I have wanted to do a service trip to experience a different type of volunteering. I wanted to see what it would be like to volunteer for a week straight, and how much I can impact something with working on it for more than a
couple hours a day like many other volunteer opportunities are. I applied for a Buck-I-Serv trip and got accepted to One Heartland which was located in Minnesota. One Heartland is a camp for youth who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS, and serves as a place for kids to get away and enjoy being a kid for a couple weeks. We stayed at the camp for a week to help complete projects around the grounds to prepare it for the future campers that would stay there the following summer. It was an amazing experience and to he
ar about the impact you have made and the appreciation from the staff for the changes you were able to make in just a week was heart touching. I look forward to participating in more service trips during my time on campus.
Author: Shelby Gregory
About Me
Hi, my name is Shelby Gregory and I’m from Fayetteville, Ohio. I am a Sophomore here at The Ohio State University, and I’m pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology. I am a member of the Biological Sciences Scholars Program, currently serving as the Vice Chair, a member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity where I serve as the Scholarship Chair. I am also involved with MEDLIFE (Medicine, Education, and Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere), First-Generation Pre-Medicine Association, and I volunteer at The James Cancer Hospital as a Restful Nights volunteer.
Throughout my two years at Ohio State, I have been involved with my community through volunteering, and with my campus through activities and other events. I am very passionate about making a difference where I can, and being involved in my campus and community as much as I can. I intend to continue to be involved while finishing out my undergraduate career and continuing to learn more about the large and diverse community that I am in.
I will include some of my accomplishments from volunteering, community opportunities, leadership positions and much more as I go through my undergraduate career. I plan to update my experiences as I come by them, and also will display them in my attached resume and Linkedin account found under “Career”.
Statement of Action
To become the most successful Nurse Practitioner that I can be in the future, I will continue to do in depth research on the role, reach out to those who currently have that role to ask any questions and hope to shadow them, and continue my volunteering opportunities in the community so I can gain all the knowledge I can before going on to complete the first step to achieving my goal, which is completing the ABSN program. I know by forming relationships with others and having good, reliable connections and an extensive network, I can gain the most valuable information to help me succeed and achieve my goals.
Vision Statement
With my time remaining at Ohio State, I want to expand my knowledge in the field with more Psychology courses that interest me, become involved with a research lab focusing on an area that is intriguing to me, and form closer, long-term relationships with my professors. I hope to continue learning about the role of being a Nurse Practitioner and the medical field through shadowing and volunteering opportunities.
Volunteering
During my time at The Ohio State University, I have had volunteer opportunities that are logged below. Many of these opportunities are thoroughly explained under the “artifacts” tab. I plan to continue participating in any volunteer opportunities that I encounter.
My short-term volunteer opportunities include:
Wesley Glen Retirement Community – 20 hours
Star House – 9 hours
Steps for Sarcoma – 5 1/2 hours
Mid-Ohio Food Bank – 4 hours
Huckleberry House – 6 hours
Ohio House Rabbit Rescue – 2 1/2 hours
Long-term volunteer opportunities:
The James Cancer Hospital –
I have a weekly volunteer shift of 2 hours, and so far I have accumulated 61 hours.
Buck-I-Serv Trips:
I have completed one trip, “One Heartland”, accumulating 40 hours.
My volunteer opportunities have allowed me to gain skills of leadership, confidence, and have shown me how to interact better with others. My current volunteer position at the hospital has given me the chance to communicate with patients and helping them feel more comfortable during their treatments by offering them complimentary items. This has not only allowed me to help patients just by offering a listening ear, but also letting them feel a bit more a home during this time in their treatment. Having the ability to communicate with patients and truly understand how they’re feeling and know what they need to feel better during a situation is an important skill one needs to possess to be successful in the medical field and provide excellent care to their patients. This particular opportunity allows me to see a glimpse of how my future will look.
Attached is my resume listing my achievements and activities thus far along with my Linkedin profile:
Class Review: Abnormal Psychology
I have enjoyed many classes during my time at Ohio State, however one that I really couldn’t get enough of was my Abnormal Psychology course that I took during my second semester of my sophomore year.
Not only did the course material interest me, but I really connected with my professor as well. I have always had an interest in learning more about different mental illnesses and how they affect a person’s daily life. I’ve wanted to go into a career that works with patients that live with mental illnesses, so this class was very helpful for me and allowed me to gain information that I can apply to my future career. We learned everything from alcoholism, different types of eating disorders, depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, OCD, and many more.
I hope to take more classes in the future where I can learn more in depth about each of these disorders, which will allow me to become more knowledgeable on this topic to help me succeed in my future career.
