Attached to this post is a copy of my resume. I will strive to keep this resume current throughout my college career and beyond. Please notice that the resume below will likely change over time, so check this page often as I make necessary additions and alterations in the future.
Year in Review
What has made my sophomore year stand out from the others is that it was this year that I found what I truly wish to study and make a career out of it. All throughout my freshman year, I still lacked any sort of vision of what I wished to accomplish in my 4 years here as well as the kind of professional life I wished to lead after I graduated. I was a History major with some vague goal of becoming a teacher at either the high school or collegiate level. As that year progressed, however, I began to lose faith in this vision for my future. I decided to dedicate the fall semester of my second year towards zeroing in on the kind of fields I truly wished to study and the careers I could potentially have with those fields of study in mind. I took a history course, but I also took a course in geography, political science, and international studies. During this time, I was also introduced to the idea of working for the federal government after college after joining some clubs and meeting people that already have those kinds of jobs. At the end of the term, I settled on pursuing a dual degree in Geography and Political Science. If nothing else, I found what I wanted to do in college this year as well as potentially what I wish to do for the rest of my life.
Over this year, I have maintained my commitments both to the International Affairs Scholars group and my Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) cohort. In order to be in good standing with the International Affairs organization, one must attend a series of events both hosted these groups and outside events, and report on these events to make sure you are meeting these requirements. For the STEP program, one must devise a plan for what you wish to spend the STEP fellowship funds on (i.e. internship or study abroad), meet with a faculty adviser who checks in on what you plan to do throughout the year and determines whether or not to approve of your plan, and report back after you have undergone this transformational experience to serve as an example for the STEP members in the grades beneath you. For my STEP program, I have chosen to do a study abroad internship with the Canadian Parliament next summer. While in Ottawa, Canada, I will be introduced to how the legislative body of the United State’s northern neighbor works as well as the legislative bodies of dozens of Parliaments that are scattered throughout the globe.
Over the next two years, I plan on finishing out my dual degree while maintaining a high GPA. I also intend on broadening my probability of landing a job after college by pursuing the aformentioned internship as well as networking with individuals who already work for the federal government. With these goals in mind, I will hopefully begin my professional career early and successfully. I eagerly await the future.
Service Engagement
In order to give back to the community that has given me the opportunity to attend college, I joined the American Red Cross Club of Ohio State. This club is known for managing and hosting the numerous blood drives that take place around campus throughout the year. The blood drives were the main reason I joined because blood transfusions are some of the most vital life-saving medical practices at work today; a pint of blood can be divided into three separate units which can help sustain three patients. I was attracted to the blood drives because this form of human charity can save lives more directly than most other acts of selflessness; you can live without money, but cannot live without blood. This club is the main driver behind Ohio State’s “Blood Battle,” a competition with the University of Michigan that is held every November leading up to OSU-UM football game to see which student body can donate more units of blood. Ohio State currently has a 3-year winning streak. Since joining this organization, I have realized the importance of donating blood and the impact that it has on millions of people across the country, both during times of crisis and for very ill patients that need regular blood transfusions. The need is basically constant as these ill patients with blood disorders will always need more blood and there is no economical way, as of yet, to artificially produce human blood.
Leadership Development
Outside of the classroom, I am a part of two different clubs, both of which deal with world events and what should be done about them. The first is called CCWA: the Collegiate Council of World Affairs. This club runs a nationally-recognized model United Nations program that meets with other schools from around the country as well as around the state of Ohio. In addition to travelling to this meets, CCWA will host multiple small in-school meets to sharpen all the members’ debate skills. I have actively participated in these meets, sometimes forming coalitions of members into passing legislation that would impact the diplomatic scenario that would be presented to us for the duration of the meet.
The second club is called the Alexander Hamilton Society, which world events from a more militaristic view as opposed to CCWA’s diplomatic view. The events surrounding that club include club debates on foreign policy, which I actively participate in, and large debates, with highly respected experts coming in to professionally debate foreign policy issues in front of a crowd of dozens, or even hundreds, of people. It is through this club that I am able to network with higher members of the club and get me into contact with some of the experts.
Academic Enrichment
I believe the two majors I have selected for my undergraduate studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, leave me particularly qualified to follow my career path. I chose these majors because these areas of study interested me the most since middle school. After I graduate, I yearn to pursue a career in the federal government, preferably in the defense or intelligence communities. After discussing my choices with a Washington insider, Mr. Kevin Freeman, he confided in me that I could turn Washington D.C. into a “playground” of sorts in terms of finding a division of the federal government that would seek my skill set.
