Author: laws.47

A Year in Review

May 13, 2018, I graduated valedictorian from my high school with a 4.0 GPA, multiple college credit hours under my belt, and a plan to go to The Ohio State University in the fall to study science. Although I didn’t know exactly what to expect from a freshman year in college, I knew that I could never compare it to the past four years of high school that I had just experienced.

I knew I had to approach college with a different method than I approached high school. I needed to expect the classes to be harder and the semesters to go by faster. I had to prepare myself to fail at things, succeed in others, but overall show improvement throughout my years here. By the end of my first year, although I allowed myself to not have perfect grades, I wanted to make sure that biochemistry was the major I wanted to continue with. I’m not going to lie, even though I did try my best, my first B on a college exam didn’t exactly feel great. I was congratulated by my family for getting an above average grade in a major known for being tough at OSU, facing the grade didn’t feel as great as they made it seem. That was my first adjustment. Learning a new normal and learning to continue to persist after every exam. Adapting took a while, but eventually I started to focus on improvement and making sure I at least understood the material well even if I didn’t test as well as I’d hoped. I went to office hours, I studied in groups, and I got involved. My first semester had ended, and I had seemed to get the hang of campus life.

Another aspect of college that I needed to go well was making new friends. Although, two of my good friends had committed to OSU as well, I knew I didn’t want the safety of old friendships to keep me from making new ones. From hearing about my sisters experience, I knew a lot of friendships were made during classes, so trying to ignore my inner thoughts to pick a seat in the back of the room of each class, I decided to sit up front or near anyone that looked as scared as I was. Although this plan had good intentions, it didn’t account for the fact that making new friends consisted of more than just sitting next to someone new, it needed flowing conversation and common interests. After the first week had passed, and I felt semi-confident of some of the friendships that I had established (if anything, I at least had someone to sit next to in each class), I decided to put less pressure on making new friends. Luckily, it seemed that paying less attention is what I needed to do to stumble upon a girl in the Chemistry Department office trying to drop her Spanish course while I was trying to drop my French course. After talking to each other briefly, we learned the next Friday that we had recitation together. A few weeks went by and eventually a brief chat in the department of Chemistry turned into roommates for next fall.

The last hurtle of college that I had hoped to complete before the end of my freshman year was my future career. Although I had chosen to major in biochemistry, I also knew that I was interested in other subjects. Through different clubs on campus, and the STEM scholar’s program I was able to explore more about a career in a science field, but through my extra classes like psychology, I learned that I was interested in more than one field. In order to figure out what interests me, I hope to gain a research position, possibly start a minor in psychology, and continue to explore new courses to take. I didn’t have enough time to confirm a future career this year, but I know I still have time to figure it out.

 

Current Event

First Successful Full 3D-Printed Heart

According to CNN news, earlier this week, Professor Tal Dvir from Tel Aviv University released the news that the first 3D-printed heart was successfully engineered. The heart is complete with blood vessels, and cells printed by “ink” from the patient in order to prevent organ rejection. Currently the heart is the size of about a rabbit’s heart, and it doesn’t perform the functions of a heart just yet. Once the hearts develop the pumping ability, they plan to start organ transplants in animals and eventually work their way up to providing a solution to the world’s main cause of death.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/15/health/3d-printed-heart-study/index.html

I can remember  waiting for this day ever since I heard about 3D-printing. First, my sister would come home from college and tell me about the 3D-printer that she’s allowed to use in college, and I can remember how amazed I was when she brought something home to show me. Next, I realized the possibilities of 3D-printers spanning wider than just plastic mechanisms when I chose to focus a presentation on it for my high school communications class. Finally, the possibilities of organ transplant with organs printed directly from the patient’s cells, lowering the risk of organ rejection is revolutionary. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and the chance of waiting on the donor list for a heart is so slim. Even though the heart is only the size of a rabbit’s, and there’s still a long way to go, this news shows promise for the future of medicine. Of course, their first limitation right now is the fact that the heart doesn’t pump. Then, once they get past that obstacle, I can only assume their next limitation would be deciding what to do about beginning to distribute hearts for transplant. A successfully printed human heart would change the lives of so many, but only if they can afford it. Although we don’t know how much hospitals would be willing to charge for 3D-printed organs, there’s a possibility that it would be a steep price. Although I don’t know the deciding factor of medical treatment costs, these procedures would be in high demand. The transplant list is long but imagine the impact that it would have on those who didn’t have great chances of finding a perfect match. This development is paving the way for so many future directions. Overall, it’s amazing to see how developed the printers have become and to only imagine what great advancements they will bring to the future.

