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Year in Review
[ “Year in Review” is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student. You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
G.O.A.L.S.
Global awareness is essential in being able to interact with other individuals. The first step toward getting past the differences between people is to first understand and appreciate them, and this does not come without exposure. At a large university like Ohio State, I will have plenty of opportunities to do so. A fascination and appreciation for the differences between people is something that I have had for my entire life, and as a result I have been afforded to honor to call myself a Morrill Scholar. Through this program, I will work to not only enhance my own behaviors towards diversity and social justice, but I will also work to help make the entire community more accepting and tolerant. Along with this, I am a member of MUNDO (Multicultural Understanding through Nontraditional Discovery Opportunities), which is an organization that is geared toward social change by combining local, national, and global community engagement with leadership and other activities that promote diversity. Through this organization, I will learn more about specific cultures throughout the world. At some point in my time at Ohio State, I would love to be able to round out my global experience by participating in study abroad, whether it is through a service organization, for research, or for academics. The opportunity to travel to Latin America or to Europe is not something that comes along often, and I plan on working hard to be able to be a part of one of these once in a lifetime experiences.
When it comes to our education, original inquiry is one of the most important aspects to gain experience in. While there are many ways to do so, I plan on tackling this through involvement with research on campus. Ohio State is thriving with opportunities, and it would be a shame for me to not take advantage of this. Due to my sincere interest in medicine, clinical research would be optimal for me. One potential topic that excites me is in the area of brain trauma, specifically concussions. As both a former football player and a huge football fan, I have had a great deal of experience with concussions. After having been diagnosed with one myself and seeing the effects that they have had on others, it is something that has fascinated me over the years. It was truly incredible to see how much these injuries impact the patient’s mood and personality. In a period of time where neuroscience research is progressing at an all time high, it would be amazing to be a part of a research group that made a significant contribution to the field.
My academic plan an honors contract will contain courses that will mold me into a well-rounded, open-minded graduate who is ready to take on all areas of the real world. While my personal curriculum will be heavily geared toward the sciences, it will also include a number of humanities courses, which are essential for communication and a deeper understanding of the world. For a medical professional especially, it is essential that that person is well versed in all areas of academia because the work has the potential to touch every single one of these areas. These courses will be high-level and very challenging, but this all aids in the development process. I will do my best to exceed the minimum requirements set forth by the department.
I plan to continue developing the leadership skills that I have been working on since high school. As of now, I am working on joining different mentoring organizations as well as organizations which have the opportunity for me to get to a leadership position. I attended a First Year Success Series event on this very topic, and they provided me with many different methods for me to work on these skills. One specific program was the Student Leadership Advocates which I plan on joining during my sophomore year. Through a combination of all of these, I will have advanced my leadership skills immensely throughout my undergraduate career.
Service engagement is the branch that excites me the most. The amount of opportunities available to serve others here is absolutely incredible, and I am going to work to get involved in as many as possible. Buck-I-Serv is something that I am going to get involved in for this upcoming spring, and I hope that I will be able to participate in multiple trips throughout the course of my years at Ohio State. Coming this semester, I will begin volunteering at the Riverside Methodist hospital to help gain more experience in the medical field. Finally, I am going to look into joining the A Kid Again organization that focuses on working with children who have serious illnesses and helps to make their lives better in any way possible. This will be a key aspect of my education if I plan on pursuing a career that constantly serves others.
Career
[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career. Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
Artifacts
[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation. An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
About Me
“Education is fundamental to our development but it does not guarantee our success.”
This is the sentence that I used in the opening line of my GOALS essay for my Honors application in the Fall of 2014, which ultimately led to one of my proudest academic moments: my acceptance into The Ohio State University’s Honors program. This opportunity to join the group of outstanding students found at this university, especially in the Honors Program, is something that I will be forever grateful for. With a full-bodied education consisting of global exposure, original inquiry, rigorous academics, leadership development, and service involvement, I know that upon completion I will be fully prepared to take on all of life’s challenges, both personal and professional.
For as long as I can remember, school has been an important part of my life. A combination of the challenge, my love for learning, and the opportunity to develop in a myriad of ways all help to motivate me to work my absolute hardest to succeed within the classroom. Granted, I was not able to put this into words until I was well into high school, but I would like to think that these thoughts were subconscious throughout my entire academic career.
While I have always been a passionate and hardworking student, I experienced a change during my freshman year of high school. During this year, I took my first rigorous science course in Biology and absolutely fell in love with the world of science, the study of life specifically. In this class, I experienced a desire and excitement to learn that was truly amazing. Touching on the topics ranging from the molecular biological processes that take place inside of us to the harmony of our organ systems was enlightening in that I knew that I had found my passion. As the material has gotten more challenging, I have only seen my passion grow stronger.
This introduction to the human body laid the foundation for my career goals. As I progressed further into learning about our inner workings, it became clear to me that this is exactly what I want my future career to revolve around. From this point forward, I knew with great certainty that becoming a medical doctor was my destiny. The opportunity to be surrounded by my academic passion combined with the interpersonal and service aspects of the role create the perfect combination to fit my personality, my attitudes, and my beliefs.
As I make the transition into college, it has become time to make my dream a reality. With a relentless drive to succeed, a passion for learning, and and a desire to make a difference in the world, I plan to work my hardest to put myself in a position to do achieve all of my aspirations.