When I came to Ohio State as a freshman, I was confident I knew exactly how the next four years would play out and even the years after that. I was a Health Sciences major planning on becoming an optometrist and was confident that I would not change my mind, no matter what obstacles lay ahead. However, college quickly changed my plans and I am very grateful for this change, even though it was stressful at the time.
About mid-way through my first semester, I decided to switch my major to Public Affairs after much research about different majors and career options. Although this is completely different than Health Sciences, this major is such a better fit for me. I find policy analysis fascinating, and I love I am able to make significant impacts in hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people through the analysis of data and policy outcomes.
This year, I have had the opportunity to take higher-level PA and data analysis classes, which have further revealed to me that this major is the perfect fit for me. My favorite class has been Public Management, which has led me to declare this as my specialization within the Glenn College. I am also taking advantage of the new Bachelor of Science in Policy Analysis, which will allow me to combine my knowledge for data interpretation to make recommendations to the agencies of which I work for in the future. Along with my French for Business minor, I hope to use this mix of my interests to someday work for a government agency as a high-level administrator focused on policy decisions. I also appreciate that I am able to use my love for writing to impact others through policy ideas.
Through the Glenn College, I have found my home in Ohio State’s sometimes intimidating world of academics. This has allowed me to become more confident in myself as a leader and proud of my interests and talents, even if they are different than when I entered college as a freshman. This has allowed me to become more involved in volunteer opportunities and extracurricular activities. I was Education and Alumni Chair and am now currently secretary of Collegiate 4-H at OSU. In addition, my Christian faith has become a more significant part of my life since coming to OSU will be leading a Bible study through Real Life again next year. This year has been a wonderful experience, whether concerning academics, clubs, or other areas of life, such as family relationships and friendships, and I am looking forward to my next two years as a Buckeye.