Sophomore year GOALS check-in

Second semester is already coming to a close, and it feels like I just embarked on my sophomore year at Ohio State. This university continues to surprise me every day. From the opportunities that I took advantage of to the skills I developed, here are the G. O. A. L. S. that comprised my sophomore year.

  1. Global engagement: This May, I will be traveling out of the country for the first time on a May-mester to Cyprus about the geography of the European Union. I’m also the vice president of a cultural organization called Snehalaya that fundraises for women’s education in India. As I continue at Ohio State, I’m excited to see what other travel and educational opportunities await me.
  2. Original Inquiry: As a sophomore, I’ve only recently begun to take upper-level courses. This spring I took my first advanced science course, Integrated Biology, and my first advanced English course, a special topics course in creative nonfiction. Apart from the increased workload, I am enjoying the opportunity to delve deeper into class subjects and have more meaningful discussions. I’m also involved in research with an emergency medicine doctor from my hometown, and I have been using the skills that I develop in my science classes to assist him in crafting, completing, and writing up studies.
  3. Academic Enrichment: This year, I added my second major–english, with a creative writing concentration. It was certainly difficult to adjust to the courseload, but I find that the humanities and STEM complement each other in ways that I never would have expected. My Honors Contract illustrates my commitment to the pre-med track as well as my passion for creative writing, and my chosen GE courses are meant to strengthen either one of these or both.
  4. Leadership Development: Last fall I participated in the ASC Peer Mentor program in which I attended survey class and mentored incoming freshmen. It was a wonderful, illuminating experience and one that I plan to repeat in the future. I understand the collaboration and mentoring that goes into a career in medicine, and my hope is that I can develop my leadership skills here and now in order to use them later. Also, as I mentioned above, I serve as the vice president for Snehalaya, a student organization on campus.
  5. Service Engagement: Through the Choose Ohio First Scholarship, I have been participating in the WOW program. This volunteer opportunity takes me to local elementary schools where I teach children about scientific topics like magnets, conservation ecology, and the weather. It’s been incredibly rewarding, and I look forward to continuing next year in a leadership position. I’ve also been volunteering at my local hospital over the summer and plan to involve myself in volunteer opportunities at a health clinic in Columbus.

Year in Review

This first semester has been challenging and exciting and nothing like I thought it would be. I came into it with a biology major in mind and I’m leaving with a neuroscience major. I’ve reevaluated my commitment to being pre-med and picked up a minor in Spanish, something that I’ve enjoyed since high school. There were a few wake-up calls like bad test grades and late assignments, but overall I consider this semester an academic success. As finals week approaches, I feel comfortable in my learning and my ability to stick it out in the honors arts and sciences program. I’ve also found some wonderful friends, something I had hoped I would be able to do. They come from different places and hold different beliefs than I do, which makes our friendship all the richer and more interesting. I might not have completely adjusted to living away from home and eating dining hall food every night yet, but I can definitely see a future for myself here–one that I look forward to.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness is one of the most indispensable benefits of a college diploma. There are many avenues that can be used to achieve this state of mind, and I hope to maximize them during my time at Ohio State. The most convenient way to educate myself on a global scale is to use my coursework. I have plenty of opportunities to take General Education classes like international studies, African American studies, religious studies, and more specific topics. I also plan to study abroad through one of OSU’s many programs so that I can not only learn but experience cultures that are different from my own. In a more extracurricular sense, I’m gaining global and cultural awareness by joining the Pan-Asian Mental Wellness Association, a group that supports healthy communication about mental health in Asian communities.

Original Inquiry isn’t something that is provided to students at Ohio State; it’s something that we are free to seek out and strengthen through research and coursework. One of the reasons that I chose to attend this college was because of its strong research programs and opportunities. To me, education is about more than going to class, studying at the library, and getting the grade. I seek knowledge beyond what the book or even the professor tells me, so I turn to research to supplement my coursework. I am reaching out to professors and labs, and hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be doing some form of scientific research on campus.

Academic Enrichment will be possible to achieve through major courses, minor courses, and GEs that interest me. I chose a neuroscience major because the workings of the brain interest me as well as the opportunities to meet medical faculty and take challenging courses. I’ve always had a passion for Spanish, and I’m glad that I’ll be able to pursue it in college through a minor. Apart from these, I have plenty of GEs to enjoy like Dance, English, and Economics, three things that interest me but not enough to take a minor in.

Leadership Development is important to me as an ASC honors student because I appreciate how helpful my peer mentors have been and how much they have helped me get through my first semester. I feel lucky that Ohio State offers so many clubs and organizations that can help me develop my leadership skills. Right now I am in the Choose Ohio First scholarship program and from next semester on, I’ll be busing to local elementary schools every week to teach kids about science. As far as leadership on campus goes, I’d really love to become a peer mentor next year. I think I could help freshman students adjust to life at Ohio State and be somebody they could talk to.

Service Engagement comes in many forms on campus, and I’d like to take advantage of a little bit of everything that Ohio State offers. The Choose Ohio First program will be some of my service engagement, and I’ll definitely be participating in Buckeyethon as well. I’d love to explore other volunteering opportunities off campus too, so that I can experience the city a bit more.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Hana Le is a freshman at The Ohio State University. She is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in Spanish, and she hopes to explore more sciences and languages through her classes. Her eventual goal is to become a pediatric surgeon because she has enjoyed working with local children throughout her youth and wants to turn that passion into a career. Hana is excited to join clubs and organizations on campus and get involved in volunteering and research. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, dancing, and yoga. Since she grew up in a small town, Hana is thrilled to meet people of different ethnicities, ideologies, and experiences than her own. She wants to learn and grow through the experiences that The Ohio State University can offer her.