Sophomore Year in Review

Looking back over my second year at Ohio State, so much has happened. This was my first full year living on campus, and I grew so much from my time. When the year first started, we still had heavy COVID restrictions, but I found myself able to do more than before. I was able to go to my first involvement fair, which was such a great memory to experience. I was able to join one of my favorite student organizations, College Mentors for Kids.

This year, I was able to find a home at Ohio State. While I truly loved my first year, I struggled to get involved. This year, I put myself out there and strived to learn as much as I could. I put myself all the way into my classes and my organizations. I got a job on campus that allowed me to make friends and learn more about different areas on campus.

As this semester wraps up, I was offered a Pharmacy Technician trainee positions. I am striving for a great experience, and I believe this job offer wraps up my last year wonderfully.

Vision Statement and Statement of Action

For the rest of my time at Ohio State, I want to be as involved as I can, and take in as much information as possible. Now that more events and things are in person, I want to go out and achieve my dream of seeing all the different opportunities Ohio State has to offer. Biological Sciences Scholars has granted me multiple opportunities to hear amazing researchers talk and volunteer in different capacities. I want to continue to volunteer for organizations such as Safe Point Harm Reduction and My Very Own Blanket. As a scholar, I was able to stay connected through covid-19 and still be apart of events, even virtual. This illustrated to me that even in the hard times, Ohio State still gives us opportunities.

 

Principles of Therapeutics

Over the course of my first two years here at Ohio State, one class that really impacted me was Principles of Therapeutics during Spring 2022. The course is 2 credit hours, and I took it as a part of my pharmaceutical sciences minor. During our lecture once a week, a different person comes in and teaches us about different common diseases, and specifically the medication therapies associated with them. A few we have talked about include allergic reactions, cancer, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and hypertension. The different people who come in to talk typically have a connection to Ohio State, whether they did their undergraduate degree here, or went to pharmacy school here. I have learned about the different pathways after pharmacy school, and about a number of different opportunities as an undergraduate student. I enjoy hearing the stories of people who were once exactly where I am at. I hope to take the information I learned in this course and apply it on my journey and in my other classes.

College Mentors for Kids 2021-2022

During my second year at Ohio State, I found an organization that has come to hold a special place in my heart. This organization is called College Mentors for Kids. The picture includes me and my little buddy, Kelamyrah. College Mentors brings over 30 kids to Ohio State’s campus Monday- Thursday to participate in a mentoring program, but also to just have fun. My specific activity day was on Thursday, and we had so much fun. When the little buddies come to campus, we give them a snack and we talk about different topics related to college, depending on the different organization we bring in. Occasionally, these conversations are about health care related careers, or they can be with organizations that talk about Disney. Either way, we spend time together, cherishing each moment.

While it was not always easy, we always find something to have fun within activity. I cannot wait to continue to see my little buddy, and all of the other little buddies in upcoming semesters.

Second Semester in review

As I am finishing up my second semester as a buckeye, I am looking back on everything that has happened. I have moved onto campus, which has opened me up into so many new opportunities that I never suspected. However, I realized I had a hard time discovering service opportunities, probably because of COVID and limited in person contact. However, rather than be upset by this, I have chosen to let it motivate me next semester and over the summer to truly do some research and find volunteer and service experiences that allow me to branch out and help anyone possible.

Year in Review

As the first semester of my freshman year comes to a close, I start to reflect on everything I have learned this year. When I got accepted into Ohio State as a senior in high school, I never thought I would begin online and commenting once a week. While COVID has created an entirely different experience then what I imagine, I believe that more than anything it has taught patience and how to learn in a variety of ways. Occasionally, I will get frustrated because of everything being through technology and nothing being physical.However, when this would happen I would try to focus on the good things that have come from this. For example, I have learned increased study skills, because I do not have people around me to hold me accountable. It has also given me the opportunity to spend time with my family, and work a lot more to save more money for the future. Overall, I am happy with how this semester went, and how my classes and grades are for the semester. I am optimistic for the years to come.

G.O.A.L.S.

GOALS is an acronym developed by Ohio States Honors and Scholars programs. It helps students develop and get involved in a variety of ways.

G is for Global Awareness. This is where students learn to appreciate and learn about other cultures from all over the world, taking into consideration similarities and differences.

O is for original inquiry. This relates to research and the different aspects involved in the process of research. Next semester, I will begin to look into the different types of research on campus and look into becoming a part of a lab. I would like to begin research my sophomore year.

A is for academic enrichment. This establishes a goal to learn and strive academically not just in the classroom, but also outside of it.  I chose biology as my major because I believe it will help me learn and develop into a well rounded student, because of the variety of subjects biology helps you learn.

L is for leadership. Honors and scholars students are leaders, each in their way. Whether is the leader of a club, or the leader of a group project, the goal is to help bring people together to learn, engage, and thrive as a group.

S is for service engagement. This aims to get students more engaged and involved in the community, through acts of volunteering and service. this year, I was a volunteer coach in an upward soccer league. This helped me learned patience and gain connections and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Artifacts

Since I am home this semester, I needed to find volunteer opportunities near me. My church had the perfect opportunity for me to volunteer and build relationships. Upward Soccer is a community soccer league for kids ages 3 to 6th grade. I am currently the head coach of my team, the Rams, for ages 3 to 5. It has been such an amazing experience. Once a week, we practice together and then every Saturday morning we have a game. It has been amazing to get to know the kids and learn how to work with them and their parents. Due to their age, I have been learning more patience and how to be strict, but also have fun.

My career goal is to go into the pediatric medical field. While this organization is not medical, it does expose to different kids and different personalities. I am learning how to talk to them and how they’re minds work through anything that is going on in their heads. I aim to be encouraging and to allow them to know that they can talk to me and tell me if something is wrong.