Year in Review

 

 

 

Here is my roommate Abbie and I decorating pumpkins at the BioSci Scholars Fall Fun Night!

 

This whole semester has flown by so fast. I have had so much fun getting to know everyone in the community, and learning more about myself and my field. At the very beginning of this semester, I remember feeling so overwhelmed/afraid to be in this huge place where I felt I didn’t fit in. However, I was lucky enough to be paired with amazing roommates, and also able to fund Club Swim and other groups where I made friends. This past semester has been such a fun learning experience and I can”t wait for the next year!

G.O.A.L.S.

The GOALS of the Honors and Scholars program are 5 different categories where its students strive to showcase in and excel in.

G represent global awareness, which emphasizes the importance of diversity and respect for individuals different from yourself. I hope to continue improving upon my global awareness by studying abroad and learning from the different cultures I immerse with. Additionally, while pursing my Spanish major I hope to also focus on global awareness by continuing my study of Latin America and South America and the cultures and practices within those countries.

O represents original inquiry, which is the result of a students curiosity and involves  the students engaging in the research process by pursuing their curiosity within research.

A represents academic enrichment which is shown through the students academic excellence  and rigor within the class curriculum. For this category, the college of Nursing maintains a GPA minimum of 3.2 and GPA average of 3.8. Throughout high school, I graduated Salutatorian with a final weighted/unweighted GPA of 4.987/3.933, and I will maintain the same rigor and worth ethic to hopefully continue the trend.

L represents leadership development which is the student’s ability to develop leadership skills and to showcase them both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. In high school I was able to join leadership team within many clubs to further my abilities, and I hope to do the same at OSU. Currently I have joined Club Swimming and Mountaineering club, and throughout this next year I hope to learn from the current officials leadership style to eventually join their position.

S represents service engagement which is the student’s willingness to help his own community without seeking anything back in return. Within Biological Scholars I have volunteered for various charities around Columbus that need the extra help. Additionally, OSU offers a club called Bluefish where you can teach low-income children how to swim. I was a swim instructor in Cleveland for many years so involvement in this organization would also be a wonderful opportunity to improve the lives of others.

Artifacts

My artifact is a picture I took in the Plaza de España en Sevilla, Spain. This was taken in the July of 2017, the summer after my sophomore year. After saving for two years I had the opportunity to study abroad for 2 months in the summer. During this experience, I stepped drastically outside my comfort zone and lived in a foreign country with a host family, even though at this point I barely spoke the language. The firsts two weeks were scary, and communication was frustrating, but the more I experienced the culture the more comfortable I became. I never been truly immersed in a culture so different from my own, and I had never had to “fend for myself” in the way I needed to there. Although the summer was scary at first, it ended up being one of the most rewarding and incredible 2 months of my life. I learned and grew so much, and was able to form relationships with people that were incredibly different from me and also incredibly kind.

About Me

Hello!

I am Maya Assaf, and I am currently a Pre-Nursing major at OSU. Additionally I am a member of the Biological Sciences scholars program. I am very passionate about conservation, and attached is a photo of me hiking in the Italian Alps.

 

Throughout High School I was an active member of Environmental Club, Student Government, and the swim team. Within student government, I realized the impact that individual people could have on the world around them, and the importance of unity when working with other people.

Additionally, in Environmental Club, along with the other officers we organized multiple community-wide river clean up efforts. We were able remove significant amounts of plastics and other trash from the river, and then we organized that into recyclables and waste. In this experience especially I realized the importance of organization within large, community wide efforts. Everyone was incredibly passionate and excited, but without a direct and specific roles for each person, nothing would’ve been done. I continued developing my leadership skills as Team Captain of my high school swim team. The boys team captain and I jointly organized team socials, team apparel orders, and acted as motivators for our team of 60 swimmers.

After I finish my undergrad, I hope to graduate with my BSN and become a Nurse within Doctors without borders. I am currently double majoring in Spanish and Nursing, and I hope to use everything I learn in both those fields to help improve the lives of those who need it most.