Artifact 3- Broadway Nights

Through two semesters of my first year on campus, I’ve learned more about myself and the type of environment I work best in. My weeks were dedicated to my classes and the weekends were dedicated to homework. From the beginning of the year, I found that a constant dedication to schoolwork had a negative effect on my focus and dedication towards school. I realized that I couldn’t continue working without throwing in some breaks in-between. Luckily for me, I enrolled in a college located near the heart of the biggest city in Ohio. Whether it was finding a coffee shop in the short north, or going to Gateway to watch movies for $5, I realized I couldn’t live here for the next four years without exploring a little.
Although my theatre obsession is new, the past two years of studying had been accompanied by playlists of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers and more playing in the background. Ever since joining drama club for my high school’s spring musical, I had been trying to see my first Broadway show. I started expanding my knowledge of theater, and started listening to new soundtracks just as a way to take a break from studying. It started to become a quality of mine that I would share with others when asked questions about my favorite music or how I spend my time. During my first semester at OSU, while meeting new people, I started learning more about how theater had an impact on others lives as well.
The day finally arrived when I was scrolling through social media and came across a post by OSU’s Residence Hall Council. They were giving away tickets to see Aladdin at the Ohio Theatre down on High Street. It was official, I saw my first Broadway show on November 4th and I was amazed at the experience of watching a live performance. Although I’d never listened to the Aladdin, the score, actors, and amount of glitter on those costumes couldn’t compare to anything I’d seen before.


I started paying attention to all the musicals and shows visiting the Ohio Theatre for any chance that another program on campus was giving away tickets. At the end of the semester I learned about Hamilton’s visit to Columbus throughout the month of February. Although my week long wait for the D-Tix lottery didn’t end up working out, I received an email offering extra tickets to see the show for anyone interested. After calling my mom with the good news (both of us thankful that we could stop looking for tickets) I sat down and realized what a big deal this was for me. Not only had I been searching for tickets since Hamilton performed on the 2016 Tony awards, but I had been failing multiple times at finding tickets.


When February 13th came along, I sat through three hours of a history-inspired, rap-influenced musical surrounded by a crowd of people mouthing the words and reacting to an appearance of their favorite character. Not only was I watching another Broadway show, but I was finally experiencing in person what I had been fangirling over while studying. Columbus had immersed me in the possibilities of living in a city. This past semester has been filled with trips downtown to grab coffee, to seeing Harry Potter accompanied by the Columbus Orchestra, to taking a trip around town with my friends to celebrate my birthday. I’ve grown to love living in a big city, and I appreciate the ability to escape campus and take a COTA bus downtown to explore “a whole new world”.

 

Personal Development

While my first semester at college has taught me a lot about living independently, using the bus system, and always being prepared for rain; as a student, I believe that I have mostly learned about how to ask for help. During high school, I almost never needed extra guidance about a paper or a topic on a test. I mostly studied my own way and worked on papers a couple nights before they were due. This semester, however, I have been to almost all of my Chemistry Lab TA’s office hours and have frequently visited the MSLC. In college I started to realize that I might not always know what the teacher expects, so I’ve been using office hours to ask all my questions as I work on my assignments throughout the week.

With my chemistry labs, I found myself completing the experiment on Wednesday and then spending Wednesday and Thursday night on my report. Friday morning I would go into office hours with my first set of questions, and then continue to work on my report throughout the weekend. Then, on Tuesday, the day before it was due, I would go back in to office hours with any last minute questions or explanations before submitting it and starting the process all over. Although the constant use of resources was new to me, I was glad that I always had a place to go to ask for help when it was needed.

