G.O.A.L.S.

The University Honors & Scholars Center at The Ohio State University serves high-ability, motivated undergraduate students. While embracing diversity in both ideas and people, the Center fosters purposeful learning communities that enhance students’ academic and social experiences. The Center facilitates impactful, rigorous, and unique opportunities that further student success and involvement in our G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement.

G.O.A.L.S- Looking into Year Two

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Global awareness. Original inquiry. Academic enrichment. Leadership development. Service engagement. These five pillars, indicated by the acronym G.O.A.L.S, encourage students to expand their horizons and explore beyond the classroom. As I venture into my second year at Ohio State, I’ve found myself engaged in all these different aspects, creating a more well-rounded educational experience. My horizons are continually expanding as I engage in a variety of academic and extracurricular activities. Here are some highlights…

Global Awareness: Visiting Ghana with MSF

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to spend 15 days in Ghana with Ohio State’s undergraduate chapter of MSF, or Doctors Without Borders. While there, I shadowed physicians in the emergency, surgical, maternity, and pediatric wards of Manhyia Government Hospital, learning from incredible doctors about life in the medical field and healthcare in Ghana. Additionally, I helped provide malaria testing in local villages, travelled through Mole National Park on a safari, surfed along Cape Coast, and created unforgettable memories with an amazing group of people. By immersing myself in the culture of Ghana, I learned so much about what life is truly like there. I learned local dances, spoke some Twi, and heard the stories of so many people throughout different parts of the country. I came out even more passionate about serving in underserved areas of the world and with more desire to visit new parts of the world. Going to Ghana made me more globally aware, and I’m already looking forward to my next adventure!

 

Original Inquiry: Researching in Baskin Lab

I am fortunate enough to be in a major that places a large emphasis on research and original inquiry and requires all students to be engaged in a lab as an undergraduate. In the hunt for a lab, I stumbled across Kedryn Baskin’s lab. After touring and reading up on her research, I instantly fell in love with the lab. After a summer of onboarding and orientation, I’ve started up full time in my lab this semester. And let me tell you, I absolutely love it! I look forward to going in every day and contributing to the pursuit of new knowledge. From gel electrophoresis to echocardiograms, I’m always excited to help out in lab and learn new things while I’m there. While I’m still in the process of learning basic lab technique, I look forward to gaining more responsibility and expertise in the lab, and can’t wait to help lead my own project in the future.

 

Academic Enrichment: Digging into the Spanish Minor

Let me be the first to say that the sophomore slump is REAL. In a challenging semester where I find myself balancing courses in organic chemistry, biostatistics, and biomedical literature for my major, I occasionally question why I’ve chosen to pick up a minor so unrelated to everything else I’m studying.  I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to clear up an extra three credit hours in my schedule? But for me, expanding the range of my learning to include Spanish is the greatest form of academic enrichment. Not only do my Spanish classes require me to think in a different manner than the rest of my science courses, but they allow me to engage with new people in new ways. Learning a language opens up so many doors. By pursuing a minor in Spanish, I am broadening my horizons. Working towards fluency has always been my goal, and I am so glad that I get to spend another semester chasing after that dream.

 

Leadership Development: Launching Delight at Ohio State

Last semester, I found myself looking for a religious group to become affiliated with, leading me to a new group on campus named Delight. Out of my search,  I was suddenly thrown into a position as a leader, helping the club start from scratch. This semester, the six of us on leadership board have been in the process of launching Delight here on campus. Starting a club with national affiliates is no walk in the park; there are forms to fill out, endless planning, and a whole lot of dedication that go into it. But throughout it all, I have found myself growing immensely as a leader. When Delight officially launches in January 2020, I can’t wait to see what a semester and a half of planning and preparing does. I hope to share the skills I’ve learned as a leader in the process of starting a club with our new members, helping to pull them up into leadership positions as well.

 

Service Engagement: Volunteering at Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center

This year, I am dedicating myself to service. My scholar’s community, Mount Leadership Society, calls year two “Year of Service”, in which second-year students complete 75 service hours at a location of their choice. I am also taking ESHESA 2571S, a class in leadership and community service with a required service learning portion. Both of these events have brought me to my weekly volunteering slot at Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center. Every Monday afternoon, I drive out to the resource center, ready and willing to serve in whatever capacity may be needed for the day. It certainly isn’t glamorous work- on the average day, I find myself taking out trash, bagging food, and reorganizing clothes- but it makes a difference for the people who can come to CBCRC knowing that they can get their needs met. The last month that I’ve spent volunteering there has been such a growing experience, and I look forward to continuing with it throughout the semester.

 

I am excited to see where all of my G.O.A.L.S. take me throughout the rest of this semester, this year, and the rest of my college experience!