By being a part of the Scholars program here at Ohio State, I have been given the opportunity to both take part in and demonstrate the G.O.A.L.S. of the Honors and Scholars Center. These G.O.A.L.S. are the five qualities that we are encouraged to embody, tying them all together to create both a diverse and free-thinking student. I have been given multitudes of opportunities that have only allowed me to strengthen myself and my studies in those five different facets – global awareness, original inquiry, academic enrichment, leadership development, and service engagement. By taking part in the opportunities available in each of the five areas, I have not only been able to better myself in all of those areas specifically, but have also been able to become a more well-rounded student, connecting all of those ideas together and finding strengths in those little in-between places that I never thought to exist. I feel that both academic enrichment and service engagement are most applicable to me concerning my professional and personal goals, also allowing me to further both my success and involvement in and out of the classroom.

Academic enrichment means that a student is able to pursue knowledge and learning both in and out of the classroom, finding and putting new knowledge to use in new and exciting settings. This also means that a student is able to use this learned knowledge and apply it to both their future career and life choices. I feel that this is most applicable to me because pharmacy is an ever changing world and new things are being discovered each and every day. Being a pharmacist, one has to stay on top of news involving drugs, administration, and laws involving drugs. If something changes, they are responsible for knowing this. They are able to use this new found information to create the best possible outcome for the patient. Wanting to go into a career in pharmacy, this aspect of academic enrichment will definitely apply. I will constantly be learning new things, no matter how far into my career I am. I have always had a love for learning and the gaining of new knowledge, so the fact that I will be able to do this on a daily basis in the future only makes me more excited to continue on in my given career path. Another aspect of pharmacy that is very relevant to academic enrichment is the necessity of out of the classroom learning. When applying into pharmacy school, admissions will look at your GPA and your PCAT score, but what they want the most is experience. They look for volunteer hours, summer jobs, internships, anything that will provide the applicant with the proper experience necessary to succeed in the field. All of this out of the classroom time allows for learning that is not quite able to take place in a traditional classroom. By gaining experience in the field, I will be able to learn about and experience firsthand what I will be spending the rest of my life doing. Once in pharmacy school, I am also provided with the opportunity to do rounds in my last year as a professional student. By doing this, I will be able to learn about all the different areas of pharmacy that are available to me, which then helps to alleviate the stress in figuring out what to do after graduation. I believe that knowledge and experience gained both inside and outside of the classroom are so pertinent to success and I feel that this academic enrichment applies directly to how I will be spending the next part of my life.

Service engagement means that a student is aware of the social issues that are pertinent in society today and is able to take part in service that relates to helping/assisting to rid of or better those prevalent issues. This also allows the student to align their service with their major or areas in which they have interest. I have always felt that giving back to those who deserve it most is one of the best things you can do. By helping others, you are not only providing them with the help that they deserve, but also are bettering yourself, molding yourself into a kinder and more well-rounded student. Ever since I was young, I was always taught to give back, to donate both my time and my love to those who are in need of it, those who cannot survive without the help of others. I have been blessed with the opportunities to give back to my community over the last decade, whether it be volunteering for my church, through my school, or through various activities in the community. Because I have been able to give so much time back to my community, I felt it would only be right to continue this on into my future career. The main reason I want to become a pharmacist is because I want to be able to help people each and every day of my life, putting a smile on as many faces as possible. That is a pharmacist’s main role, helping those around them. I feel that I will be able to apply the service engagement aspect of the Honors and Scholars Center to what I will hopefully spend the rest of my life doing. The main purpose of service in the Honors and Scholars Center is to make the students aware of issues prevalent in society, one of which is mental health. I have been passionate about mental health for as long as I can remember and by specializing in that aspect of pharmacy, I wish to rid of the stigma and the generalizations that surround mental health. Just pushing it under the rug and basically calling it off as “fake” is a serious issue in society that, by helping those affected by it, I will be able to make those around me more aware of and figure out a way to rid of the stigma. I plan to incorporate this idea into my everyday life for the rest of my college and professional career. I feel that awareness and help to those who deserve it and need it most is something that should always be a part of my life and what I am doing with it.