I have grown from someone who never asked for help and preferred figuring out problems on their own, to talking to professors and TAs each week. At the beginning of the semester, I was shy about attending office hours but I have watched myself grow a bit more now as we approach the end of the first semester. I hope to continue to use my resources in the future, especially to meet with professors to ask for recommendations and possible opportunities to benefit my future career. It’s important for me to continue to put myself out there and experience different situations that push me out of my comfort zone in order to benefit my future.

 

Artifact 2

Although I wasn’t sure about a major until the week before I applied to Ohio State, I knew that research had to be a major part of it. An experience that had a large impact on my decision to do research was observing my grandmother’s battle with dementia over the years. Since the year I started middle school, my grandmother had been in and out of the hospital for several reasons including breast cancer and colon cancer. Her treatments were long and tough, but through my young eyes, she was still the same loving grandmother. It wasn’t until my high school years when I began to notice the physical and mental toll it had taken on her. Not only had she lost weight during the process, but the medication and treatments had been slowly affecting her memory. Around my freshman year of high school she was diagnosed with dementia and from that moment I knew I wanted to help.

I chose to major in biochemistry so I could develop a background for research, hopefully, in a field that involves neurological brain diseases. Being around my grandmother constantly meant I observed most of the instances that helped/harmed her memory. While the doctors tried different medications and trials, our family tried new adjustments. From the time she ate, to her diet, amount of sleep, and brain exercises,  we continued to make small changes to her routine in order to see what worked best. We wanted to give her any chance to help her brain grow stronger.

Through the past couple of years we have seen small amounts of improvements. Although with each improvement, a set-back seemed to not be far behind. The summer of my senior year she fell off of a small step ladder and broke her hip. After a few months of recovery, rehabilitation, and constantly reminding her to not cross her legs when she sat, we had her home for the end of the holiday season. The pain and dementia were not a good combination, especially when she didn’t remember the accident or why she couldn’t get up to walk to the kitchen. As she healed, we noticed how her condition had grown worse when she started to forget names.

Thankfully back into a normal routine, we now take it one day at a time and observe how tricky the mind can be. What I found most interesting was her ability to forget a conversation from five minutes ago, but still have the ability to perfectly recite a famous song from her childhood. Her stories started to constantly mix in parts of her life from when she was younger and the conversations never grew dull (although they were sometimes repetitive). She has always pushed me to do my best and inspires me each day. I believe it’s important to have a larger goal in mind when choosing your future. No matter where I end up after college I plan to continue to follow my goal. Currently, I’m focusing on finding undergraduate research here at Ohio State and completing my studies in biochemistry. I hope to eventually get involved with medical research over at Ohio State’s Medical Campus where I can explore my possibilities for studying neurological diseases. I continue to talk to my grandmother each week and remind her of where I am and what I’m doing. With each conversation she gets more amazed that her granddaughter is already in college and I don’t mind when she repeats how proud she is of me.

 

 

 

 

 

Artifacts

Buckeye Girls State was a weeklong event hosted at Mount Union University with about 1,000 girls from schools around Ohio. The purpose of this event was to set up a mock state government where each girl could run for different positions in office, and if elected, perform the tasks of that position at the end of the week. There were two parties, the Nationalists and the Federalists, and multiple cities residing in 4 different counties. For a whole week, participants were expected to campaign for their positions, give “elevator speeches” to their respective party, and vote for their choices. Entering the week with no prior knowledge about the happenings for the upcoming week, I was concerned about my performance in front of strangers. I’ve been told that when I was younger I was very outgoing, and as I grew up those around me noticed how my attitude towards meeting new people changed as my anxiety grew. I never expected to excel in an event where I’d have to talk about myself or sell my ideas in a way to make people vote for me. However, elections weren’t possible without first getting your name and purpose out to the voters. Eventually, I found myself minutes away from presenting my “elevator speech” in a room full of girls I did not know other than those in my city who I met only a day before. While waiting for my turn to speak for the position I’d chosen to run for, I found myself scanning over my speech trying to memorize it. Before it was my turn, a position opened up that only had one girl running. When the room was asked if anyone else wanted to run, I jokingly mentioned myself to my friend sitting next to me. Her, apparently liking the idea, decided to volunteer me. As all eyes turned to face my direction and cheer me on, I felt pressured to stand and walk to the front of the room. While I stood in front of the other candidate my mind went blank from my speech that I previously tried to memorize, and instead a brand new “elevator speech” spilled out. The minute passed, and it was over. I don’t remember what I said, but I remember the feeling after I realized what I’d accomplished. Although I didn’t get the position, I had girls coming up to me after complimenting me on my speech, and as my confidence grew, my sense of accomplishment grew with it. From that point on, I couldn’t help but feel a change in the way I spoke to others. I made eye contact and I didn’t worry about the opinions of others. As the week went on, I continued to put myself in new situations that challenged me to feel uncomfortable.  And as I returned home, I realized how important it was for me to continue to be outgoing and talk to new people.

