My name is Molly Cogan. I am a very friendly and outgoing person. I love working with people and helping them in any way that I can. I am also a motivated student who is committed to learning and I desire to serve others with the knowledge I will gain throughout my education.  I consider myself a kinesthetic learner; I prefer to learn through actions and experiences. The educational opportunities that I have experienced thus far in my life have shaped who I have become as a person and have influenced my career goals. As I strive to attain a career in medicine, I rely on three building blocks that I have fostered over the past four years of my life: teamwork, leadership, and service.

One of the most memorable experiences in my life that taught me true teamwork was being on a combat robotics team. Since my freshman year of high school, I worked alongside four women and together we built fifteen-pound, fighting robots. My school was paired up with a manufacturing company and throughout the school year we worked with two mentors who taught us how to use Bridgeport milling machines, CNC machines, Wire EDM machines, and so many other pieces of equipment. The entire process of taking our CAD design on the computer and turning it into a functional, fighting robot was incredibly rewarding. Through this experience, I learned how everyone on a team has an important role in completing a team project. Additionally, I discovered that when working together in a group to achieve a common goal, you have to be open to all ideas and you have to understand that anything can happen. No matter how prepared we were for our competitions, we were still never fully ready for some malfunctions that lost us battles. By taking this knowledge and more from my combat robotics team, I have come to know what it means to truly be an active member of a team as well as spread my knowledge with those I am working alongside with.

Another incredible opportunity that I received during my junior and senior years of high school was participating in a leadership program called Project Y.E.S.S. This program was designed by the Rotary Club of Cleveland to empower the youth to succeed through sailing. While in the program I sailed on tall ships for week-long journeys on the Great Lakes. As a novice sailor, during my junior year of the program, I learned how to be a part of the onboard community; I came to understand that every person on the ship had a responsibility to watch out for fellow shipmates as well as contribute his or her part to allow for a successful journey. When you are on a boat in the middle of a lake, with a limited number of supplies, you can fully grasp what it means to be a part of a team. However, at the same time I learned that you need strong leaders for functional teams, so I decided to return a second year and was offered an ambassador position where I led my own watch team on a second voyage. Being an ambassador was one of many leadership positions that I have held throughout my high school career. Through various leadership experiences, l learned that I must be committed to selflessly serve the people I lead because if I cannot help them and give of myself completely to them, I can never truly be their leader.

Lastly and perhaps one of the most important aspects of my life is service. I have always desired to help people in any way that I can and I always will be a strong advocate for service. I feel responsible for giving back to my community and country for everything I have received. One of my most memorable service experiences was volunteering at a hospital in my hometown for a year and a half. Every week I would serve in the patient transport department for four hours. This entailed transporting patients to and from tests, discharging patients, and admitting patients. While doing so I would talk with patients and do anything that I could to make them feel more comfortable. This opportunity influenced me even more to pursue a career in the medical field. I want to help those who are sick and injured; I want to do whatever I can to alleviate their pain and cure their diseases. I know that I can be helping those in need, especially people seeking medical treatment, by serving as a doctor in my community.

These three remarkable experiences in my life have led me to pursue a career in the medical field where I can practice these skills at my daily job. I intend to complete a degree in Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University while on the Pre-Medicine track. Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I want to attend medical school and specialize in the field of Emergency Medicine. I hope to one day become an Emergency Medicine Physician and after completion of my residency, I would like to join the United States Army and serve in the medical corps. My dream was always to become a Medic in the Army and right out of high school I tried to pursue this dream through military academies and ROTC programs; however, even though I received congressional nominations and ROTC scholarships, I lost all of them because I was medically disqualified for having a peanut allergy. Despite this setback, I am going to keep trying to join the military after my undergraduate education and if that does not work, then I will try again after medical school. I want nothing more than to serve my country as an Emergency Medicine Physician in the United States Army and I will stop at nothing that will prevent me from doing that. These next four years of my life at The Ohio State University are just getting me one step closer to my goal and I know that through my determination and resilience, I will achieve my aspirations.