At a place like Ohio State, global awareness is of the utmost importance because there are students and faculty here from around the globe. No matter where you go, there is always a person from a different area of the world, and I am extremely grateful that Ohio State has given me the opportunity to meet people of a wide variety of different backgrounds. Currently, my second major in Spanish, which has definitely created global awareness within me. This semester, my grammar teacher is from Puerto Rico and my composition teacher is from Spain. To even get a glimpse of what life is like in another country from them is remarkable. Also, this summer I hope to study abroad in Spain. This experience will definitely allow me to be more globally aware, as I will be immersed in another culture. It is easy, in a Spanish major, to get lost in a language and not care about the places where the language is spoken, but I hope that the study abroad trip allows me to learn about the experiences of others in their native language.
While Spanish allows me to have an increased global awareness, I believe that my other major, psychology, allows me to create original inquiry and question why people do the things they do, and by what mechanisms they do them. The social psychology class I am taking this semester is the most applicable psychology class I have taken here and has really caused me to ponder about society and how detrimental we can be towards others. One social psychology term, stereotype threat, has very real-world implications. The theory states that if people hear a stereotype about a group to which they belong, they will be nervous to perpetuate the stereotype, and they will do worse because of it. This has great implications for race relations in America. There has been research concerning standardized tests and it was revealed that African-Americans do worse when they self-report their race before taking an exam. This has caused me to truly ponder about how lucky I have it as a white male. Further, I would like to examine at what age children are faced with this stereotype and how to combat it. My major and time at Ohio State have really caused me to think about what I can do to better the world, from a psychological aspect. It would be interesting to examine if giving children pamphlets to boost self-esteem, giving people diversity training, and teaching children to respect other children would cause stereotype threat to be reduced.
Personally, I believe that I am a person who is dedicated and will continue to be dedicated to academic enrichment. Going into my senior year of high school, I thought that I wanted to be an educator, until I took an AP Psychology class. This class married my desire of wanting to learn about the ways that people interact and think and my desire to help people. I originally thought that I wanted to minor in Spanish, but I fell in love with Spanish at the university level. My teachers have been phenomenal and I have been able to learn about the culture and the Latino and Spanish experience in the United States. My favorite class in Spanish has been a grammar class, and it has sparked my interest in learning about grammatical constructs and how English and Spanish differ. My Spanish classes have challenged me greatly, as I have to learn about a topic in a language other than my native one. Also, my psychology classes have pushed me. In particular, my cognitive neuroscience class has been difficult. I do not have a great interest in the structure of the brain, but this class has allowed me to think in a different way and focus on what anatomy of the brain directly affects how people act. Finally, my general education requirements have been rigorous. One of my classes, Classic Civilization Greece has pushed me very far in my study of culture. To learn about the entire culture of Ancient Greece is very difficult, and I found myself overwhelmed when preparing for an exam. The class gave me a very holistic view of Ancient Greece, with topics including its medicine, philosophers, heroes, and interactions with other places, like Egypt. At the end of the semester, I wrote a paper about women in Ancient Greece, which was very fascinating. This not only pushed me academically but made me have to search to find this information, which was very rewarding in the end. My time at Ohio State has been difficult, but academically rewarding.
At Ohio State, one experience that I have found to be really rewarding is the ability to develop my leadership skills. Currently, I am in the Men’s Glee Club on the Operations Committee, a BuckeyeThon Team Captain, Vice President of my Hall Council, and a volunteer at a local elementary school just off of campus, with the Adopt-A-School program. These activities are all very rewarding to me. In the Operations Committee, we plan events for members of the club outside of rehearsal. I have found this very rewarding because I can learn about the beliefs of other people and what they desire when thinking of an event that would be fun for them. Working on a committee has given me the skills to listen to other people. This leadership role has proven to me that leaders rarely work effectively alone, and in a future career, I know that I will need to work with other people to be successful. As a BuckeyeThon Team Captain, there is a great deal of focus on recruiting members for the team, which is the Men’s and Women’s Glee Club. BuckeyeThon is an organization dedicated to fighting childhood cancer and I am very passionate about it, but the problem can be encouraging others to be passionate. Being a Team Captain has taught me how to reach out to people and encourage them to be dedicated to a cause which has the potential to save many lives. As Vice President of my Hall Council, my job is to hear RA proposals and approve them. Also, as a Hall Council, we decide what events to put on that will be beneficial to all residents. Being involved with this has caused me to think about others and their desires, which is very beneficial. I have learned that not everyone wants the same things that I do, and that I need to listen to others in order to create a welcoming and enjoyable space for all. Finally, as a volunteer at an elementary school, I am inspired by children every day. The second-grade class I work with can be rowdy sometimes, but I can tell that they all have a desire to learn. My goal is to inspire younger generations to be successful and show them that they can go to a place like Ohio State. All of these extracurriculars are related because the involve helping people. I chose to major in psychology and Spanish because I want to help as many people as possible, and I believe that my extracurriculars give me the skills to do so.
Further, my work at the local elementary school has given me great joy and has increased my love of service. At the school, I work with a second-grade and fourth-grade class for 90 minutes. With the second-grade class, I mainly practice math facts with them or walk around during their math time to help them. With the fourth-grade class, I do much of the same, but also help the teacher grade. These experiences have been very rewarding for me. In the second-grade class, I can tell that the teacher gets frustrated when the children get too loud, but I can tell that there is a genuine love of learning there. Also, with the fourth-grade class, even though I have to grade sometimes, I understand the bigger picture. If I can reduce the amount of grading that the teacher has to do, then the teacher has more time to make sure that the children get a proper education and are able to be as successful as possible. I would like to do more service in the community. I would like to intern or shadow a school psychologist and learn more about this job. I believe that psychology can allow for assistance with children who are struggling to learn, and I believe that doing this would marry my interests. Also, I would like to participate in a service project that helps children in hospitals, whether that be by providing them with a friend or giving them toys that will make their lives a little bit less stressful. Ultimately, I want to to be able to make a difference in someone’s life, even in a small way.