This combination of majors doubly effective when seeking employment after college in a career field. With my liberal arts experience, I have a rich foundation of background information in regards to the history, geography, politics, etc. on almost any region or nation on Earth. On top of that, I am gaining skills to use software programs such as ESRI, the largest GIS program at work today (in terms of market share), and R, a statistical analysis program that is used extensively by Google, Facebook, and Bank of America, to name a few. While I have yet to delve into the most intense course loads, I am happy to report that I currently maintain a 3.85 GPA and go to great lengths to hold on to such academic success for the next two years.
Original Inquiry
While I have not engaged in research in the traditional sense, at least as of yet, I have gone above and beyond the material needed to succeed while pursuing my double major. For one particular class that I am currently taking, a data literacy course offered through the Political Science department, I am responsible for finding any peculiar patterns between two indicators of global advancement using datasets hosted by the World Bank. In addition to using statistical analysis to identify patterns, I have explored reading materials not covered in lecture for the courses I am enrolled and conversing with a professor over on leading theories on topics such as global migration, government-controlled central planning, or the trajectories of the future powers of nations. I intend to pursue research opportunities for my political science and geography majors during my final year of undergraduate studies.
Global Awareness
The two things that have most greatly impacted my sense of worldliness has been through the courses that I have completed for my Geography major and the diverse group of floormates I have been situated with during my freshman and sophomore years. When most people think of Geography, they think of learning the names of countries, landmarks, and natural features. While this is partially true, the classes that I have taken primarily focus on how the global landscape has an impact on the humans that live there. I have studied global migration patterns, the reasons for emigration and immigration, and the geopolitical balances of power. Through these classes, I have a deep sense of the world around me and my place in it.
I live in the International Affairs Scholars housing in Smith-Steeb Hall. In both years that I have lived here, there have been a diverse group of students who I am proud to call my floormates and friends. These include people from several different countries outside the US as well as people with all different political backgrounds. While learning things in a classroom through lectures, books, and documentaries is enriching, the one-on-one conversations I have had with some of these students has had a greater impact on my sense of the world than most of the lectures of classes that I have attended. Through these floormates, I have more nuanced views on hot button issues and current events as my beliefs have been both challenged and strengthened.
Connecting with the Professor
One of the best ways to get a deeper understanding of the materials taught in a classroom is to engage in dialogue with the professor. Many of Ohio State’s faculty are global leaders in their field, so becoming acquainted with one of them can be compared to meeting a foremost expert of the branch of academic study they pursue. In my case, the professor that I have connected with the most has been Professor Edward Malecki of the Department of Geography, one of the most renown urban geographers working today. I took one of his courses during the fall semester called “Global Cities and their Urban Spaces.” After excelling in that class, I began to attend office hours for help on assignments and carrying on discussions based on the materials covered in previous lectures; from that point on, we have been on a first-name basis. I am currently taking another of his classes titled “Making of the Modern World,” which I am enjoying immensely. I am even reading material not covered in lecture, but prescribed to me by him to deepen my understanding of the kinds of research he grapples with. Needless to say, I intend to take his courses on offer whenever possible from now until my final semester.
STEP and Ottawa
During my sophomore year, I chose to participate in a program called the Second-year Transformational Experience Program. This program was set up for ambitious sophomore students to deepen their impact in the Ohio State University through service, strengthening relationships with professors, and mentoring freshman on their college experience. As a reward for successful members, a fellowship would be awarded to help students overcome some financial hurdles towards further enriching their time on campus, by studying abroad, obtaining an internship, or conducting research for a thesis.
With my fellowship, I have chosen to pursue a study abroad internship offered through Ohio State’s Political Science department. Upon acceptance into this program, I will intern with a member of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa for the months of May and June. On top of the experience of living and working in a world-class foreign capital city (albeit approximately 50 miles away from the US border), I would be able to further groom my resume for a possible job in the US federal government with intern experience in a legislative body of a foreign government.
The Alexander Hamilton Society
One of the nice things about attending such a large university is the vast diversity of interests that are able to be represented in one entity. There are literally hundreds of clubs and groups, formal and informal, that meet regularly on this campus. With this in mind, I set out to look for a club that discusses issues of national security or international relations. Out of the several clubs on offer here, I have become a member of the Alexander Hamilton Society, a nationally recognized chapter of an organization known for discussing the pressing geopolitical issues of the day, like Russian annexations of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, the TPP trade deal, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the Iranian nuclear deal that has recently been reached.
What made this club stand out from the others is that, unlike most debate or foreign affairs clubs I have attended, it features a truly diverse group of members from all walks of life and all shades along the political spectrum. I came into Ohio State as a hardened democrat and liberal, but after a year of attending these meetings and listening to the cases for certain courses of action on issues made by my conservative colleagues, I have definitely tempered my resolve with the liberal way of thinking and have become more moderate as a result. This club, more than anything else I have thus come across, has taught me to find balance when making a decision and never shut out someone’s opinion lest I block my thought s from important outside information.