Blog 1: About Me

My name is Alina Lewandowski. I’m a second year from Dayton, OH. Throughout high school, I wanted to move far away for college, preferably eight hours or more, but after reluctantly visiting, I fell in love with the campus and buckeye spirit. Although I had aligned with the university, my career trajectory was quite different. I was planning on majoring in Neuroscience on a pre-med track until a week before my orientation when I called Ohio State to make the scariest and best decision by switching into pre-nursing.

This decision was hard for me to accept and even harder to say out loud. I had wanted to be a doctor since elementary school, and an orthopedic hip surgeon since eighth grade when I had bilateral femoral acetabular impingement surgery in New York City. The diagnostic process was 15 months long and at the age of 13, I was defeated and felt broken. When my doctor told me he could remove my daily pain, all I wanted was the ability to make a difference in someone’s life the way he had in my own. My passion drove me to take an EMT course my senior year of high school, and for the first time I experienced an unbiased patient and physician interactions. My eyes were significantly opened when I realized it was actually nurses providing direct care and connecting with the patients. For months, I brushed aside what I felt called to do instead of what I thought I needed to be. I feared I was letting others down and questioned if I would regret my decision later in life. Looking back, I am so glad I trusted myself because I know I am right where I need to be. I am excited to impact others’ lives. I want to use this career to travel around the world providing exceptional care, improving less advanced health care systems, and provide care to those that do not have access like those living in Westernized countries.

Outside of nursing, I love being outdoors. Growing up, my favorite family vacations consisted of exploring, hiking, and rock climbing through the National Parks. I believe as humans we become obsessed and stuck in the digital world and so focused on our work we forget to notice the beauty around us. I always feel more connected to myself, my goals, and my passions after disconnecting and spending time in nature and my family. It creates ease and a peaceful energy that sets my soul on fire making me feel like I can accomplish my wildest dreams. Although I can’t set off to a National Park whenever I please, I like to fill my time rock climbing on campus, working and riding at CycleBar Upper Arlington, growing my friendships, and supporting Domestic Violence Awareness with my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.