Basic Information

Full Name: Jacob Andrew Orkwis

UC Email: orkwisja@mail.uc.edu
College: McMicken
Major: Biological Sciences
Title of Project: Exploration of the Western United States
Thematic Area: Community Engagement
Expected Start Date: May 3rd, 2015
Expected End Date: June 2nd, 2015
Abstract
Our trip will consist of an approximately month long journey to the western region of the
United States of America. Various stops will be made along the way in the states of Kansas,
Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, and Wyoming. The route will include, but is not limited to,
extended stays in the cities of Denver (Twice), Moab, St. George, Provo, Las Vegas, San Jose,
and Sacramento, in that order. While the initial motivation for the travel pertains to the sport of
rock climbing, the goal is for the trip to expand to a significantly broader scope of learning that
would help immerse us with the culture of the Western United States. Throughout this process,
we will engage with local citizens, climb with experts, and reside in various shelters such as
tents, lodges, and hammocks to fully understand the various lifestyles embarked upon across the
continent. While the idea seems broad, the individual aspects of the trip can be broken down
into multiple simplified categories to better understand the time commitment that we will adhere
to throughout the journey. In its entirety, the trip should take approximately 30 days, starting on
May 3, 2015. Each session of rock climbing itself will have a total of two entire days dedicated
to it to climb, rest, recover, etc. The locations for such activities will be Indian Creek, Utah,
Moab, Utah, Red Rocks, Nevada, Yosemite National Park in California, and Boulder Canyon in
Boulder, Colorado. Thus, 10 days of climbing will be performed at various structures within the
aforementioned locations. A significant portion of time will be spent traveling between these
locations. In total, approximately 80 hours will be spent on the road. Although full days will not
be spent driving, there will be a valiant effort to waste as little time as possible and thus, it is safe
to assume all the travel will only take 5 whole days. Therefore, 15 days will be left, in total, to
experience each of the cities mentioned. To avoid ambiguity, there are a variety of activities
planned for each stop to coincide with a more fluid experience of adventure. Simply put, the
following endeavors will allow us to stay on task in a productive fashion while leaving us with
just enough time to explore our curiosities. For instance, in Denver we plan to volunteer at a
soup kitchen called The Denver Rescue Mission, in Boulder we plan to embark on a skydiving
experience at the Mile-Hi Skydiving Center, in San Jose we plan to visit the beaches, in Las
Vegas we plan to spend the day-time touring all the diverse locations, hotels, and resorts, in
Moab we plan to traverse the Navajo Nation Native American Reservation, and we also plan to

spend a significant portion of time exploring the various state and national parks along the way.
The lengthy travel period provides a plethora of opportunities for us to learn and engage with the
Western United States and the hope is for us to do so in a variety of new and innovative ways.
Connection to Learning Outcomes within an Honors Thematic Area
While a variety of different learning outcomes will be addressed throughout our trip, there are
three specific ones that we will focus on stemming directly from the Community Engagement
theme. The first of which is described as Possesses awareness of purpose of service, including
need for reciprocity, understanding of social issues, and ability to see those issues from multiple
perspectives. The key word in the aforementioned goal is awareness, which specifically
demands that our trip focus on a sense of enlightenment regarding the community and our acts of
service to them. While it was mentioned that volunteering will be undergone (such as the soup
kitchen in Denver), the true learning will be accomplished through our observations while
performing such acts. This is common when two people of different cultures collide. As a
predominantly Midwestern group, we will be assimilated with a plethora of unique personalities
that have been bred through a lifetime out west. When we help someone of such a background
out, we will generally hold the same preconceptions that we would if we were to do the same to a
citizen of Cincinnati. It is through the reciprocal exchange that we receive in return that we will
truly understand the social norms of a differing culture. In Cincinnati, we witness a variety of
social issues including, but not limited to, poverty, homelessness, and hunger. Currently, our
ideas regarding such issues can only be expanded and applied to the surrounding area and other
populations just like Cincinnatis. However, by observing similar issues out West, we will gain
new perspectives that will ultimately help us to formulate broader ideas regarding poverty in
general. The issues expand past poverty as well, to everything from the activities of the wealthy
to the personalities of the politically separated. This will eventually lead us to our second
learning outcome: Participates in community and understands own role as citizen of
community. When we travel, our role will be that of an outsider. Over time, we hope that we
can be accepted as welcomed guests in each respective city. Through that transformation, we
will begin to experience the community from the perspective of both an outside observer and a
friend of the culture. Ideas and stereotypes that we hold going into the social setting can quickly
be abolished as a new understanding can be attributed to our once unexplored beliefs. The final
goal, then, will focus on the progression of our social interactions. This relates to the learning
outcome of Relates, communicates, and works effectively with others towards sustainable
social change. Our success in this regard will relate directly to the level of acceptance we find
with the citizens of each individual city and our ability to formulate an idea for future social
progress. In essence, we want to combine our own ideas regarding the assimilation of two
cultures into their own to create a common ground for us to both reside upon. The result will be
an experiential learning process that provides a powerful new set of ideas to abolish our own
preconceived notions.
Connection to Goals and Academic Theories
My future goals are difficult to put into perspective. Nonetheless, I have managed to formulate a
broad idea of who I want to be as I continue to mature. Academically, my goal is to gain

