Second Year Service Project: First Aid Services Team

For my second year service project I volunteered with the American Red Cross on the First Aid Services Team (FAST). As a member of FAST, I volunteer at various events around Ohio State and Columbus to provide first aid and emergency medical care to patrons. Some of the events I have volunteered at include basketball games, concerts, hockey games, wrestling matches, races, and more. Overall, volunteering with FAST has helped me give back to the OSU campus and our local community while also gaining clinical experience by treating patients. This volunteer opportunity has also allowed me to utilize my EMT-B certification and help lead fellow FAST members as an advanced responder during emergency situations. While a lot of my time volunteering has been spent waiting on standby, ready to respond to a call at a moment’s notice, knowing that my team and I are prepared to handle any call that is thrown at us helps me realize how important our job is because when something does go wrong, we are there to help. If we did not have the volunteers that we do and were not present at the events we serve at, minutes and even seconds could be wasted waiting for other first responders to arrive on scene, but in the event of an emergency those minutes and seconds can cost someone’s life. I never thought I would have such an amazing volunteer opportunity and while the great responsibility of caring for someone’s life can be intimidating, the moments when I have been able to keep an unresponsive woman breathing by inserting a nasal airway or stopping a girl’s head from gushing blood after being hit by a hockey puck, are incredibly rewarding and have inspired me even more to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine. I plan on continuing to volunteer with FAST until I graduate in order to gain more patient care experience, but also to give back to this community that has become my new home. By volunteering with FAST, I am one step closer towards achieving my goal of becoming an Emergency Medicine Physician.

 

 

 

Academic Enrichment: Informational Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mahala Spalsbury, a first year medical student at the University of Toledo. Throughout the course of the interview she offered a lot of great insight about going through the medical school application process which I will soon go through myself within the next year or two. I have spoken to many people about applying to medical school, but Mahala was able to provide me with valuable advice due to her recent experiences applying and beginning medical school, offering a different perspective than other people I have spoken to.

In regards to what schools to apply to, she recommended that I apply to all Ohio schools because I have betters odds at an in-state school. I also need to do my research on any other schools outside of Ohio to check and see what percentages of out-of-state people that they actually admit. I also learned to gather information about what different schools look for in applicants, specifically in regards to research experience. I personally do not have a big interest in performing research and would rather focus my time and efforts on clinical experiences, so Mahala recommended that I not bother with Case Western and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine as those schools have a high focus on research. Also, in order to help sort out information from different schools, she suggested purchasing the MSAR to help search through what schools I qualify for and what I schools I should apply to.

We also talked a lot about MCAT preparation and while she didn’t really take a traditional route for studying, she recommended starting 6 months in advance. The goal is to learn all of the material and understand it by the end of spring semester next year and then focus on practice tests for 2 months before I take the MCAT at the end of June. After speaking with her I’m also planning on purchasing Kaplan books to study, but I believe I can set and stick with a strict schedule for covering the material instead of participating in an expensive course.

In the end she stressed that if I work hard and set my mind to it, I will succeed in whatever I do and it all will pay off. Mahala loves being in medical school and she encouraged me to stick with it and power through because it will all be worth it in the end. It was very inspiring and motivational to hear this from a student who has just gone through the process and speaking with her was definitely a great confidence booster to keep on working with everything that I am doing so that one day I can become an Emergency Medicine Physician.

Do.

Pool

My friends and I are always searching for physical activities to do whether that be playing Ultimate Frisbee or a pick-up game of basketball, but the cold weather has prevented us from being able to have fun and be active outside this second semester.  So, one evening we decided to go swimming at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion and we had so much fun. The hot tub was awesome and I had never been in a whirlpool before which was really cool. Also there were hardly any people there so we pretty much had the pool to ourselves which was great. I missed being able to swim a lot back home, so swimming in OSU’s pool for the first time was amazing. I cannot wait to go there more often and have a lot of fun while getting a good workout in!

Go.

The North Market

Coming from Cleveland, I am very familiar with the West Side Market, and since coming to campus, I have heard a lot of people talk about the North Market. I presumed that maybe it would be like the West Side Market but I really had no idea what to expect of it. So my friends and I took a COTA bus to the North Market on a Saturday morning to see what it was all about. At first sight, I was very impressed with the classiness of the place. It was very nicely organized and all of the little shops, booths, and stores looked great. I was overwhelmed by the amount of options they had for food and I just wanted to try everything. I finally decided on getting a pretzel from Brezel which was the best soft pretzel I have ever had. I also tried out a beef brisket sandwich from Holy Smoke BBQ and ended with a macaroon from Pistacia Vera. Everything I ate was delicious and I cannot wait to go back to try other things out, but as a Clevelander, I think I am still a little biased towards the West Side Market.

 

Eat.

Jeni's

I am a big fan of ice cream and ever since I came to campus in the fall, a lot of people had told me that I should eat at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. I wanted to see if it was really as good as people from the Columbus area were saying that it was, so my friends and I hopped on a COTA bus that took us to the Jeni’s in the Short North. It was packed when we got there; since there were so many people there, I assumed it must be really good ice cream, but I needed to try for myself. I liked that I was able to choose two different flavors since each serving came with two scoops, but it was also a little pricey. However, once I ate the first spoonful of Jeni’s ice cream, the price was well worth it. It was delicious ice cream and though I would not deem it as the best there is, I am still happy I finally got to try it out!

