highlights of this experience?
How are you going to keep practicing and building on your public speaking skills?
How has this experience made you appreciate your impact as a tour guide and CECH Ambassador?
The answers I get to these questions would determine the way I value these organizations that I am a part of, and my
attitude towards them.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Required Revisions:
Effective:
Method for ongoing reflection
Reflection questions/topics clearly
specified
6. Sharing Your Learning
Describe how you plan to actively share what you’ve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience. Explain
why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning portfolio or
social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.
My target audience would be ROAR Guides. I would use the information I get from the college close ups to get a better
idea of how ROAR Guides can improve. At the end of my experience, I would have the result of my findings presented
during one of our general body meetings. This would include both positive feedback and possible areas of improvements.
I would put my findings together in a PowerPoint slide and present this information to ROAR Guides. I think it is
important for these guides who give a lot of their time to the UC Community to hear from a fellow guide that they are
doing great. My purpose is to improve the process, but above all, to appreciate the ROAR Community. This is especially
important as a larger part of my time would be spent at CECH events than would be spent giving tours, as we give tours
just once a week.
Also, after documenting my experience on my learning portfolio, I would post the link to my learning portfolio on
ROAR’s Facebook page.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
At least one method to actively share takeaways/learning from the experience
A specific audience and why the audience
was selected
Required Revisions:
Effective:
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7. Budget (if applicable)
Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.
*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per week you
plan to participate.
The cost of my trip includes the following
1. $27.24 – Educational Leadership and the Community: Strategies for School Improvement Through
Community Engagement (School Leadership & Management) by Tony Gelsthorpe (Editor) and John WestBurnham (Editor).
Advisor Feedback
Notes:
Detailed budget of expenditures with
sources to justify budget estimates
*Indicates the number of hours per week
and number of weeks of participation
Required Revisions:
Effective: