I can’t thank the Ronald McDonald House enough for the experiences I have gained by volunteering. The Ronald McDonald House is a non-profit organization that invests in any way to assist children’s health and overall well-being. I began volunteering in the summer of 2019 and have grown to respect the environment of hard-working individuals that will do anything they can for children. By volunteering, I was able to help in creating an environment for these children and their families to make their stay at the Ronald McDonald House as comfortable as possible. This experience has taught me to be giving to all people, regardless of their current situation. The courage of these families has translated into me and the environment I’m in every day. I can’t wait to see what awaits me at this organization.
About Me
My name is Noreen Altallaa! I am a Neuroscience major and Spanish minor on a pre-medical track with the plans of becoming a physician one day. By studying Spanish, I hope to become fluent and add another language to the other two languages I speak, English and Arabic. This way, I will be able to communicate more successfully with people and future patients.
Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio
[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]
Year in Review
This year has been one that will never be forgotten. Although I’m from the Columbus area, my time spent at Ohio State was unique and unpredictable, including the courses I took and outside factors that had a major effect. As a student who is following a pre-med track, this year I began to take upper-level science courses, including organic chemistry. Although all my previous classes at OSU haven’t been too difficult, organic chemistry was a force to reckon with! I had to put in more time than I had in previous classes, which is expected for a topic as complex as this. However, this was a challenge I was thankful to get through. While all this was occurring, the global pandemic has also changed a lot with my college experience at OSU. Although I was not able to have in-person conversations with my professors to form that relationship with them, I adapted to having frequent conversations with them on Zoom, and I’m thankful to be able to. Also, as a pre-med student, I would be volunteering at different organizations and hospitals at this time, which has halted due to the severity of the COVID-19 in the world. However, this change is expected, and I know there will be more opportunities for me in the future. Overall, this past year has been full of making changes and adapting, and I know this ability to quickly adapt has only allowed me to grow as an individual.
G.O.A.L.S.
Global Awareness
I have been taking Spanish as a language all throughout middle school and high school. I decided to minor in Spanish because of the opportunity to get involved in a completely different culture. Not only do I want to learn about Spanish in my courses, but I want to also study abroad in a hispanic-speaking country to really understand the diversity in the world.
Original Inquiry
Through my Cognitive Neuroscience professor, I was able to get a position in the Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience lab to learn about what cognition is like in the brain in relation to different behaviors and neurons. This experience is a unique way for me to experience neuroscience outside of the classroom and with real-world experimental designs.
Academic Enrichment
As an Honors student, I plan on taking many classes that are considered honors or are 3000-level or higher. I want to do this to push myself to think outside of the box in classes I may not be used to taking, such as history or literature classes. By doing this, I am expanding by curricular experiences and decreasing my limitations inside the classroom. I am also planning on taking honors courses for my Spanish minor, which will academically expand my minor and take it to a level that allows me to take the minor more rigor than a typical student.
Leadership Development
In classes that I take, I always want to be ahead of lectures and have assignments completed with plenty of time to spare. By doing this, I can give time for me to focus on the details of the lectures, which can help me with assisting others. I also plan on potentially starting a new organization at Ohio State. By doing this, I am taking control of a club that needs to be organized and controlled smoothly. Although these two may require extra work, as a leader, I believe it is my position to take on roles that many may not be able to do on their own.
Service Engagement
Freshmen year, I decided to join the Rotaract Club at Ohio State. This club focuses on community service around Columbus. I knew this club would be very important for me because it continuously reminds me to put others above me, no matter the situation. I also chose to join Alpha Epsilon Delta, which is a health preprofessional honor society. This club also offers service opportunities that involve the health of people in the community. As a student who is on a pre-medical track, I knew this would help me understand the importance of the health of others, or patients in the future.