admittance into Medical School. To do this, I will need to display excellence in my grades,
MCAT score, and extracurricular activities. Simply put, my trip is not intended to better any of
my scores. However, embarking on a unique experience out west will advance my knowledge of
the human (extracurricular) aspect of Medical School admittance. With so much emphasis
placed on grades, it seems as if many students fail to remember that being a social individual is
still a necessary attribute in the contemporary academic world. Part of my undergraduate studies
must involve a form of connection that will be valuable beyond my academic prowess. There is
no better way to fulfill that requirement than to explore different communities, make new
connections, and develop as an educated individual in all fields of study. The same philosophy
applies to my professional and personal goals as well. Assuming I make it into Medical School,
I would, of course, like to continue on to become a Doctor. While I am not certain what specific
field I want to pursue, the common theme pervading all of them pertains to an individual capable
of engaging with a multitude of personalities. Medical Doctors interact directly with humans
that need assistance. The knowledge obtained from written literature is wonderful in providing
aid with accomplishing such tasks, however, the only way to prepare for the immense diversity
present within the human population is to experience the variety of cultures that produce such
people. When I am older, my hope is that I can relate to a multitude of personalities to better
myself both professionally, and in the personal aspects of life. Such a skill will create a broader
field of connections for myself and my family which will ultimately result in a strong support
system.
It seems to be widely accepted that experiencing diversity can help lead to a socially interactive
lifestyle. Thus, my main focus regarding academic theories pertains directly to the effects of our
trip on the human body. Dr. Frances E. Kuo and Dr. Andrea Faber Taylor, in the American
Journal of Public Health, attest that time spent outside can reduce the symptoms of ADHD, help
improve brain function with memory, and even excite ones creativity. While we wont be able
to quantitatively measure the validity of such claims, our extensive list of activities to be
performed outside will serve as a wonderful environment to subject ourselves to the treatment.
Another topic to explore concerns a study recorded in the journal of Adapted Physical Activity
Quarterly, which indicated that children with special needs experienced an increase in selfefficacy from rock climbing. The logic in such a theory makes perfect sense as the reward for
conquering such structures as Half Dome during our trip would certainly provide a sense of
accomplishment at the conclusion of the day.
Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity
My contribution to the group begins with the trip itself. My passion is travel and I have always
lived under the impression that, despite residing in a vast world, the United States is one of the
best countries to explore. So I wanted to depart from the urban environment of Clifton, Ohio and
experience a different culture. To initiate such an ambitious goal, I tasked myself with finding a
group of individuals that have expertise in the field of travel. I found this with my older Brother
(an avid rock climber) and a combination of his own friends and mine who all have experience
visiting different parts of the world (Lebanon, California, Europe, etc.). I also helped design the
most travel efficient route to visit each city within a reasonable period of time. Finally, I

formulated what could have been a simple trip into a speculative learning experience with a
variety of goals in mind.
Reflection
In addition to the required reflective essay and documentation of my experience, I will be
maintaining an introspective journal, a collection of photos, and a set of videos throughout the
trip. In the journal, I hope to record my unique thoughts in such a way that will answer the
following questions: How is this culture different from mine? What makes this culture different?
What are the different mannerisms that people exhibit out West? How do the backgrounds of
individuals out west affect their current lifestyle? What is the purpose of maintaining National
Parks in America? How have we, as a nation, handled the ethics regarding the reservations of
Native Americans? How has immersing myself within a new culture provided me with a new
perspective on my own life? How important is nature in defining a culture? Where do I want to
live for the rest of my life? These questions begin as very direct observations and progress into a
broader outlook on life. The theme for my reflection, as with the rest of the trip, will focus on
the merits of experiencing something unique and doing so in a fun and creative way.
Dissemination
Upon the completion of the trip, I will combine all the pictures, videos, and journal entries into a
video scrapbook with the use of simple video-editing software. Set to a backdrop of music, the
video will provide a great look at the accomplishments of our journey and encourage prospective
travelers to embark on their own adventures. It reasons then that the best audience to display
such a presentation to would be first-year students with an interest in studying both abroad and
domestically. The hope is that our own trip will inspire others to pursue possible co-ops and
research positions within the American workforce and even beyond the Nations limits.
Project Advisors
Dr. Paul D. Orkwis
Department Head and Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
Email: paul.orkwis@uc.edu
Cell Phone: 513-325-8778
Dr. Paul Orkwis is, as the name might imply, my father. Having traveled out west himself
multiple times, Dr. Orkwis is trained, in his own regard, to advise the trip. Furthermore, as a
father, he is capable of providing the guidance and support necessary to guide a direct family
member to his desired goals. Finally, with his sister and nephews currently residing in
California, Dr. Orkwis holds connections on the other side of the country that could prove
invaluable if something were to go wrong.
Budget
While the majority of the trip will be self-funded (climbing gear, automobile, food, water) the
extensive driving leads to a problem regarding the price of gasoline. The trip will cover

approximately 5049.5 miles (according to mapquest.com) and require an estimated $720.08 for
gas. Thus, although some of it can be paid for on an individual basis, my request, for the sole
purpose of gasoline, is for $500.