A Year of Success.. What’s Next?

This year has been filled with many experiences, lessons, new friendships, and more. Before coming to university, I has terrified. I was worried that, by attending such a large place, I would be “just a number”. This anxiety and stress continued throughout the first semester. I never had to study in high school- college is a different story. During my first year in college, I learned how to study. I also learned that over-stressing can be quite detrimental; I learned how to relax and go with the flow of life.

Throughout the first year, I have become quite involved. I will be traveling with Doctors Without Borders next year, I do volunteer clinical social work, and conduct research at Wexner. Through these involvements, I have realized that my passion truly is medicine. I still aspire to attend medical school and become a neurosurgeon. Over summer, I will continue volunteering and research. I will also work as a scribe for an orthopedic surgeon and shadow a pediatrician.

In total, my first year at The Ohio State University has been life changing. I have learned many things and found my true self!

CISV Austria- Open Heart, Open Mind

During the summer in 2013, I took my first trip with CISV. This organization is an international peace organization which sends delegates from all over the globe to different countries to build friendship, promote peace, and teach culture. Being a 12 year old, I was definitely close-minded. I lived with the ideas that America is the utmost superior country and anyone from a foreign land just was not as smart as I was. When I first arrived in Austria, I felt uncomfortable. Yes- I was ecstatic to be in such a gorgeous country, but I felt out of place. Over the course of a month, and many interactions/excursions with my newly made friends, I began to realize the beauty in other cultures. I understood that while we may be different races, from different lands, we have a similarity- humanity and peace. As I reflected on my trip during the 12 hour flight home, I cried knowing I was so lucky to have experienced such a life-changing trip.