I am not entirely sure what career path I wish to follow at this point in my academic journey, but I am sure of two things: I love science, and I enjoy helping others and connecting with people. Currently I am torn between pursuing a career in medicine or education, and both of these callings seem to be pulling at me with an equal amount of force. However, I’m certain that in the next four years I will hone in on my career goals and graduate from college ready to make a positive impact on the world.
Part of the reason I am so uncertain of the career path I wish to pursue is that I have already had many wonderful experiences exploring the medical and educational fields. My freshman year of high school, I shadowed my pediatrician at his office and went from patient to patient with him and watched him examine and interact with children. It was really interesting and exciting to be on the other side of a doctor’s appointment! I also volunteered at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Siblings’ Clubhouse for two years in high school. This gave me the opportunity to care for and play with children with siblings who were ill while gaining experience in a hospital setting. I also had an interesting “teaching” opportunity this year in my anatomy and physiology class. My teacher invited his daughter’s third grade class in to talk about adaptations and genetics, and I got to teach a small group of kids about science. It was really exciting to see the curiosity in their eyes and to be able to help them make connections between what we were teaching them and what they already knew. If I were to pursue a career in teaching, however, I would want to teach at either the high school or college level.
Both the educational and medical fields require a great deal of knowledge and leadership, so many of my short-term goals during college will revolve around pursuing academic and leadership opportunities. This semester, my primary goal is to maintain a high grade point average. I plan to achieve this goal by studying hard and gaining a true understanding of concepts instead of just memorizing facts. I also plan on participating in undergraduate research at some point in the next four years, so this semester I’ll be focused on refining my laboratory skills and gaining an understanding of basic lab procedures and concepts. In order to gain leadership experience, I’m considering becoming an ambassador for the neuroscience program and/or bio sci scholars. To prepare for this, I plan on attending as many neuroscience/bio sci events as possible and getting more information about the different board positions I can apply for and what those positions entail. One of my other short term goals was to join a club/organization by the end of the month, and luckily I have already achieved this goal by joining BRAIN (Buckeyes Raising Awareness In Neuroscience). As the name suggests, BRAIN is devoted to supporting people affected by neurological illnesses and raising awareness about neurological illness throughout the community. I’m excited to continue to learn and grow and take the steps that I need to take to determine my long term goals and work towards achieving them.

College is the best time to gain new experiences, expand your knowledge, and try new things. It is important to me that when I graduate, I’ve grown as a leader, as a thinker, and as a person in general. Having a set of “GOALS” in mind will help me hone in on the things I wish to accomplish during my time in college and plan out how I’m going to accomplish them. G.O.A.L.S. is an acronym developed by the Honors and Scholars Program that stands for Global Engagement, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. Partaking in each of these things at some point during my time as an undergraduate at OSU will help me graduate as a well rounded individual who is ready to take on the world! This page is dedicated to me planning out how I wish to fulfill each of these categories and reflecting on the experiences I’ve gained by doing so.

Global Engagement- I’m torn between studying French or Spanish as an undergrad. I took three years of Spanish in high school and really enjoyed learning how to speak the language and discovering new things about the culture. I’d also really like to visit a Spain or Central America during my time as an undergrad, either through a study abroad program or a service initiative. That being said, I’ve recently become really interested in French culture and would like to learn how to speak the language. One of my all time favorite composers is Claude Debussy, and my favorite artist is Claude Monet. Both of these artists were visionaries of the impressionist era and a lot of their works reflect the same ideas. I’m interested in learning more about this era, so I’m hoping I can take an art/music history class about it as a part of my music minor.

Original Inquiry– I’m definitely interested in partaking in research during my time as an undergrad. I’m very much intrigued with how the brain interprets and processes music and I’m curious about the potential therapeutic effects it can have for people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s/dementia. I also would like to create a musical representation of biological/chemical processes as a way to bridge the gap between art and science (see Song of the Stars in Artifacts).

Academic Enrichment-Anthony D’Angelo once said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” I’m so excited to expand my knowledge about the world and deepen my understanding of science during my time at Ohio State. I plan on applying for honors once I establish a high enough GPA, which I’ve been working very hard at this semester. It takes dedication and perseverance to succeed in classes like general chemistry and behavioral neuroscience, but these are subjects that I find really interesting, and the work that I’ve been putting into understanding these topics now is sure to pay off in the long run.

Leadership Development–  As a freshman, there have been many times that I’ve felt overwhelmed and distressed about being a STEM major at such a big university. I’m so grateful for the ambassadors in BioSci and Neuroscience that have reached out to me and made me feel welcomed and accepted at OSU. It’s so reassuring having upperclassmen who have been in my shoes talk about their experiences and let me know that I’m not alone. I want to be able to be that person for the next set of freshman who feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Ambassador applications usually happen in the spring, so I’ve been working on keeping my grades up and attending events this semester so that 1) it’s clear that I’m dedicated to my academics, 2) I have plenty of experiences to talk about, and 3) I can see how other ambassadors do things so I’ll be prepared for the position.

Service Engagement– Giving back to the community is one of the most important and fulfilling things in life. In high school, I volunteered at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Sibling’s Clubhouse and really enjoyed my experiences there. I had to take a year off from volunteering my senior year due to family circumstances, but I look forward to beginning to volunteer there again sometime in the next month or so.