Year in Review: Sophomore Year
Each year gets better here. I now know the campus like the back of my hand, I have mastered my studying techniques after 4 semesters, and after being indecisive about what I want to do as a career, I finally have decided. Through each class I have taken at OSU, it has made me learn more about myself in some way. Recently, I have really been trying to narrow down my perspective while in class and think to myself, “Can I see myself studying this for 2 more years during my undergraduate career?”. I have learned a lot during my time here, but most importantly I have learned to follow my heart and my dreams, and do what is going to make me happy in the future. This has been something that I have struggled with my whole life. I always try to please others and fit their descriptions of how I should live my life and it hasn’t given me the outcome I have wanted. I am so excited to say I am finally studying what I enjoy and can’t wait for the next two years at Ohio State!
During this year, I went through the recruitment process and got inducted into Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity! Then, I got elected to be the Scholarship Chair for the fraternity! I also was elected to Vice Chair for the Biological Sciences Scholars group and have really enjoyed being on the board for that. I completed my STEP requirements this year and set up my trip studying sustainability this summer, howeve
r sadly that was cancelled until next year. I also got to participate on a Buck-I-Serv trip which included travelling to Minnesota to a camp called “One Heartland”, where we volunteered for a week completing renovations on the camp and getting it prepared for the new group of kids that would be staying there the following summer.
Due to COVID-19, this year was cut short for the students. I had to move out of my dorm and lose my job as an Office Assistant due to the virus. All of our classes got moved online which was a crazy changed to adjust to! However due to leaving my dorm, I got to move into my first apartment which was so exciting for me! I started a new job at Target while finishing out my last semester as a Sophomore.
This year has truly been the best. I have made new friends in my residence hall, joined new clubs and activities, achieved my goals academically my second semester of my sophomore year, and made so many memories! I am finally feeling at home in Columbus, and I cannot wait for the rest of my time here!
Semester in Review: Spring Semester 2020 (Sophomore Year)
What a crazy, interesting and successful semester! Academically, this has been the best semester I have had this far at Ohio State. I have finally learned how I study best, and applied those tips to this semester and my grades have never been better. On top of achieving my academic goals, I have moved to the position of Vice Chair for my Biological Sciences Scholars group, and I was elected as the Scholarship Chair for Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. I finally decided on what I wanted to do for a career after going back and forth about it, which took a lot of unnecessary stress off! Unfortunately, my time on campus was cut short due to COVID-19, and I had to move off of campus and I lost my campus job, therefore I have to find another job. My STEP trip got moved to next year and all of our classes went online. Although it was a struggle to get into a new habit of all online classes while juggling a full time job to pay for my apartment, I was able to do it successfully. Now I only have two more years left as a Buckeye, I am halfway done!
Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity
During the first semester of my Sophomore year, I began the recruitment process of Phi Sigma Pi. Each week I would attend meetings to learn more about the important history of Phi Sigma Pi, what the fraternity entails, and what it means to be a brother within this organization. At the end of the semester, I passed the final exam and I was able to complete the process by being inducted into the fraternity. This fraternity and group of individuals within it have made it feel like home since my first meeting. I have enjoyed growing with them and learning more about each individual in the organization, and having the opportunity to volunteer and participate in different activities around our community.
Following my induction, I ran for the Scholarship Chair and got elected to serve for the position. Due to COVID-19, unfortunately I was unable to fulfill the role as much as I wanted to this semester, but I look forward to the upcoming semester to successfully serve as the Scholarship Chair.
I have been looking for an organization on campus that I felt like I belonged instantly, and this was the perfect fit for me. I am so happy I found this fraternity in the beginning of my Sophomore year, so I can grow in it and make the best out of the years I have left.
Semester in Review: Autumn Semester 2019 (Sophomore Year)
This semester challenged me. It challenged me more than any previous semester I have had. The classes I had were a lot for me to juggle and manage, and I admit that I did struggle more times than I can count. I doubted my abilities more and more as each week went by, and did not really know what I want to do in the future as a career. Luckily, I had supportive friends, family and advisors to help me through this challenging semester. I learned so much about my learning habits and needs from this semester and I cannot wait to use them in the future! I now know how I learn best, and what I need to do to be the best possible student I can be.
During this semester I did get to begin my STEP meetings and I love the atmosphere those meetings gave me. For a couple hours each week, I got to do something to focus on what I need to do to reach my goals, planned a STEP trip for next summer studying sustainability in California, and exploring all that Columbus has to offer. I began my first campus job this semester as an Office Assistant in my dorm and this has allowed me to learn many new skills that I can apply to future jobs! I am also serving as a Team Captain for BuckeyeThon and have had a great time recruiting scholars to join our group! This semester I was inducted into Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and this has opened so many new connections up to me.
I am thankful for these important lessons I learned about myself from this semester, and although some things were tough for me, I had another great semester at Ohio State. I am ready for a fresh semester to excel in academically and improve my skills.