Holistic Well being Event

I am a member of the Morrill Scholars Holistic Well being mentor team. Our goal is to promote first-year Morrill Scholars to understand the various aspects of wellness in their lives and how to improve them. We thought a great way for them to de-stress before their first round of finals would be to have a painting event.

This event took a lot of planning. The 6 members of the mentor team had to come up with a budget for the items we wanted to include, think of theme the event should be centered around, and make a flyer for it. I was tasked with making the flyer and ended up making something that everyone liked. The theme we eventually came up with was growth. With this, we decided that it would only make sense for them to paint flower pots and then grow plants out of those pots to represent their growth in whatever holistic realm they desired. We then came up with a budget for food, flower pots, dirt, seeds and paint.

The actual event had a big turnout. The painting skills of many students were really highlighted. I was amazed by the ideas that people were coming up with for their designs. Not only was creativity expressed, but the event became a way for students to mingle. Finals week can be very daunting, and being social is the last thing many people want to do, but the event allowed for students to discuss their finals and resonate with each other on their fears or stress.

Overall it was fun and the message behind the program was well presented. I am glad that I had a part in helping first year students understand the importance of having a calm mindset for finals.

Sophomore Year Reflection

This year has been filled with academic development as well as personal, and social growth for me. My first semester did not go as planned. One of the most discouraging moments of my college career so far presented itself as an opportunity for improvement, and strengthened my knowledge in what it means to have grit.

Organic chemistry was the bane of my existence. I viewed it as this huge mountain, and I felt I was unable to succeed in reaching its summit. I went in with this mentality, making it incredibly difficult to see myself doing well in the course. After my first midterm, I lost all hope. From there it just went downhill. I stopped doing practice problems, thinking that all my hard work would eventually be wasted because the class was just too hard. Consequently, I failed my ochem lecture class. I had never failed a class in my entire life. I blamed my professor, I blamed not having enough time, I blamed OSU for making such difficult coursework, I blamed any and everything but myself. Now I believe that I didn’t put in as much work and effort needed into doing well.

I had to retake the class, as it was a requirement for my major. I knew that this time had to be different. I wasn’t going to commit to the pessimistic mentality that I had before. The class didn’t have to be as hard as I was making it out to be. With a change in attitude, I was able to make the best of a negative situation. The second time around, I resorted to study groups, extra practice problems, working with TAs and other strategies I had neglected before. When we got the scores for my first midterm I was ecstatic. I scored 15% higher than the class average. I was on the come-up. Continuing my new methods allowed me to improve throughout the entire semester. The class felt so much easier.

Organic Chemistry proved to be a tough class that ruined my confidence the first time I took it. With a complete 180, I managed to obtain a good grade the second time I took it. Although it was an emotionally tolling event, this dramatically improved my outlook on hard classes. I now know that as long as I take the steps to do well, the final grade will reflect that and the mountain that once looked terrifying is actually climbable.

Vision Statement and Statement of Action

As someone with the goal of becoming a pediatrician, I have become more to the realm of holistic childcare. One of the major disparities that eventually can lead to health complications is education. Education is the very thing that presents itself as a barrier to power and privilege. Those who lack access to higher education aren’t subjected to the knowledge that those privileged with education have. Overall, there are also barriers to education itself. Some do not have the financial means to continue after primary education. With all these hindering factors, the path to higher education becomes a tedious endeavor.

I am currently involving myself in the education system so that I can have a role in understanding how education impacts youth. As an instructor in primary education I understand the development that education establishes in young children. I work in The Ohio State University’s childcare program, where I am presented with the task of assisting teachers with lesson plans for the students. I not only learn how students are able to interpret different methods of how people learn, but I am able to see the mental growth of children as they pursue further education. I also volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus, which allows me to see the side of the spectrum where people are facing economic inequalities. This club supports students of the Columbus area who need affordable after school programming by encouraging academic success and healthy lifestyles. Working there as a tutor has been an eye-opening experience and has allowed me to see the discrepancies in education across different backgrounds. I feel that these two forms of interaction with the education system provide a necessary outlook on how the system works in the United States.

