End to Sophomore Year

This school year has been one of the most unconventional ones that I have experienced. The first semester went well, accomplishing my first Organic Chemistry classes and finishing strong in my classes. However, things quickly changed during the second semester. With the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to move out of my dorm room immediately after getting home from spring break. We also found out that OSU had moved all classes to online learning for the remainder of the semester. This was a big change for me, as learning from my bedroom was something that I had never experienced or really wanted to do. Being a better learner in face-to-face situations, online classes became a slight struggle. The first week was a little rocky, as depending on the Internet can be faulty at times and online learning was new to many teachers. However, after the first week, I quickly got back into a routine and finished out the last few weeks of the semester with potentially higher grades than I originally would have achieved. Going through a new, hard time with this pandemic has taught me many new skills and has given me a new experience in my life that not many will experience in theirs. In the years to come, I hope to use these new skills and experience to my benefit and hope that others can learn from it as well.

Personal Statements

Vision Statement

During my two years of undergrad, I have tried to stay on track with my career goals. In my first year, I found that the pre-vet track for Biology was not something that I truly wanted to move forward with. With this, I found what I wanted to pursue as a career. Wildlife conservation and sustainability is something that I have always had a strong interest in. During my second year, I have tried to work towards gaining knowledge in wildlife conservation specifically, which allowed me to join a research study that I discussed in my Artifacts tabs. I have also been looking into internships that work towards conservation efforts or have some kind of relation to them. In the future, I hope to have an internship in a wildlife conservation/sustainability area of focus and take more ecology-based classes.

Statement of Action

To achieve my educational visions, I need to focus more on ecology and evolution biology and plan to take more classes in this area.

To achieve my internship visions, I plan to apply for several summer internships that focus on conservation efforts or environmental rehabilitation. I also would like to continue doing research for Dr. Chavez, as it pairs well with my career goals and plans.

Margaret’s Abstract

I created this ePortfolio for my Biological Sciences Scholars program. This is a great place to keep all of my accomplishments, reviews of my school year, and even my resume. Using this website allows me to show future employers what I have accomplished during my college education and gives them an insight into who I am. Under the About Me and Artifacts tabs, one can learn more about what I am doing in college and what works I have accomplished. I keep all of my career goals and plans for the future under the Career and G.O.A.L.S. tabs. Lastly, after each school year, I post a reflection under the Year in Review tab. I hope this allows others to learn more about me and what I plan to do!

Dr. Chavez’s Research

This past school year, I had the opportunity to work under Dr. Chavez in undergraduate research. This research is under the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and the Museum of Biological Diversity at The Ohio State University. The lab’s research is mostly studying patterns and processes of mammalian diversification. They use expertise in areas such as evolutionary biology and animal behavior. Having spent many hours a week in this lab, I have been able to gain knowledge on animal prepping for museums and labs, as well as being able to meet many students who are interested in the same career goals as I am. I found that the more sessions of research I attended, the more I understood and learned from the week before. My animal prepping skills have highly improved since the first day and I now have a strong research program to be a part of. I intend to join this research lab again in the next school year and I highly enjoyed my time working under Dr. Chavez.

End to Freshman Year

Freshman year has come to an end. It is still crazy to me how fast this year has gone by and that I have officially made it through my first year of college. This school year had its bumps in the road, but from them I have learned many new things which will help the following years go smoother. A few things that I have learned this year are:

-It’s just one grade, don’t let it hold you back and instead learn from it

-Beware of the wind

-A quick trip home or family visit can help you destress

-Study in advance!

-Learn from your mistakes and overcome them

-Enjoy life and take a moment to realize where you are in it

-Pet all of the puppies you see on campus when you can

-Be proud of what you accomplish

-Hang up a hammock when its finally not snowing anymore

Through all of these things, I think I’m ready to take on year two.

Career

During the summer of 2017, I had the opportunity to work for the TriHealth Bethesda Oak Hospital in the microbiology lab. During this time, I assisted the microbiology technicians and was responsible for preparing equipment and specimens, recorded data and documented results, and maintained the laboratory to meet required standards and protocol. Through this job opportunity, I also acquired important skills that would apply to many future career choices. By performing blood and urine culture testing, I learned about bacterial pathogens, what they do, and how to identify them. This summer job was one of the greatest learning experiences I have encountered and truly loved working with the people of TriHealth and the community.

Scholars Zoo Trip- Behind the Scenes

On October 7th, a group from the Biological Science’s scholars group visited the Columbus Zoo. During this trip, we had the chance to go behind the scenes in the Manatee exhibit. With being a Biology major and having hopes to work with animals one day, this gave me a real-life view into what my work one day could consist of. Not only did it give me insight to the job, but helped confirm what I wanted to do as a career after getting my Biology degree. I hope to be able to find an internship with similar jobs as the ones I am interested in. Overall, the zoo trip was a great and fun experience, and it was nice to feel like a kid again!

Service Engagement

In Cincinnati, there is an animal shelter called Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP). This volunteer based shelter helps rescue dogs and other various animals from abusive situations, kill shelters, and takes in dropped off animals and any strays. They match each animal, mostly dogs, to a foster family to take care of them while they try to find their “furever” home. Some dogs get adopted quickly, while others have been living with their foster parents for years. Although seeing so many dogs in the shelter can be heartbreaking, seeing these animals find new and loving families to take care of them overshadows these unhappy feelings with joy. The adoption process is a big step in most animal shelters like SAAP, where they need as much help as they can get. I became involved with SAAP the summer going into my Junior Year of high school, and assist with taking care of the dogs during adoption events and help families find a dog that suits them. Helping animals find a caring family to take care of them after going through so much pain in their life has always been a major ambition of mine. As many know, my love for animals is never-ending and I am always willing to give a helping hand for programs like SAAP.

Art In Root

In my Senior Year at Seton High School, I entered an art competition called Art In Root. This art competition combined art with nature, as students from different high schools through the city incorporated different nature aspects into their art. For me, I have always found beauty in sunsets, which is the part of nature I incorporated into my artwork. Nature has always been a love of mine, which led me to my career path of Biology. I placed third for my Photoshop artwork, which then got showed in the Sharron Woods Park art exhibit. This piece is called “Seeking the Horizon”.