A lot has changed since the last time that I posted on the “about me” section. It is fun to look back and see how things have changed. I could have never imagined that two years later we would be in the middle of a global pandemic where the world looks completely different as do my academics. Getting sent home from campus due to the virus in March of my sophomore year was a crazy experience. Since then, I have been adjusting but also taking the time to focus on what is important to me. During the first few months of finishing classwork from home, being unemployed, and moving back in with my mother, I realized that I had strayed away from my passions. I had got caught up in what I thought was the “right” career path. I decided to go back to my roots which are music, theatre, performance, etc. I want to combine all of my passions into a career path. This is why I now am double-minoring in theatre and music, media, and enterprise along with my major within the business school. I will be combining my passion for business with my passion for the arts. I have been around the arts my entire life and it makes so much sense for me to continue to do so. I hope to work in entertainment, live music, or for a streaming service or talent agency after graduation. Right now, my goal is to move to New York City after graduation. I have been spending a lot of time of quarantine reading books about the industries, networking, watching documentaries, etc. to best prepare me for the career path I want. I also took a summer class to better prepare myself for the next school year. I am excited to take my first music, media, and enterprise class this upcoming semester. I hope to get involved with different music, entertainment, and concert organizations on campus as well as apply for internships throughout the school year and next summer within the industries. It may have taken a global pandemic, but I have finally figured out what career path will make the happiest.
Updated Resume
Post- Sophomore Year
It is interesting to look at how I thought my path would end up when I first started out as a freshman at Ohio State. It is even interesting to look at how I thought my path would go at the beginning of my sophomore year. College is really a time of figuring yourself and your career path out, and that means it’s okay if you change your mind a few times. I am now an incoming junior majoring in finance with a double-minor in music, media, & enterprise, and theatre. I am no longer interested in the accounting path. it may have taken me two years of college, but I have finally decided to combine all of my interests and work in the music or entertainment industry. I liked the accounting classes and I did well in them, I just started to realize that the career path just simply wasn’t for me. It is important to stay true to yourself and aim for a career that you love. I have been singing and acting since I was seven years old. I also play guitar and piano and used to give voice lessons throughout high school. Up until my senior year, I had wanted to go to school for music or performing arts. I auditioned at several schools and even stayed in New York for a few weeks before my senior year. Once I had decided that I didn’t want to take that path, I assumed that my career could have nothing to do with music. I applied as engineering, switched to accounting, looked at other options, but nothing felt right. Finally, during quarantine, I came to the realization that I could do both: music and business. I could work for the music industry on the business side. It is the best decision I have ever made and everything is finally starting to make sense. During quarantine, I have done my best to educate myself as much as possible. I have been networking like crazy through phone calls, zooms, and emails. I have been reading: The Mailroom” and “Everything You Need to Know About the Music Industry”. I have also been applying to internships and organizations that line up with my new career choice. I know that I will do everything in my power to make this career decision work and hopefully move to New York City after graduation.
Capstone Project- Drumming for Wellness Promotional Video
Once spring semester was over, I was saddened by the ending of the Drumming for Wellness program. Trevor Marcho (program creator) and Dr. Eugenia Costa-Giomi asked me to make a promotional video that they could use at board meetings, to show the university, and to try to make the program continue to happen throughout the upcoming years. First I interviewed two of the patients for thirty minutes each over zoom. I made a transcript for each video and was able to use some of these videos in the promotional videos. I then got some testimonials from some of the graduate students and combined it with videos that were taken during the actual program (with consent of course). I also got to show that transition of the program to zoom during COVID-19 which showed that even during a crazy and unprecedented time, music prevailed.
I think that this video best represents what this program is really about.
Introduction
I am now a sophomore in the STEM Exploration and Engagement Scholars Program. Although my path has changed somewhat since my freshman year, I am still very involved in the Scholars program and am glad that I got the opportunity to be involved in my own capstone project. I am still an accounting major and my minor has slightly changed to theatre now instead of musical theatre. When looking for something that I could do my capstone project on, I decided to try to put a few of my different passions together. After asking around and emailing professors, one program specifically stuck out to me. It is called ‘Drumming for Wellness”. This is a project at Ohio State that collaborates with the music department and the Wexner Medical Center. There are two professors in charge and many graduate students in charge as well. As of right now, I am the only undergraduate student who has helped in this program which has really given me the opportunity to learn so much from everyone else around me. This program is using music therapy to help Parkinson’s patients. The type of music therapy that is used involves drumming which helps with hand-eye coordination and many other things that many patients of Parkinson’s may struggle with. Basically, for three weeks, every weekday, up to 8 patients would meet with two graduate students and I. We went through many different drumming warmups, games, and programs with them for an hour each day. Some of the tasks even involved getting up and moving around. I also got to initiate some of the different activities and create my own as well. The patients were screened before and after and the neuroscience students working with the medical center are still working on the results. Although, the last time they did the program, patients showed positive results. This semester, I am taking a graduate course that allows me to learn more about Parkinson’s disease in general, drumming, and work on a community drumming for wellness event at the Thompson Center in Columbus. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to be involved with a program that combines so many of my passions and interests.
