Hello my name is Meredith Kitzel and I am a freshman majoring in Animal Science/Pre-Vet at The Ohio State University. I have always loved animals and after my horse, Tex, had emergency colic surgery at Ohio State in June 2011, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in equine medicine. Leading up to college, I was very involved in high school with sports, extracurricular activities, work, and academics. I learned leadership skills through my officer roles in Animal Lover’s Club and Key Club, as well as maturity and independence through my horseback riding career. These skills will prove to be useful links as I look towards becoming a veterinarian and a professional leader in the workplace. Academically, I was pushed to do my best work and grew to accept failure, but I also became determined to learn from my downfalls and better myself in a positive manner after a not so perfect test. I learned how to act in the workplace with professionals through my job at a small animal clinic, which provided me with useful skills for the future and a better understanding of the field of veterinary medicine. These skills that I have learned over the years will prepare me for my academic career at OSU and for my future.
In this ePortfolio, there are many resources and reminders of my current personality, interests, skills, and how I plan to use and implement them moving forward at Ohio State. Beginning with my About Me page, I have included a background and analysis of my life experiences and how I have encountered failure or success as a result. It also reviews how I became interested in veterinary medicine and my goals in my career aspirations. The Artifacts page will provide proof of my academic and personal goals being met during my time at Ohio State. In my G.O.A.L.S. section, I will review what I have done or plan to do during my time here to meet these benchmark goals and develop a plan to achieve them, which leads in part to the Career page. The Career page will contain all evidence of the skills I am developing to benefit my hopeful entrance in the field of veterinary medicine. And finally, my Year in Review page will highlight what I have achieved or struggled with throughout my first year and how I plan to learn from it moving forward into coming years.