Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .

Original Inquiry: I have developed a greater understanding for the research process this year through different specific academic assignments and classes. I had the opportunity to take various different psychology classes based around research, and take research methods. These classes gave me a deeper understanding of how research works and how we use it throughout our everyday lives. It has allowed me to see the significant impact research has had on our knowledge of the world and has inspired me to look for an opportunity to be directly involved in research myself. Through taking general psychology, I was apart of the REP program and became the participant in many different research projects. This gave me hands on experience of what goes into conducting research and the wide variety of topics people are researching every single day.

Academic Enrichment: I interviewed Kim Rolf regarding her graduate school experience and if she had any tips or tricks for me. She recently just got accepted into Physical Therapy school here at Ohio State and although I want to go into Occupational therapy, the fields are so similar that she was able to help me out with all of my questions. Some of the questions I asked her included the following: “How did you know you wanted to go to Physical Therapy School? How did you narrow down which ones you applied to? When did you start studying for the GRE and how many times did you take it? When did you start the application process? How did you decide what school was best for you?” After talking to Kim about these questions, I learned a lot about the process of applying to graduate school and feel more confident about my goals. She explained to me the importance of shadowing different professions early in order to decide which health care field I want to go into. We also talked about how it is important to begin studying early for the GRE in order to be prepared. Kim only had to take the GRE once! I also learned a lot about how she narrowed down schools based on location and price, all while considering which school she thought would be the best fit for her. She started the application process in July but had explained to me she wish she finished it before school started so she didn’t have to worry about applications and her classes at the same time. Overall, my interview with Kim was extremely helpful and I am grateful I was able to talk to her about all her hard work and accomplishments. All the advice she gave me will be super helpful in the future and I am so excited to see her succeed in graduate school here at Ohio State!

Leadership Development: Over the course of my sophomore year, I was involved in various different activities that helped me grow as a leader. For example, I was a TA for the health sciences seminar. I was also a mentor for an incoming freshman. These activities gave me more experience as a leader and I had more responsibility throughout the semester. This experience allowed me to not only improve on my leadership skills, but gave me more confidence in myself as a leader. I can take the skills that I have learned throughout this past year and apply it to future situations where I have to lead other people. One other experience where I was able to develop my leadership skills was through College Mentors For Kids. Through this program, I was paired up with a child from inner city Columbus and spent one day a week mentoring them. This was an amazing opportunity for me to help them grow and develop as a child, and take my leadership skills and use them to benefit these children. I am so thankful for all of these opportunities and am looking forward to more leadership experiences in the future.

Service Engagement: Over the course of this school year I have had so many amazing opportunities to serve and help others. Some of these included the following: Volunteering at a homeless shelter downtown Columbus, Buckeye-thon, Garden of Hope, helping out at blood drives through med life, and college mentors for kids. I think my most meaningful experience was College Mentors for kids because this was a two hour weekly commitment and I felt I had made an impact on my little buddy’s life. I looked forward to going to activity every week and spending time with my second grade buddy and hopefully influencing him for the better. Through fun games, learning activities, and serious conversations, I enjoyed every second I got to spend with my buddy and will be continuing on with the club next year. Another one of my favorite volunteering actives was volunteering at the homeless shelter downtown Columbus. I enjoyed this so much because it really opened my eyes to what some people are going through and just how much we can make a difference in their lives. I had the opportunity to talk to some amazing people and hear their stories which really inspired me to help them in any way I could. Overall, the service I have done over the past year at Ohio State has been nothing short of amazing and has shaped me into the person I am today.