 

 

Final Strategic Life Plan

After reflecting on my first semester of college, I feel that I have truly begun to develop a clear plan for my life. During my undergraduate education I want to pursue a major in Biomedical Engineering; however, my heart is still firmly set on a career as an Emergency Medicine Physician in the United States Army Medical Corps. I strongly desire to give back to my country for all the freedoms I have received and I also want to serve others by relieving patients of their pain and curing their illnesses.  In order to achieve this goal, I plan to take advantage of the many opportunities that OSU offers. I want to get involved with undergraduate research and be an active member in clubs pertaining to engineering as well as medicine, specifically the Society of Women Engineers and the A.E.D. Pre-Health Honorary. Furthermore, I desire to excel in my classes by going to my professor’s office hours and utilizing tutoring services that OSU provides.  I also plan to balance my academic, social, and extra-curricular commitments by making detailed schedules while efficiently managing my time to minimize stress. Additionally, I want to practice mindfulness and be where my feet are so I can enjoy every little moment in life. During my time at OSU I hope to participate in enriching academic opportunities and enjoy the wonderful memories college offers, but most importantly, I want to be flexible with wherever my life will take me no matter how much it may deviate from my plan; ultimately, whatever happens in my life is the way it was meant to be. Nevertheless, I am going to embrace every moment, both the good and the bad, from this day forward.

My parents are truly the two most important people in my life and their constant love and support has made me the ambitious and resilient woman I am today. They continuously motivate me to be the best person I can be and I want nothing more than to make them proud through my personal achievements.

My parents are truly the two most important people in my life and their constant love and support has made me the ambitious and resilient woman I am today. They continuously motivate me to be the best person I can be and I want nothing more than to make them proud through my personal achievements.

My dream is to become an Emergency Medicine Physician in the United States Army Medical Corps. One day I hope to be working in a combat hospital, saving people’s lives while protecting our freedom as just a small token of my gratitude for everything our country has given me.

My dream is to become an Emergency Medicine Physician in the United States Army Medical Corps. One day I hope to be working in a combat hospital, saving people’s lives while protecting our freedom as just a small token of my gratitude for everything our country has given me.

After I serve several years in the United States Military, I hope to continue my work as an Emergency Medicine Physician in some major U.S. city, like NYC. By working in a hospital in a city, I will be able to give back to the residents of the surrounding community by helping them with their medical needs.

After I serve several years in the United States Military, I hope to continue my work as an Emergency Medicine Physician in some major U.S. city, like NYC. By working in a hospital in a city, I will be able to give back to the residents of the surrounding community by helping them with their medical needs.

Year in Review

This past summer, I was definitely a different person than who I am now. Truthfully, over the summer, I dreaded coming to Ohio State. This was not my first choice school and I did not want to be a part of such a big university. Then move-in day came before I knew it and now I am writing this reflection with my first year of college pretty much over. The time has flown by! Coming into college I was a scared and timid freshman who presumed that I wouldn’t make any friends and I would just sit in my room all day. Now, I have met so many people whom I can call some of my best friends, I am on the leadership council for Health Sciences Scholars, and I was accepted to be an RA for the upcoming school year. I was very involved in my high school, so I kind of expected that I would seek involvement in a variety of activities, but at the beginning of the year I was simply overwhelmed with all OSU has to offer. There are so many clubs and organizations that I found very interesting and for a while I struggled to pick what I wanted to involve myself the most in. To be honest, I am still not 100% sure what I want to fully commit myself too over the next several years here, but this year has helped me explore many different options. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I never wanted to be a Buckeye, but now, looking back on the year and where I see myself in the future at this university, I can truly say that I feel like I belong here at OSU and nothing makes me more proud to wear the infamous scarlet and gray. As I look forward to my second year in HSS, I cannot wait to see what the program will have in store. I am excited to continue my position on the Service Committee and I cannot wait to meet the new program coordinator. Now that I have a better grasp of the whole college atmosphere, I really want to dedicate myself to HSS and take advantage of all of the opportunities that the program offers. I know the experiences that I will receive in HSS next year and the years after that will help me grow in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

This year, one of the most memorable service experiences I have had is volunteering at the Wexner Medical Center as part of the Catholic Communion Ministry. Almost every Sunday, I volunteer for a few hours and administer the Eucharist to patients who are too ill to make it to church or Mass. Throughout the duration of my service, I have met so many wonderful people who I have had the honor with talking to; this experience has been so memorable because I am so inspired by the people I meet who will never give up on life and their faith despite the illnesses they face. To bring smiles to people’s faces by just saying a quick prayer or staying for a few minutes just to visit, truly made a difference in the patients’ stays at the hospital. From this experience, I gained so much that has helped me grow as a better person as I try to live my life in service to others. I have learned that even the smallest acts of kindness whether that be a hug or just holding someone’s hand can make a difference for someone, especially if they are in the hospital. I also gained from this experience humility and gratitude. I have learned to be humble in everything I do and be grateful for everything I have because it is truly a blessing to live the life that I have. So many other people out there have it far worse than anyone could ever imagine and through this experience I have truly learned what it means to embody selfless service.

 

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]