Month: April 2022

Mjolnir

This model stands about 18 inches tall and 9 inches wide. It took about 4 hours to build.

I took some time to myself in the midst of studying this semester to enjoy one of my biggest hobbies, building LEGOs. I am also a huge fan of the marvel cinematic universe which includes the legendary hero, Thor, god of thunder and his hammer, Mjolnir. This build was a great way for me to decompress and relax a little in between studying. I built it in smaller pieces when I had the chance because I did not have enough time to devote to it all at once. I was very proud of myself to complete it. It looks great sitting on my desk next to my other smaller sets. I plan to one day display this piece in my office down the road!

Abstract

The following Portfolio showcases my identity as a student at Ohio State. It includes general biographical information about me, updates on my academic and professional career, accomplishments, and illuminations on my philosophy of education. This collection is intended to highlight my goals and the updates along the way to my achievement of them. It includes updates on each of my academic years as an undergraduate, reviews of classes I have taken, professional information including my Resume and Handshake profile, and many other entries to build up who I am as a person.

Class Review: African-American Theatre History (2367.02)

I took African-American Theatre History as a level II writing as well as cultural studies general education class in the Spring 2022 semester. It was taught by Ashley Dunn M.A. as a three credit hour class. I would strongly recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn more about fundamentals of theatre, the Black experience, the works of talented Black playwrights, and anyone wanting to expose themselves to profound and entertaining Black art. This discussion based class focused on both a different era and playwright in American history each week and operated mostly through interpersonal discussion with peers. I noticed that even when I was tired, coming to this class always energized me. Our discussions were fantastic each and every week as we worked to answer well-pondered questions by Ms. Dunn as well as interpret and draw connections in the works we read and/or watched. One of my weakest points as a student has always been my lack of analytical ability when it comes to pulling out intentional details placed in a work by the author and explaining the reasoning for said details. Ms. Dunn showed me that in fact every detail an author puts into a work is intentional; especially in plays where there is not as much text available to get ideas across. I have become much better at appreciating the purpose that authors put into their work as a result of this class. I have also become more aware of the current state of racial injustice in this country. This class showed me the many aspects of the journey that African-Americans have made and the ways in which white institutions have resisted this journey at every turn, especially in the arts world. We also looked at many works which highlighted Black brotherhood, sisterhood, motherhood, fatherhood, Black joy, and Black perseverance which are often discounted in conversation of race relations in America.

I was so impacted by this class that I have planned to work another course related to Black art into my curriculum. I plan to take a related class that analyzes hip-hop and its role in American cultural development as soon as the course is next offered.

Vision Statement

I ultimately want to be an educator in the field of chemistry, whether it be at the highschool or collegiate level. I have high expectations for myself as an educator because I know the value of experiencing top tier instruction from my experiences both at OSU and going back to my highschool career. I believe personal discovery is the most enriching part of learning. There is no better feeling as a student than to experience a ‘lightbulb’ moment after exerting immense effort towards content. it is hard to teach people to have a revelation like this because it usually happens when they are studying on their own. However, I am confident that I can create an environment as a teacher that will convince students to pursue these moments even when I am not right there teaching them. I feel I can do this because of my personal experiences as a current student. I fondly remember all of my science instructors both at OSU and my highschool for encouraging me to think on my own and find my own ‘Aha!’ moments. My teachers have made the classroom an exciting place for me, a place where I am fully engaged and always in wonder of how science can be so intricate, simple, and elegant all at the same time.

For my remaining two years as an undergraduate I would like to continue my rigorous coursework and maintain my academic standing in hopes of attending graduate school to obtain a masters and eventually a PhD in science education. I plan to continue my work in undergraduate research in the Alfonzo lab and to hopefully receive credits on future publications by the group and our collaborators. I also plan to continue my work as a teaching assistant in the chemistry department with hope of extending my role into both organic chemistry and organic chemistry laboratory along with my continued role in general chemistry. I plan to become more involved in service organizations as well. I have recently been inducted into Chimes junior class honorary and will work with fellow members to aid an organizational cause of our choosing in the coming year. Two organizations in particular that I feel strongly towards helping are Equitas Health and Huckleberry house. I have attended service events for both groups over the past two years and have become very drawn to the causes they represent. Huckleberry House in particular caught my attention with the welcoming environment they provide for their kids as well as the role of responsibility they give to them which helps them feel valued and respected. I would love to become a part-time volunteer at Huckleberry house and plan to reach out to their administration about potential needs.

A Look Back At My Second Year At OSU

As I reflect on my second year as a whole, what comes to my mind most strongly is how much growth as an adult I made. This year was by far the most academically challenging I have experienced as I expected. I continued my chemistry coursework with the organic chemistry sequences and took challenging classes both in physics and mathematics. I am proud of myself for working hard to succeed in the classroom. I faced other challenges as well as I gained many new involvements at the university that demanded me to be on top of my schedule and responsible for all my engagements. Keeping my packed schedule in line was not an easy task. I started work as a teaching assistant for general chemistry in Autumn 2021 for the first general chemistry course and then for the second sequence in Spring 2022. Teaching was by far the most enriching and rewarding experience for me as a future educator. I absolutely loved coming to class each week and working with my students. I developed close mentor relations with them as I sought to guide them through their early chemistry careers. I am excited to continue teaching in the coming semester.

I became involved in undergraduate research in the Autumn and continued my involvement throughout the year in the Alfonzo lab of microbiology studying mechanisms of tRNA modifications and enzyme kinetics in eukaryotes. I spent much of the year learning new laboratory techniques from some amazingly intelligent and friendly graduate students. I studied the theories behind each technique and did extensive research on the topics related to microbiology. While I did not complete any major work on my research project, I did gain the necessary tools to become independent in the laboratory and to pick up my project with full steam starting in Autumn 2022. I am eager to start conducting my own laboratory research and to spend my Summer developing a workflow for my project.

Overall, my second year was quite demanding. I picked up many new responsibilities which catalyzed my growth as an adult. I was as independent as I have ever been this year, making major steps towards becoming my own person and finding who I want to be as a contributor to my scientific field. The bottom line is that I am happy this year was challenging. I was overwhelmed a lot, but I saw so much growth in myself mentally and intellectually. I fought hard to succeed and I feel fulfilled by my body of work for this year. Knowing how much effort and struggle I put into it makes it that much more impressive to me personally. I am the only person who truly knows how hard some of the mental challenges I faced this year were and there is beauty in knowing that. I wouldn’t change anything about this year given the chance, because I believe I took something out of every situation I faced whether it be good, bad, and anything in between.