In February 2017, I participated in BuckeyeThon which is a dance marathon to raise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I danced for 12 hours and raised over $500 personally and the fundraiser raised a little over $1.5 million all together. This was a really eye opening experience for me. I really got to see how cancer has affected some families and their lives. I got to see how much our efforts really helped them out. Going through this experience helped me solidify my interest in being a pediatric doctor. I realized that I really wanted to make a difference and help out. I am very interested in Health and Wellness and being a pediatric doctor can give me the opportunity to help children live healthy lives. This experience really inspired me to make a difference in children’s lives.

This is an experience I hope to be a part of again in the future. I love when I can change somebody’s life for the better. Teaching swim lessons and seeing a child improve, even the slightest bit, makes me so happy knowing I helped them. Being an Adapted Recreational Sports Instructor gives me the opportunity to help people with developmental disabilities learn sports that benefit them in so many ways. It helps them learn a new way to have fun and find new friends. I can teach them how to swim so they can have fun and be safe in a pool. I get to help them improve their lives in a way that is fun and healthy for them. Being a part of BuckeyeThon, just like being a Learn To Swim Instructor and Adapted Recreational Sports Instructor, showed me that I can make a difference in people’s lives. These experiences helped me realize that health and wellness is my passion and that being a pediatric doctor is what I want to do.