Artifact 3

 

For my third artifact, I chose a screenshot photo of this year’s BuckeyeThon Executive Board during one of our meetings. This photo is special to me because the people in it have made such an impact on my experience not only within BuckeyeThon, but at Ohio State as well. I truly consider everyone in this picture family, for we go through everything together. This past year I served as the Executive Secretary of BuckeyeThon. Being on the Executive Board means you spend a lot of time on BuckeyeThon and commit to it on a whole other level. This year we faced many challenges and ha to be creative as we worked though a pandemic and enacted many changes within our organization and to its structure. Also, the idea that this screenshot is of a Zoom meeting speaks to the time we are going through with the COVID-19 pandemic and how we best communicated the past few months. I am very thankful for the power of this team and the perseverance they have to work hard everyday For The Kids at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I am lucky to have served with them, and I cannot wait to see what future years in their organization look like and what is next for us all.

Artifact 2

My second artifact is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals bracelet. This year I have become involved with BuckeyeThon at the university level. Before coming to Ohio State,  I was part of the BuckeyeThon high school program as a member of Student Council at my high school. We put on a smaller scale event called GahannaThon, which helped to raise money for BuckeyeThon. As a member fo the General Body this year, I have seen a whole new side of the organization and become more involved than before. Not only do I fundraise individually, but I help to plan the events that BuckeyeThon hosts, and volunteer at them as well. BuckeyeThon has taught me a lot about my values and myself as a leader. My family, like many others, has been affected by cancer in many forms, which strengthens my desire to work with the organization. I have found a new appreciation for working towards making a positive impact in the lives of others. I now understand how our hard work and continuous effort to better the organization is helping the families at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. As a college student, the cause connection has become so much more prominent to me, and for that I am grateful. Being a member of general body has also reinforced my leadership skills and the confidence I have in them. I decided to run for the Executive Secretary position for the 2020-2021 BuckeyThon year, and I am proud to say that I will be serving on the executive board for the organization next year. The position is already teaching me communication, teamwork, and professional skills that are helping to build me as a person. I look forward to see what I can do to make a impact in this organization and what it will continue to teach me about myself.

Year in Review

My first year in Mount was a great experiential learning time for me. Coming into the program I knew I was passionate about service and leadership, but I was not sure how I was going to carry those values into my college life. Mount gave me more of a directional purpose when I got to Ohio State, and for this I am extremely thankful. The work I was doing as a part of Mount was more purposeful and this excited me. I saw first hand how leadership and service with purpose and goals can make sure a larger impact on our community both in Mount and in the greater Columbus area. Knowing I was participating in service for a reason and knowing the difference I was making made me feel purposeful. Legacy Week opened my eyes to the many different forms of service and helped me discover some of the aspects of service I really care about, which was enlightening. I really enjoyed this year of growth and look forward to my continued involvement in the Mount Leadership Society.

G.O.A.L.S.

 

  • Global Awareness: My coursework at OSU my past 3 semesters has mad me more globally aware in my opinion. Before coming to Ohio State, I never really explored much about what was happening in the world around me, but at OSU I was now a part of that world happening around me. My classes like BIOETHC and ESHESA helped me become more educated and form new perspectives about society and my role within it. I hope to continue growing and educating myself throughout my college career and after.
  • Original Inquiry: My experience this semester taking rigorous courses has shown em the dedication required for being a Health Sciences major. I have learned so much academically this semester with two heavy courses, Biology and Anatomy, but also about myself and my work ethic. I hope to continue finding what methods of productivity work best for me so I can be my best academically.
  • Academic Enrichment: Outside of my course work I look to learn more about my future profession, physical therapy, by having conversations with physical therapists I meet about their experience in the field. I look to learn from them as both a patient and a mentee, always eager to learn more. I love hearing their perspective on the career and recommendations they have about school.  My goal is to continue forming these relationships and learn through them along the way.
  • Leadership Development: My leadership skills have developed a lot this year with my job. I work with a 3rd grade student who needs extra assistance with the virtual classwork. I mentor them and assist them with their daily activities when I am there, and lead by example, helping them to complete their work. I hope to continue this involvement with the intent of betting my student’s academic experience and my leadership experience.
  • Service Engagement: This semester, my third semester of college, I have the opportunity to work with 2 kindergarteners twice a week as part of the Kindergarten Corps program through Ohio State. I have really enjoyed my experience thus far. I host reading sessions with my students twice a week and preform extension activities together. Building relationships with the kids has been wonderful and makes the work we do together more effective. I look forward to more sessions with them and hope to make this a longer lasting involvement.

