Career

I would’ve never bet that being a seasonal employee for my local cookie and ice-cream shop would’ve given me any skills that would be applicable to a future career in medicine. However, it’s a good thing I never bet on it because I would have been very mistaken.

During the summer of 2021, I worked at Bear Paw Cookies Bakery in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Being one of the oldest staff members of a high-school dominated crew, I quickly assumed more responsibilities: transporting goods between locations, opening and closing the shop, working shifts alone, placing inventory orders and verifying cash transactions matched the register. While I’ve always had a strong work ethic, this challenged my ability to take initiative and problem-solve on the job. As a doctor, this skill will help me handle unexpected cases and create ideas for treatment plans. Additionally, it strengthened important leadership skills through the delegation of roles. Working in healthcare is a very team-based career, and effective leadership helps maximize efficiency so that it provides many people with quality care. Delegation helps achieve this, because each person has different qualifications and strengths. Finally, this job challenged my communication skills. My small downtown is a tourist hotspot, and I interacted with different types of people from all around the world. This motivated me to try to connect with complete strangers in only a couple minutes, in order to leave a positive impact on their vacation. Since I aspire to work in an emergency room, this is an extremely important skill as I will not know the majority of patients that cross my path. It’s important to establish real connections to understand who they are and what’s wrong, instead of seeing them as just another patient to treat.

It’s evident that the type of work at Bear Paw is extremely different from the work I’ll encounter in the medical field. Regardless of how different the jobs may be, the transferable skills that Bear Paw equipped me with help me excel as a future doctor.

Intramural Volleyball

The autumn semester of 2022 was an extremely rigorous one. I was taking 18 credit hours, working a part-time job, actively involved in my scholars group as a committee chair and struggling to maintain a sense of balance, which took a major toll on my motivation and energy. This semester I focused on prioritizing my physical and mental health and wellbeing, and one of the ways I did so was through intramural volleyball. 

I played volleyball competitively for six years prior to college and nearly forgot my passion for the sport! It was a great way to take a break from schoolwork, deepen my connections with friends, 

and simply enjoy doing something I love in a stress-free environment. It provided me the opportunity to strengthen my coaching skills (and patience) teaching my friends new skills on the court, and gave me a space in which I could exercise a healthy amount of competition.

Overall, I’ve noticed a huge improvement in both myself and my academics this semester. By focusing on my health first, I’ve been more successful in balancing my workload and more productive, both inside and outside of the classroom. Maintaining a sense of balance has definitely been one of the more difficult lessons I’ve had to learn in college, but intramural volleyball helped me remember the benefits of prioritizing your wellbeing!

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness: As a Spanish major, I’ve taken an array of courses that have increased my global awareness and motivated me to stay active in world affairs. This passion (and being a major requirement) drives me to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country during the Summer of 2023. I look forward to expanding my understanding about the Spanish language and culture.

Original Inquiry: In one of my introductory biology classes, I got my first taste of collegiate-level research through a study on ghost shrimp behavior. This gave me a new understanding of the research project and opened my eyes to a number of research positions I plan on applying to in preparation for Medical School.

Academic Enrichment: As a dual-degree student, I’m very motivated to take full course loads with various types of classes. I plan on graduating with my BS in Biology and a BA in Spanish in four years while developing my medical experience outside the classroom. I look forward to classes that aren’t necessarily required for my majors, but connect to my passions and interests – such as medical terminology taught in Spanish.

Leadership Development: In the Mount Leadership Society Scholars, I had the opportunity to be the Summit Committee chair. In this position, I had the opportunity to organize and execute a leadership conference for over 200 students in my scholars program. This position fostered a multitude of leadership skills within me, ranging from the ability to adapt to unexpected changes, more effective communication and delegation, and organization. Most importantly, it instilled in me a new sense of confidence in my leadership.

Service Engagement: One of my favorite service experiences has been my time as a Head Team Leader of the kids ministry at One Place Church. In this position, I had the opportunity to organize and lead elementary kid’s lessons and activities. It challenged me to think creatively and learn new strategies to keep children engaged and helped me form deeper connections with families in my community.

Deaf Coffee Night

Communication is an essential key in any relationship and environment, which stresses the importance of language. My native tongue is English, and I’m working towards both fluency and a major in Spanish. However, I got to broaden my language horizons even more with American Sign Language my senior year. 

Besides learning how to sign, I also gained knowledge about the Deaf community both inside and outside the classroom. This course introduced me to DCN: Deaf Coffee Nights, every Friday evening at Gross Donuts. Before long, every Friday night I wasn’t at work you could find me at this Deaf event. It connected me to an incredible community, one that accepted me with open arms. I found that even though my signing was still novice, a language barrier couldn’t prevent connections and friendships from forming. It opened my eyes to the importance of communication and the privilege I have – being hearing in a hearing world, speaking English in an English-dominated region. With just an open mind and some introductory ASL classes, I was able to make lasting friendships, communicate with Deaf or Hard of Hearing people that came into where I worked, and learn more about this community of amazing people. In my pursuit of a medical career, I don’t want any barriers (such as language) to keep me from providing the best care I can to anyone in need.

 

About Me

Hi, my name is Madison Chan and I’m a first year here at Ohio State University! I’m double-majoring in Biology and Spanish on a Pre-Medicine track. I was born and raised in Long Beach, California, and moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, two years ago. At both of my high schools, I was heavily involved in service and was a part of the National Honors Society and Key Club. When I wasn’t serving, working, or at sports practices, I loved spending time with friends and going on adventures! I enjoy hiking, surfing, wake-boarding, snow skiing – practically anything outdoors.  

At Ohio State, I’m a member of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars program and on the Service Committee. I hope to get more involved throughout my time here and experience all Ohio State University has to offer! Down the line, I’d love to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country to work towards my Spanish major and experience someplace new. Following my undergraduate studies, I plan on attending Medical School and becoming a doctor in the emergency field. But as for now, I’m excited to see where my first year takes me!

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

One Place Church

Service has always played an important role in my life, and one way I’d use this is through the kid’s ministry at One Place Church. I eventually became the Head Team Leader in the elementary room, which taught me many valuable skills and gifted me with many enriching memories.

One of the most influential experiences as the Kid’s Team Leader was my time as a summer camp counselor. As a leader working with children, I learned a whole different level of responsibility and organization. Following the schedule, keeping count of all the girls, holding everyone’s bags and making sure everyone had sunscreen is a small piece of a much longer list. But beyond the essential leadership skills this position taught me, it showed me the importance and value of relationships. The highlight of my week, beyond singing songs and teaching lessons, was forming connections with my girls and seeing their friendships form. By establishing a relationship with them, they respected me more as their leader and I gained a better understanding of them. It made goodbyes difficult, but imparted lasting memories that we all will treasure. Forming relationships and building connections is an important part of life, essential to growth and new understandings.