Author: lucas.645

Working Artifact

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This year I had the opportunity to get a work study job working for the HIV/STI Hotline at Equitas Health. It has been an incredible experience to have a job that relates to what I want to do in the future. I have learned so much from my responsibilities and the people I work with. I’m so excited that at the beginning of my sophomore year I found a job that I enjoy and has taught me skills I will use in the future. The skills I learned at this job already helped me to become the Social Media Manager for the Public Health Student Leadership Council. I can’t wait to return in the fall.

Sophomore Year in Review

Looking back to the beginning of this year, I cannot believe how far I have come. I have grown a lot academically and professionally. This year I got to take my first public health courses. It was exciting to start learning about what I am getting a degree in. I have learned so many skills from these classes. I also took challenging science classes like organic chemistry and I learned a lot about how to study from these classes.

Outside of the classroom I got more involved and grew a lot from those experiences. I joined a Christian sisterhood on campus called Kappa Phi. In this group I made some amazing friends and grew so much in my faith. I also got more involved in the public health community. I got a new job that has taught me so much about public health outreach. I also had the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC and learn about public health and policy. It was an amazing experience to interact with lawmakers, learn about public health jobs in federal government, and meet so many amazing people in public health.

This has also been a year of personal growth for me and a year to grow my leadership skills. I have had the opportunity to take on multiple leadership positions. I am now the Social Media Manager for the Public Health Student Leadership Council, and the President of Kappa Phi. I’ve been so excited to learn from these experiences, and I’m so excited to continue to grow in these experiences next year. So many of the things I have accomplished this year are because of this program and the opportunities it provided.

Statement of Action

I am so thankful that I have been a part of the biological sciences scholars program for the past two years. This program has pushed me to achieve my goals and exposed me to many opportunities that have propelled me further in my college career. As I complete my last two years at Ohio State I have many goals I would like to complete. I’m excited to finish my degree in Environmental Public Health. I want to also get involved in some kind of public health research. Also, I want to find more opportunities to give back to the Columbus community. Lastly, I look forward to growing Kappa Phi the Christian sisterhood I am apart of in my new role as president.

Public Health Policy Trip

 

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Over spring break I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. with the college of public health and learn about the relationship between public health and policy. I am so grateful for this opportunity to not just learn about public health and policy, but to also experience and participate in it. On this trip I got to advocate for public health policy to lawmakers, learn about working at federal agencies, watch a committee meeting, and talk with the surgeon general (as pictured above). I learned so much about how to create change on this three day trip and made countless friends and memories. This trip inspired me, changed the way I thought, and reaffirmed that public health was the correct path for me.

 

Semester in Review

Academics

I cannot believe that my first semester is coming to an end. So much has changed since I arrived on campus back in August. When I started I was very nervous that I would have a hard time adjusting to my classes. I came from a very small high school and had grown used to class sizes of less than 15 people. However, I almost instantly became aware of all the academic resources that OSU has to offer and they have helped me succeed in my much larger classes. I started the semester by visiting the Younkin Success Center and discussing with a councilor the best ways to study. I didn’t stop there, I continually attend my professors’ office hours and take advantage of the Learning Resource Center in Celeste. All of these things have helped me adjust rigor of my new classes.

Campus Involvement

I was also nervous when I arrived on campus about making new friends. I had grown very close to my friends back home, and many of them I have known since preschool! I was worried about finding a place to fit in on this big campus. This scholars program definitely helped ease my anxiety.  I’m so grateful that I was surrounded by a group of people with similar goals and interests as me. The involvement fair was also an important part of my transition. It was there that I found the three clubs I am active in now Partnering up for Pets (PUP), Partners in Health Engage, and MEDLIFE. All of these clubs have introduced me to people and opportunities and experiences that I love and make me excited to for the future. For example, I started walking dogs at the Franklin County animal shelter, and I am extremely excited to go on a medical brigade to Peru in a little over a month with other members of MEDLIFE. Overall this semester has taught me that I am surrounded by opportunities to help me excel and all I have to do is use them.

Service Engagement

Service is something that is very important to me. In high school I volunteer everywhere from the local hospital to a day camp for the children in my community. From these experiences I learned a lot about myself, like how I don’t want to work with kids, and the many options that healthcare offers. It was also a way for my to give back, I have been so fortunate in my life to have all my basic needs and more met. I feel it is my duty to attempt to give these same opportunities to others. I hope through volunteering I  can be a positive influence in someone else’s life.

Leadership Development

Leadership development is a very important goal in helping me start my career in four years. I hope to develop my leadership through working, clubs and volunteering. I currently work at the music and dance library, where I am gaining experience in customer service, organization, and attention to details. All of which are very important characteristics of a good leader. I hope that as time goes on I will gain even more skills from this job. I also would like to get involved in clubs and volunteering. By planning events for both of these things I will learn hope to organize people and events. These things will help me be a good leader in my future occupation.

Academic Enrichment

I hope to achieve academic enrichment by taking a variety of classes and taking advantage of opportunities outside of the classroom. I would view my required GE courses as an opportunity instead of a mandatory activity. I do not want to take GEs because they are easy, I want to take GE classes that are varied and allowed me to learn about things outside of my major that interest me. I believe that this will give me a better academic education. I also would like to do things outside of the classroom to increase my intellect. I have already participated in a workshop of Advocacy through the college of public health. I hope by continuing to look at my education as an opportunity I will have a very rich education.

Original Inquary

One of the main reasons I decided to come to Ohio State was the countless opportunities to get involved with research. I hope that in the next year I will get to participate in a part time job in research. I hope working in research will give me experience I can apply to my future career.