My name is Toby Gbloguidi, and I’m a second-year major with minors in and .
My experience at Kent State has taught me that the key to enjoying your time in college is to your time in college is to create your own experience.
Coming into my freshman year at Kent State, I was unsure if I was going to enjoy college. My approach to college was to put my head down and focus on my academics only. I did not see the importance of being open to trying new things. However, through encouragement from my peers and mentors I joined different organizations across campus that have elevated my college experience!
The organizations I joined provided me with the resources I needed to be prepared for college. The Provost Leadership Academy taught me valuable information and skills that have aided me to this day!
The Provost Leadership Academy helped me to be involved on campus and taught me how to effectively work in a team environment. The team I was part of had the goal of creating a research presentation that showed a solution to certain problems on campus and how the solution could be implemented. As a freshman, this felt like a lot to take on, but my teammates helped me fulfill my role in the group.
Everybody had their own skills and abilities that they used to complete our research project! Our project was called the “Better Bathroom," and our presentation proposed a better system for communal bathrooms on campus to help keep these areas a clean and safe environment for students. We ended up winning first place in our category at the Undergraduate Symposium in our freshman year!
My freshman year gave me the confidence to pursue my interests and become more involved on campus.
My past experiences have given me the passion to learn more about architecture and the confidence to be more involved at the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED). I am now a member of the , where I help plan events for NOMAS events. I am also a student ambassador for the Architectural Studies program at CAED, and this position gives me the opportunity to share the positive impact my major has had on my college experience and career outlook.
Overall, Kent State has been a great place for me to come out of my comfort zone and explore my interests in architecture. If it wasn’t for the organizations and programs I was a part of, I don’t think I would be able to fuel my passion for learning about the world around me!