Global Awareness:
Growing up in a neighborhood in which 60-70% of my classmates came from the same background as me, I would not say I got to fully appreciate what it meant to embrace diversity. Coming to Ohio State, however, has given me the opportunity to explore and learn about different cultures and backgrounds in a way that develops empathy and admiration. One of my classes, Art Education 2367.01H, gave me the unique opportunities to explore these ideas. One of the assignments we were given was to “step outside of our comfort zones” and attend an event or exhibition about a culture different than our own. This gave me the opportunity to explore this diverse campus outside of the classroom setting. I decided to go to the Hale Black Cultural Center to view an art exhibition. I ended up bumping into a few students from class, all from different backgrounds, that also came as part of the assignment. As we were exploring the exhibit, we discussed what it meant for each of us to be a student on Ohio State’s campus and how the experience was different for each us. While this may have been a seemingly small and insignificant experience, it really gave the opportunity to have open dialogue and it opened my eyes to the unique experiences that each individual student may have.
Furthermore, my participation in the STEP program this year is allowing me to further my exploration of different cultures. I wrote my STEP proposal for a program called Nursing in Nicaragua. This program is a two-week long trip to Nicaragua. In the first week, students get the opportunity to tour Managua, Nicaragua—learning about their government and politics, economy, social structure and popular culture. In the second week, they travel to a small village where they learn about the public healthcare system, work with doctors and sit in on patient visits and truly get to learn about the people of Managua on a personal level. I am extremely hopeful that I will be able to have the opportunity to go on this trip, as I believe it will foster a type of empathy and worldly appreciation that I do not yet know I am capable of by exposing me to a culture vastly different from my own.
Original Inquiry: I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with two incredible research facilities in my two years of school. Last summer, I had the opportunity to work in a Cystic Fibrosis laboratory, exploring how diet affects CF-infected rats by looking at different proteins in the Krebs cycle through mass spectrometry. I got hands-on experience, consulting with the professor to come up with the daily task list and form procedures to carry out in the lab. I was able to apply concepts and techniques that I had learned in General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry to real-life situations. This experience exposed me to the research process, as I got to experience every step of the job- from planning, to executing, from analyzing data to figuring out where to go next. It was an incredible opportunity that gave me a glimpse into everything that contributes to the world of medicine, aside from the clinical aspects that I had been used to.
This year I have had the privilege of working in the Pulmonary Clinical Trials department at Ohio State as a research assistant. This experience has been completely different than the research I did over the summer and has exposed me to yet another side of medicine and health care that I was not familiar with. I have worked a lot with the data portion of research, as well as with literary analyses. I have grown significantly from this position and hope to continue contributing to the research process in my next few years at Ohio State.
Academic Enrichment:
As a pre-med student, the rigorous coursework required, in itself, demands a strong work ethic and academic discipline. Despite the difficult nature of these courses and the courses of my major, I have chosen this path because I want nothing else than to go to medical school and become a doctor– to work with patients and determine the root of medical issues, helping them maintain an optimal quality of life. I committed to this path because I believe I am a hard-working, dedicated student committed to balancing this kind of rigorous schedule, in order to grow as a student and individual and get to my ultimate goal. My coursework reflects this dedication, as the classes I have taken and will take for my major require impeccable time management and commitment to mastering material. I also believe that my choices in GE courses further reflect this commitment. I have chosen to take many GE courses that challenge me intellectually, in areas that I don’t necessarily consider to be my strong suit. For example, while literature has always been one of my weaker subject areas, I decided to take an honors poetry class this past semester to challenge myself and to strengthen this weaker area. I am well aware that I will come across many different challenges in my path to becoming a doctor and I believe that practicing such challenges now will better prepare me to face those challenges in the future.
Leadership Development:
I began getting involved on campus as soon as I got to Ohio State. I joined Buckeye Philharmonic and was very honored to be seated as the section leader of the second violin section. This role came with a great responsibility of being incredibly prepared for each rehearsal, communicating information from the conductor to the section, and leading sectional practices in a smaller group setting. It was a great way to do what I love and be a leader while doing it. I also joined a dance team on campus, called Movement Variations. I have been an active member for all four semesters and I hope to run for the executive board in the next coming year. One of the major leadership roles I have taken on has been dance captain of my sorority’s dance team. I had the responsibility of choreographing an entire production- planning theme, music, and costumes, as well as, coordinating a team of thirty dancers, making sure everyone knew what was going on and maintaining positive team energy. This role taught me a significant amount about time management, communication, and creativity, as well as stress management and patience. It was incredibly rewarding to have the time spent hosting practices, rehearsing choreography and planning countless logistical details pay off.
Service Engagement:
I am part of a sorority on campus and philanthropy is something that is extremely important to us as an organization, and to me as an individual. I have many opportunities for service engagement through the sorority. We host various events throughout the semester to raise awareness and raise money for two specific organizations- the Elizabeth Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Sharsheret- a breast cancer organization. Having these two organizations as our focus allows us to really make an impact by, not only contributing financially, but raising awareness that hopefully fosters further support of these organizations. Aside from the work we do with these two organizations, there are also a variety of different service activities that I participate in with the sorority. There are constantly opportunities to volunteer: volunteering in a nursing home and soup kitchen, or making blankets for the homeless are just a few examples of the kind of service work we do. While the actions might be small, sometimes it is those small action that can make a difference in a person’s day- even if it’s just for a minute.
Furthermore, I am working on starting a club called Music Mentors. A volunteer-based club that would offer free private music lessons to elementary school or middle school kids in areas where they would, otherwise, not be able to afford professional music lessons. This is something that I did in high school and I was shocked to learn that there was not a club similar to it at Ohio State so I hope to have it up and running by next fall.