I have been volunteering at The Inn at Olentangy Trail, a nursing home, in the dementia unit since the fall of 2016. On Sunday mornings, I and several others go to the nursing home and mingle with the residents. We do anything from doing puzzles, painting nails, and playing with a beach ball to just sitting and talking. Seeing the residents faces light up when we come in is a feeling that will never get old. Although many of the residents may not remember us, it is still just as rewarding to watch them smile as they complete a puzzle or celebrate as they successfully hit the beach ball back to us. Before we leave, we always help serve lunch and clean up afterwards. I have met some incredible people through volunteering here, and I hope to continue going for as long as I am able to.
G.O.A.L.S.
The University Honors & Scholars Center at The Ohio State University serves high-ability, motivated undergraduate students. While embracing diversity in both ideas and people, the Center fosters purposeful learning communities that enhance students’ academic and social experiences. The Center facilitates impactful, rigorous, and unique opportunities that further student success and involvement in our G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement.
~Riverside Methodist Hospital~
I started volunteering at Riverside Hospital in 2016. In such a short time, this experience has shaped me in a way that I did not know was possible. I have been working as a greeter at the main entrance of the hospital, where I engage with the families of patients and answer any questions they may have. I walk patients and their families where they need to be, while providing a friendly and welcoming environment. Occasionally, I deliver flowers to patients rooms, which always makes me smile. This experience has not only helped change my perspective on everyday life, but also introduced me to some incredible people. I volunteer every Wednesday morning with two amazing elderly, but not so elderly in spirit, men. I have become close with both of these men, and they have both offered me some great advice, as well as words of encouragement when I need them. Listening to them talk about life gives me great hope for the future, and watching their kindness in action gives me great hope for humanity. Interacting with my fellow volunteers and with patients and their families has made me realize how important it is to be present in the moment and to appreciate the little things in life. Many of the patients that I work with have had life altering circumstances occur at Riverside, whether it be a medical emergency or the loss of a loved one, in the blink of an eye. Seeing this has helped me appreciate how fortunate I am, and has helped me be thankful for everyone in my life and every single day that I am living.
~Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s~
In the fall of 2016, I was elected the treasurer for Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s. This club works to spread awareness about and raise money for Alzheimer’s disease. With more then 5 million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s, this is such an important disease to bring awareness to. As someone, who like a substantial amount of others, has been personally affected by the disease with the loss of a loved one, I am honored to be a part of an organization that is helping to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. As the treasurer, it is my job to not only request funding and manage the accounts, but to coordinate fundraisers. So far, I have coordinated a Blaze Pizza fundraiser, and a Torpedo Comedy Club Fundraiser. At the end of each year, we donate half of our remaining money to the Alzheimer’s Association.
This is a picture of the previous leadership board from the 2015-2016 school year with the new leadership board for the 2016-2017 school year.
~Biology 1114H Endophytes Research Project~
This in-class research project helped to open my eyes to the incredible amount of work that goes into every single research inquiry. For this project, we were given information about endophytes, which are microorganisms that inhabit internal plant tissues. These endophytes are typically seen to have a mutualistic relationship with the plant, meaning that both the endophytes and the plant benefit from the relationship. Given minimal information, we were required to come up with a testable research question involving endophytes. My partner and I decided to explore how the endophyte diversity of a plant would be affected when the plant was introduced to salt stress. We worked throughout the semester to run the experiment, and collect as much data as we could with the resources provided. We were able to gather data using microscopy, PCR and gel electrophoresis, and several bioassays. We also drew upon literature to help us make predictions and consider why we had the outcomes that we did. Once all of the data had been collected, we created a poster to present at a mini forum. The forum consisted of several Biology classes presenting their original research to various faculty members. My partner and I were able to present to many professors, as well as our TA. This was a great learning opportunity for me, as I hope to present research at forums, such as the Denman Forum, in the near future.
This is the final product of the poster that we presented. The poster gives a summary of the most important points of the study.