About Me

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Hello, my name is Anna Deems and I am an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University. I lived in Dover, OH my entire life and graduated valedictorian from Dover High School. I was involved in many extra curriculars including soccer, cheerleading, dance team, and track, and therefore have learned time management, leadership, and the importance of cooperation. Currently, my major is undeclared, but I plan to major in Biology Pre-med and minor in Spanish. I am apart of the Mount Leadership Scholars Program at OSU, and I am passionate and driven when it comes to service and leadership.

One of the most meaningful experiences I had in high school was a trip to Mexico with other foreign language students. We traveled to the town of Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula where we visited an orphanage. The children we interacted with had such an impact on me that during my studies at OSU, a goal of mine is to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country while simultaneously doing volunteer work. My high school experiences have shaped me into the person I am today, and I plan to continue being involved and enthusiastic when it comes to new opportunities in college.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

Along with being a member of the Mount Leadership Scholars Society at Ohio State, I am also a member of BuckeyeThon, Ohio State’s largest student run philanthropy. The organization’s overall goal is to end pediatric cancer, and we strive for this by raising awareness and funds for the children of the Hematology/Oncology/BMT Department of Columbus’ Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I feel that by participating in this organization I am not only displaying service engagement, but also leadership and development by being an active member on the Membership Selections and Education committee. In addition to BuckeyeThon, I am a volunteer with I Am My Brother’s Keeper, an organization that works with at risk boys of color in the Columbus community. As a volunteer with this program, I have served as a positive role model and developed meaningful relationships that will hopefully make an impact on the boys’ lives.

In the future, I plan to attend medical school and become a pediatrician. Because this rigorous academic path does not allow much flexibility in scheduling classes outside of the sciences, I want to travel abroad to enhance my global awareness and cultural experiences. As a medical professional, I will be treating patients of all backgrounds so it’s essential to understand and empathize with differing views. I have not previously had extensive interactions with cultures outside of my own, so studying or traveling abroad would give me the opportunity to witness different cultures and enhance my global awareness in order to become a better global citizen.

In addition to traveling abroad, I believe an important part of a college education is taking advantage of opportunities outside of the classroom. I hope get involved in some kind of research during my undergraduate years because I think by nurturing my original inquiry, I will be better prepared to pursue a career in medicine. Prerequisites for medical school are challenging enough, but I feel that by not pushing myself in advanced-level coursework, I am not getting the full benefits of my education. By constantly seeking academic enrichment, I will be led to success not only in the classroom but also in my future profession.

 

Career

 

Currently I am in my 2nd year of undergraduate education at The Ohio State University. I am pursuing a degree in Biology on the pre-health professional track. My career goals include attending medical school to become a pediatrician.

My previous work experience includes being an Office Assistant through the Office of Resident Life at The Ohio State University, a pool server at Union Country Club, and a concession stand employee at Dover City Parks and Recreation. Through these various employments, I have gained valuable skills that will lead to my success as a pediatrician. I learned time-management, customer service, organization, team-work, and a greater sense of responsibility.

In addition to work, I have had volunteer experiences that inspired my career choice as well as prepared me for its rigor. For 4 years, I coached youth soccer in my community for grades kindergarten through 5th. After coming to college, I got involved with I Am My Brothers Keeper,  which is an organization that works with disadvantaged youth in the Columbus community. Both of these volunteer experiences reaffirmed my love of working with children and showed me the importance of a strong sense of community in a child’s life. Through my volunteer experiences at The James Cancer Hospital, I got a glimpse into the work environment of medical professionals. It’s hectic and challenging, but in the end, incredibly rewarding, and I know its the career path I want to pursue.

Through both work and service experiences I have gained skills that will prove beneficial in my future career. My college curriculum has demanded a strong work-ethic, self-motivation, and an achiever mentality. My top strengths include learner, restorative, achiever, intellection, and adaptability. All five of these are relevant to my career goals, and through present and future opportunities, I hope to refine and grow my understanding of these strengths. Learning how to best use my strengths and acquired skills will prove advantageous in my future career as a pediatrician.

Artifacts

The first artifact that comes to mind is my cheerleading megaphone I had senior year of high school. Each varsity cheerleader gets to have a character painted onto their megaphone and, since I’m a huge fan, mine was Harry Potter. Receiving this megaphone was special to me because my junior year, I was one of only two girls in my grade to make the junior varsity team. So, we didn’t get megaphones with the rest of our class, and while it was a little disheartening, I knew that when I finally got my megaphone senior year, it would be worth it. The other girl ended up quitting, but that’s not my attitude toward situations. I met and created relationships with girls I wouldn’t have previously had the opportunity to interact with and I learned that dedication pays off. I had to work a little harder than other girls for a spot on varsity, but that work seems insignificant compared to the joy and satisfaction I felt at games senior year when I got to cheer along side my friends with my megaphone.

My megaphone also represents the hard work I put in to not only my academics but also my extracurricular activities. The fall of senior year I participated in two sports while maintaining a high GPA and to me my megaphone represents the end result of all of my hard work and dedication I put toward not only cheerleading, but toward all of my high school endeavors.

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