Over the past school year, I have become more driven in my passion for the education system and seek to make it more accessible for all people. I have come to learn the relationship that education has with health and how the two are inextricably linked. It is my goal that becoming more involved in understanding education disparities will aid in the bettering of health disparities as well.

Abstract

This e-portfolio consists of posts that reflect who I am and the contributions that I am making and seek to fortify at the Ohio State University. This website allows viewers to understand my journey as a student while reviewing challenges, major events, and values that pertain to me. As I continue in my endeavors, this e-portfolio will allow for me to express myself in an authentic way to the public.

Year in Review

My first semester at The Ohio State University was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. I was able to evolve in many personal skills as well as strive toward goals I had set for myself and develop new goals too. The Biological Sciences Scholar group is responsible for a lot of my character development here. I have learned about my specific career path into the medical field by attending information sessions and events sponsored by the program. I especially enjoyed learning about different approaches to getting involved in research on campus. I am currently applying for different student lab and research positions, and the program has demonstrated what it takes to do well during this process.

 

G.O.A.L.S.

As a first generation American, my family instills the idea of global awareness in me everyday. It is imperative that I go about my days as a person who understands the global perspective of others by involving myself in cultural identity clubs like the African Youth League.

The college of Arts and Sciences has many opportunities for students to get involved in research. Being a microbiology major, I would love to get involved in research that encompasses the smaller aspects of biology, such as genetics or an immunology study

As a pre-med student, it is important that I spend time broadening my intellectual mindset. I can do so by joining clubs that are suitable towards this goal. Such clubs include the microbiology club, the pre-med club, and the women in STEM organization

Leadership is used in almost all career paths. I will improve my leadership qualities by joining organizations that I really enjoy. I would love to enjoy clubs where I can fulfill my hobbies. This way I will be able to really incorporate my time into them and take on responsibilities for these clubs

Volunteer work is a way for me to help others in the community, at the same time it is a way for me to feel involved. Morrill Scholars are dedicated to bettering the community when it comes to social justice issues, and as a Morrill scholar, this is something that I would like to volunteer my time to.

 

Career

This semester I have learned how to work in a lab setting through my general chemistry course. Working in an actual lab is different from my high school labs. Taking precautions when using dangerous chemicals or equipment is held at a top priority. I have also learned how to measure substances with specific tools such as graduated cylinders, burets, and pipettes.

Resume:

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Artifacts

My journal is an important artifact to me because it is where I can express myself freely. I got this journal for my first semester of college and my a plan for myself that I would write at least one entry a day. I had never had a journal before, but now I see the benefits of being able to write about anything I feel. It is where I jot down my goals, ideas, and just feelings in general. I tape small artifacts like notes, letters, and achievements that remind me of major events in my life into the journal too. I keep it as a reference to see the changes I’ve made in who I am as a person. It is also a nice reminder of all my aspirations so that I am motivated to achieve them.

I went on a trip to a corn maze with my scholars group, and it was a worth-while experience. I am from Michigan and it was interesting to see the corn fields that every Ohioan is always talking about. At the same time, it was nice to get closer with my scholars peers and to learn more about other scholars groups. This trip was a great way to de-stress and made me appreciate the scholars community more.

About Me

My name is Oluwadunni, but everyone knows me as Dunni. I am a first generation American, my parents were raised in Nigeria and moved to America. My culture is part of what shapes me as who I am as a person. I am a microbiology major on the pre-med track. Part of why I chose microbiology as my major is because I am interested in the biological processes that occur on a small scale, especially the science behind immunology. I would eventually like to become a physician because I enjoy the idea of finding resolutions to problems. If a patient were to come to me, It would be my job to evaluate what the problem is and how to fix it. I am also a Morrill Scholar, and I am proud of this title. I feel that I am able to tackle issues on social adversities and debate issues on injustice.