It was the summer before senior year, the most important year of high school, and it was time that I learned how to leave my comfort zone. Buckeye Girls State actually made such an  impact on me, that when asked to make a “thank you” speech to the group of people who funded our week at Buckeye Girls State, the first thing I thanked them for was my new ability to call and order pizza instead of asking my mom to do it. While this comment received laughs from the crowd, I meant it with sincerity. I could now stand up and talk in front of large crowds, without needing to rehearse it a thousand times in the mirror beforehand. I could properly introduce myself to others and make a good impression during an interview. During my senior year, I spoke at Baccalaureate as the class representative, I spoke at the National Beta Convention in Columbus as President of my Senior Beta Club,  I spoke at a National Honor Society event as the Vice President, and I spoke at graduation, my biggest crowd yet, as secretary of the class. Each time, thinking about how difficult it would’ve been before Buckeye Girls State to stand in front of a group of people and not stumble over my speech. I had a new confidence. Currently at college, I have been jumping at the opportunity to meet new people, and join different groups. I don’t feel anxious anymore and I couldn’t think of an experience that has impacted my academic career more. Buckeye Girls State taught me something I couldn’t learn for myself without jumping out of my comfort zone and trying.

About Me

My name is Lauren Laws, and I am a first-year STEM EE Scholar studying biochemistry pre-med! I am from Cortland, Ohio, which is a small city about 2 hours and 45 minutes northeast of Columbus. I chose to attend The Ohio State University because I wanted to force myself out of my comfort zone, and experience a larger community. After graduating from Lakeview High School with a class of about 130 students, I knew that my dreams and academic goals needed somewhere larger to explore. During high school, while I was focusing on how to benefit my future with good grades and multiple extra-curriculars, it always bothered me that I never focused on how to spend my future. Although I knew most schools had undecided major options, I wasn’t a fan of walking into the unknown. So, after many family holidays, I decided to make an answer for the constant question asked about my plans for the future. I chose biochemistry. Unlike how it seems, it wasn’t just an educated guess. After careful consideration, I remembered my growing love for chemistry and math. After finding no interest in science for so long, I was shocked when my Junior year chemistry teacher had me raising my hand in class and explaining my answers on the board. For that reason, I took Chemistry for college credit during my Senior year, and solidified my plan for majoring in biochemistry.

When I visited the university in the fall of 2017, I was impressed by the science department and the possibilities that were offered especially the pre-professional track programs. I chose pre-med in order pave a path towards medical research of neurological diseases. I had been interested in research for that field because for the past five years, my grandmother had been a patient of dementia. However, in order to follow through with my goal, I know I will need to contribute hard work. Similar to my involvement during high school, I plan on involving myself at college in ways to benefit my future. Hopefully, I will learn more about undergraduate research opportunities and get to know professors who would be willing to let me research under their instruction to earn experience in the field. I also plan on volunteering with Buckeye’s Against Alzheimer’s to gain experience working with patients effected by a neurological disease. Lastly, I joined the Biochemistry and Chemistry Club, and I am excited to attend more meetings throughout the year to talk with professors and learn more from my biochemistry peers.

I chose to apply for the STEM EE Scholars program because I wanted be surrounded by those with similar interests and majors. Throughout the year, I plan to attend many STEM events, as well as collect volunteer hours to fully involve myself in the scholars program. While attending The Ohio State University, I hope to grow my social, professional, and study skills while learning more about who I want to be. The next four years will have a large impact on my life, but I am excited to pursue my education and work towards my future.

 

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]