Year in Review: End of Freshman Year
I came into college very unsure about what I was doing. I wasn’t sure if I had chosen the right major or if I would find my place. After almost completing my first year, I feel that I have grown so much. I have learned so much about the business world and decided that I definitely want a career in business. This school year has given me so much peace of mind about my decision of majoring in accounting. I have continued my love for music by declaring a musical theatre minor and taking vocal lessons through the school of music. I learned that I also have a passion for writing. I started being the content creator for Carter Investing LLC where I simply just write blog posts in my free time. I enjoyed doing that so much that I also took on the opportunity of writing blog posts for the Undergraduate Business Women’s Association (UBWA). I hope that the skills that I have learned this year will stay with me throughout college and my future career. I also received my first internship which really made me feel that my hard work and worries in college so far have been worth it. I am excited to take on my first “real” job and grow as a student and as a person. I hope that this experience will help me grow and help me take the steps to receive an internship in accounting next summer. This has been one of the best years of my life so far and I have learned so much. I cant wait to see what else Ohio Stat
Women in Power: What this Means for Upcoming Businesswomen and Leaders
The 116th Congress was not only one of the most ethnically diverse groups to have taken power, but it also contained the most women to date. There are a record 102 women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 34 different states. Today women comprise 23.7% of the United States Congress, 25% of the Senate, and 23.4% of the House of Representatives. These numbers may seem small; however, they show that women are taking strides by being represented in the government. The 115th Congress only contained 20.1% women. This shows that the numbers are continuously rising. Hopefully, these numbers and percentages will continue to rise in our lifetime until all genders are equally represented.In addition to the increasing female representation in Congress, there are a record number of women running for president in the 2020 presidential election. There are currently five female lawmakers who have announced their candidacy and another woman, a political outsider, who is a spiritual advisor. The citizens of the United States have never had the opportunity to witness a televised presidential debate that included two female candidates, and there could possibly be six or more female candidates in the next election. More and more women have been coming into power and it isn’t going to stop here. The rise of women in government, business, etc. is going to continue to escalate throughout the upcoming generations. The women that are currently in high school and college have an increasingly large number of successful female role models, and they are able to use these mentors as motivation to work towards their aspirations.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Among the amazing women who are currently in office is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). AOC represents a woman who is a great example to motivate other women to work towards their aspirations. She works hard to achieve her goals and she fights for what she feels is right. A little over two years ago, AOC was waitressing and bartending in New York City and now she is a member of Congress and a popular activist. After her father died of cancer in 2008, she had decided to take on a second job as a bartender to help her mother with expenses. She had been employed at the immigration office while helping with some other nonprofit organizations to work towards her eventual seat in Congress. Also, AOC graduated cum laude from Boston University even after losing her father during her college career. She is not afraid to voice her opinions and to challenge others in power. At only 29 years old, she has surpassed many others twice her 
age by becoming a female member of Congress at such a young age.
What This Means for the Upcoming Generations
The rise in the number of women in leadership roles and positions of power is inspirational for our generation. Women today have the opportunity to look up to other women that are accomplishing their goals and successfully making it in the government and business field. Past generations have not had as many female role models to look up to. The percentage of women attending colleges, and more specifically business schools, is higher than ever before. All of these facts and numbers should encourage you to push through to achieve your goals and to not be afraid to go after your dreams. There are other women who have done it successfully, so that means that you can too. With the right mindset and determination, women can achieve their goals better than they ever have before. There is no better time to be a woman than now.
Sources:
https://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-us-congress-2019
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/12/18/record-number-women-in-congress/
https://www.vox.com/2019/2/10/18219401/record-breaking-women-running-for-president
Alpha Xi Delta Sorority
In January, I participated in formal sorority recruitment and ended up being a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority. I was initiated in March and I am now an active member. I have only been a part of this organization for a couple of months and I have already had so many great experiences. Our philanthropy is Autism Speaks which focuses on enhancing the lives of those with autism. This past weekend we organized a 5k that raised over $5,000 for our philanthropy. I am now more educated about Autism and can spread awareness. I am amazed every day by the amount of money that different Ohio State organizations are able to raise for great causes, and I am glad to be a part of one. You can tell how important our philanthropy is to the women in our sorority because they are so passionate about it. I have already met so many empowering and amazing women. Also, having certain requirements to stay in good standing helps to motivate me to be a more active and involved student on campus. I wasn’t sure about being a part of Greek life at first, but now even after a few short months, I am thrilled with my decision. Being around so many intelligent and determined women helps me to be the best that I can be. They motivate and encourage me to be myself and be as successful as I can. I am excited to become closer with these women, create more memories, and raise more money for Autism Speaks.
Resume
Personal Development
Over this semester, I have learned that I really want to pursue a career in business. I came into college pre-law, but after being introduced to Fisher School of Business, I realized I want more than just an undergraduate degree in business. I am currently a member of the Undergraduate Business Women’s Association. During these meetings, we get to hear from women in the workforce. Listening to these men and women talk about their work has made me realize that I no longer want to be a lawyer, I want to pursue careers in business as they have. I have had many opportunities so far to learn more about the field of business and future careers. I even had the chance to attend a diversity carer fair for business. I got to talk to several companies and learn about what they are looking for in students applying for internships and jobs. After having all of these experiences, I realized that I enjoy learning more about the business field and that I can see myself pursuing this in the future. Law school was something I had always thought that I would want to pursue. However, I did not realize that coming to Ohio State, and switching into Fisher School of Business would cause me to change my mind and find a true passion. Ohio State and all of the opportunities that come along with being a student here have really helped shape me and guide me. I have only been here one semester and I feel it has had a huge impact on me.