This past year has the greatest year for my individual, emotional, and academic growth. About a year ago I was going through an extremely difficult time. Over the summer of 2017 I was taking on more responsibilities than I ever had in the past. I was taking an intensive summer class, planning my cousins wedding and acting as her bridesmaid, volunteering everyday, and participating in research regularly. I was also going through quite a bit of emotional challenges; I was struggling in a toxic relationship of four years and I was virtually living on my own because my family was in the midst of a move. I was busy, emotionally, stressed, and away from most of my friends and family. This summer I was clinically diagnosed with depression and began therapy. I did not drop out of any of my responsibilities or let anyone down. I took charge of my struggles and worked towards a solution while maintaining all of my responsibilities. My cousins wedding was a success, I broke up with my toxic boyfriend, I aced my classes, and my family eventually moved into a beautiful new home. This was just the beginning of my journey to find myself this past year. It was a very rough start but, by the end of summer, my passion for a career in medicine had flourished and I was gaining confidence and independence within myself.
I continued this growth into first semester. I was taking a lighter class load in order to develop myself further as a person and get more involved on campus. I was the Director of Marketing for The Boo Radley Society, which does random acts of kindness on campus. I was heavily involved in this and promoting our mission. I also was more active as a NeuroAmbassador, serving as a mentor for first year neuroscience majors. I worked extremely hard in my classes and received my highest GPA since arriving to college. I also made the Dean’s list.
Second semester brought on more responsibility than the first. I was now feeling independent, strong, and confident in my intelligence and abilities. I began volunteering once a week at The James. I was elected President of The Boo Radley Society and I moved up to a greater position as a NeuroAmbassador. I was apart of the ICAN project, which consists of traveling to high schools to teach the students about neuroscience and the program at OSU. Also, I was taking more classes than I ever had in the past. It felt great to be back at my full potential; pursuing my dreams and doing what a love most: helping others. This summer I plan on volunteering at a hospital everyday and continuing my research. I will also be taking a class, traveling to Europe, and will begin studying for the MCAT. This past year was tough but I came out as a better version of myself, ready to take on the future.