Career

Currently my major is Health Sciences and my minor is Disability Studies. I am completing coursework on a Pre-Physical Therapy track with the hopes of earning my Doctorate of Physical Therapy. My goal is to become a licensed physical therapist and work within a school district with students who have disabilities. As of right now, my physical therapy field experience includes shadowing a school physical therapist when I was in high school, and attending physical therapy sessions myself for many years. Moving forward I hope to gain more experience in the field through additional shadowing and volunteering. I am excited to explore the wide range of opportunities this field holds and see where me and my aspirations fit best.

Artifact 1

My first artifact is a picture of the succulents we painted during one of the Bowen activity nights this semester. The pot on the right was decorated by my friend Erica, and I painted the one to the left. I chose too write the word home on my pot. However, I incorporated OSU into the design because OSU is my new home. I made the “O” the state of Ohio, and placed a buckeye inside of it, to represent my new position as a buckeye! Every time I look at this pot I am reminded of the family I now here in Bowen House and the OSU family that I am now a part of and will be as I continue my undergraduate career. I look forward to growing my OSU family as time passes, creating friendships and strengthening current ones.

 

About Me

Hello, my name is Abigail Alatsis, but most people call me Abby. I come from a family of six, my mom, dad, two sisters, and a brother. Personally, I can verify the idea of a ‘Big Fat Greek Family’ because I have one. I was raised Greek and am reminded of my heritage every time I get to see my Yiayia and Papou (Grandma and Grandpa in Greek), who live nearby. I am from Gahanna, Ohio, but lived in Perrysburg, Ohio for a short period of time when I was younger. This past spring I graduated from Gahanna Lincoln High School, as a valedictorian and member of National Honor Society. My high school experience really shaped who I am today. Being on Student Council all four years, I developed leadership, communication, and collaboration skills that help me in my everyday life. I consider myself lucky to have served as both the Student Council President and Vice President/ Financial Officer at GLHS because these positions helped me to discover myself as a leader. Another big part of who I am as a person is my involvement with special education and working with people who have disabilities. Every school I attended in the Gahanna district was very inclusive, which meant I got to spend a lot of time in the special education units learning and making friends with some of my favorite people, both the students and the teachers. Over the years I developed a passion for special education, which fueled my decision to join the Eastland Fairfield Career and Technical Schools Teaching Professions program. This program allowed me to learn about becoming a teacher and I was able to focus specifically on the special education path. I was lucky enough to do observations within the local district classrooms and projects such as Educators Rising, which helped me to better define my career goals. As a competition for Educators Rising, I shadowed the school districts physical therapist as they worked with students in special education, and this opportunity inspired me, and made a remarkable impact on my life. Thanks to my experiences, I am confident my goal is to become a physical therapist and work in a school district with students in special education. Presently, I am attending The Ohio State University and majoring in Health Sciences, on a pre-physical therapy track. I plan on getting my Health Sciences degree and then going to graduate school for physical therapy, getting a job as a physical therapist where I can and then working my way into my ideal position in a school system. Outside of my academics, I am a member of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars, which is a leadership based scholars program focused on betting our school and community. I also plan to be involved with BuckeyeThon, and the OSU Special Olympics team during my time in college. Overall, I am excited for my next four and possibly seven years, at The Ohio State University and all of my future involvements.