Hanika's Stories

Something Spooky going down Stanley Street Hello readers, I have joined the writers club in my school and wanted to share a short story that I wrote. The prompt that was given to us was “Horror in writing”. Have fun reading my story! "I had heard the dark rumors about Stanley Street. My friends and family were begging and pleading for me to stay back in the small town of Oakley. Ignoring all of their requests and begging, I still chose to take the risk of leaving town. Deep inside my heart I knew that my friends and family were right. Here I was in New York city. The home of great pizza and the famous Times square. I found myself finding the apartments very easily. I set foot into the main hall in the apartments. The stairs were making cracking noises and the lights were flickering. Everything was already going wrong. I got the keys to my apartment room: 42A on floor 3. In my head I was repetitively telling myself that I made the right decision and consoled myself. I walked in my ...

    I'm thrilled to share insights from my recent conversation with Paul Reeder, the Executive Director of Innovation and Strategies at The Ohio State University. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and innovator. Our discussion was engaging and inspiring, and I found myself connecting deeply with his entrepreneurial spirit and vision! Here are some of the questions I asked him. 1. I read your Linkedin profile and learnt that at OSU you do a lot of innovation work. I don’t know what innovation really means. Can you please explain it? Paul says that innovation is a way of thinking differently that allows people to change their behavior. This was the big idea he shared but he then broke it down with an example. For e.g, in swimming, you can swim countless laps to build strength or speed, but you might not necessarily improve your overall performance. But an innovative coach might introduce new techniques or training strategies that change the swimmers behavior making them so much bett...

On October 17, 2024 my parents and I embarked on an exciting and adventurous journey to Boulder and Estes Park in Colorado. Our journey began with a 3 hour flight from John Glenn Airport to Denver International Airport. My ears were already popping because of the elevation of the mountains. Once we got off our flight then we took a shuttle bus to the Hertz car rental company. We got in our car and went to our hotel, Embassy Suites. Our hotel was not only huge but they had awesome service. The weather was decent in the late evenings. Once we went for dinner around 7 pm then it started to get chilly. On Friday we went hiking in Boulder and we saw so many pretty views. The mountains and the fall colors were just so beautiful it’s hard to describe using words. We also went on a drive through the mountains and I literally felt that I was on top of the world! We were so high up on the mountains that we could see almost half of the city of Boulder. Our first stop was at Walker Ranch Loop Tra...

    I’m excited to share my fascinating conversation with Karlie Marlatt, a really close friend I’ve known since I was three years old. Karlie’s current role as an Admissions Counselor at The Ohio State University-Marion is inspiring, and I was eager to write about her journey!! 1. What were the different types of jobs you did when you were in school and college? Karlie was a remarkable multitasker during her school years. She juggled a variety of responsibilities, including babysitting, lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons, working as an intern for a roofing company, and even holding a position at OSU campus. At The Ohio State University, Karlie conducted campus tours for prospective students and organized various events for the university community. 2. What inspired you to become a lifeguard and what lessons did being a lifeguard teach you? Karlie's swimming career, which began at the age of four, inspired her to become a lifeguard. She continued swimming through high school ...

    On July 27, 2024, my parents and I embarked on an exciting vacation to the Smoky Mountains. Our journey began with a six-hour drive from our home in Columbus to the beautiful town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As we ascended into the higher elevation of Tennessee, I could feel my ears popping due to the change in altitude. We stayed at a delightful Airbnb nestled on a sloping hillside. The highlight of the rental was the hot tub, which offered breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. There was a pool table as well which my dad & I played a couple of rounds as well. Our vacation was filled with adventure. We embarked on a couple of exhilarating outdoor pursuits: hiking and white water rafting. The white water rafting experience was undoubtedly my favorite. If you’re unfamiliar with white-water rafting, it is an experience where a group of 7 navigate a river in a large inflatable raft, encountering a thrilling variety of rapids ranging from gentle to heart-pounding d...

    Every lap is a lesson overcoming challenges. Every race, a chapter in the ongoing narrative of self-discovery. Hello readers, today I am going to be sharing my 5 lessons that I learnt through my 2024 long course swimming season. 1. Mental preparation I struggled to grasp the concept of mental preparation. To me, it meant strategizing about my upcoming swim meet, focusing on potential time drops, and developing race plans. Previously, I only started preparing 2 days before a competition, relying on my dad's reminders about stretching and tracking my times. Unfortunately, my last swim meet resulted in slower times across four events, mainly due to lack of mental preparation. This taught me that you have to think, revise, change your strategies. 2. Reflection By conducting a thorough self-evaluation of your race performance and seeking feedback from your coaches, you've taken a first step in the reflection process. After my swim meet I really didn’t think much about my race. ...