Artifacts

football-1My first scholars event was my intramural flag football game with the BioSci football team. Even though I wasn’t very helpful in that win, it was still a lot of fun and I can’t wait for the playoffs. Other than just having fun, this team has taught me the value of working hard and camaraderie.

About Me

meMy name is Sean G.L. Johnson, I was born on January 6th, 1998 and named partly after my father, Sean G.L. Johnson. You may be thinking, how is that partly? Well my father’s name is Sean Gilberto Lyn Johnson and my name is Sean Gilberto Lee Johnson, so whenever people call me junior I have to politely correct them and tell them I am the second. From an early age I have loved math and science. I have always been curious about how things work in the body and why certain people are more susceptible to diseases than others. My sophomore year I took biology and my eyes were opened to how amazing the human body and genetics is and I was instantly captivated. Towards the end of my sophomore year I had a terrible allergic reaction to a medicine that I was taking for a sinus infection. I spent two and a half weeks in the hospital and another week at home recovering before I could return to school. The skin on most of my body, including my lips, flaked off and had to heal (I’d include pictures, but I don’t think you’d like to see them…). But, the scariest aspect of this allergic reaction was the fact that it was the worst case the doctors had ever seen and they believed that I was going to go blind and lose some of my fingers. This experience not only was a testimony to God’s grace and power, but further indication that I was destined to go into the medical field and genetics. I continued to follow my passion for science by taking Anatomy Honors the following year. With the help of an amazing teacher, I learned about the body and how interesting genes and cells are. Finally, my senior year I took AP Chemistry. While this class was the most difficult class I’ve taken in my high school career, I learned so much both academically and spiritually. My chemistry teacher not only taught me about enthalpies and solutions, but also that it’s okay to fail at something as long as you keep working at it. I’ll never forget getting a C on my first test in her class and breaking down crying. She talked to me after class and made sure that I understood the material and why I had done badly on the test. She also prayed with me and used scriptures to tell me that God would help me. These teachers, classes, and experiences helped me determine that I wanted to major in Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University.

Year in Review

This year has been one of ups and downs. But these hills and valleys have allowed me to grow as a person and as a student here. Since coming to OSU I have had to learn how to live on my own and take care of myself, unlike at home where my parents made most of the decisions for me. Through trial and error I’ve been able to find what the best solutions are for me in terms of studying, sleeping habits, and time management. Trying to adapt to these changes has been a very hard transition for me, but thanks to the help of several friends, my girlfriend, and of course God, I feel as though I am getting better and better at taking care of myself.

One of the clubs I was involved in was intramural football with the BioSci team. Through this team I made a lot of new friends very fast and I was able to have fun with these people knowing that if I ever wanted to talk to them they were in the same building as me. Another great experience that I had this year was going to the independent living home with the Biological Sciences Scholars, it was an amazing time. I met so many generous and caring elderly people who still loved life and definitely loved their Buckeyes. One of the women that I met, Beryl, will stick with me for a long time. She was the first person to come greet us all when we were waiting to go into the room to serve, and one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met. She told us stories of how she came to get her name, her mother knew a really good teacher and wanted her to be named after the teacher, she told us how much she loved the Bucks and how happy she was there. Mrs. Beryl was just exuberant, full of the love of life, and an amazing person.

This year has been tough, but it’s only the beginning I have a lot more to do. I can’t wait for all the years to come have to offer.