Career

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a doctor. I found a passion for healthcare and the US healthcare system in middle school in science class. I’ve always been fascinated by the advancements of medicine and I love the idea of supporting people’s health. Although I still can’t see myself in any other field, I’ve recently become less enamored with the idea of medical school. As I’ve gone through the past few semesters as a public health student I have watched my passions change with each new class.

At first, the idea of changing career paths was terrifying. I had spent years planning my future but when I got to college I realized that no path to employment is the “correct” path. Now, as a second-semester second-year student I can confidently say I do not know what I will do in my future. All I know is that my goal in life is to help others reach their health goals.

Because of this uncertainty, I haven’t yet dived deep into a certain type of career preparation. Instead, I have been taking steps to build my leadership skills and work in my community. Some of the extracurriculars and leadership positions I’ve held are listed in my resume.

One of the courses that began my change in ideas was Global Public Health (PUBHLTH 2010). This class is an introductory course that covers many interdisciplinary aspects of public health. This was my first real public health class and I absolutely loved it. I found every topic fascinating and always wanted more information than the lecture provided. After this class, I became more excited about my next few years at Ohio State.

Some other courses I’ve taken that sparked my interest were Generation Rx- a course that covered the opioid epidemic and drug use culture in America- and Spanish 3403-intermediate Spanish composition. In the future, I look forward to completing organic chemistry (unpopular opinion, I know) and courses in health promotion.

Other than academics, I have also been involved in many experiences which have aided in my leadership development. One of the biggest leadership experiences I’ve had thus far is my work as a Zest Coordinator for Mount Leadership Scholar’s Legacy Week. This role taught me how to lead presentations, effectively communicate to a group, plan events, and overcome hardships such as virtual formats. Although this role did not have any direct connection to healthcare, I believe that any involvement in the community and leadership can improve a (future) physician’s career.

As I move towards the halfway point of my undergraduate years, I almost feel saddened that it will be over. College has provided me with so many opportunities and learning experiences that I could not easily find outside of university. I’m glad I have more time before I have to decide my future career. For right now, I am excited to expand my knowledge, gain work experience, and live my 20s to their fullest.

Artifacts

This year I decided to join the Ohio State Club Rowing team. I can’t recall why I chose rowing over any other sport: I had zero experience in rowing and had always done teach I que based sports like gymnastics and dance. Nonetheless I went to the first few practices not knowing how much of an impact rowing would have on my life in such a short period.

In the first few weeks I could see my improvement. I felt dedicating to being the best athlete I could be. My teammates pushed me to be better and I did the same for them. That’s not to say there weren’t challenges. I had to learn how to balance my school work with the daily practice schedule. It has been hard some weeks as midterms come and go. But, I found that having a consistent schedule helped me stay accountable for my work.

Our practice season worked right into our competition season. On October 31 our team packed into vans at seven in the morning and made our way to the Speakmon regatta. I was incredibly nervous to compete in a sport I had started just two months earlier but once we started rowing I knew that our practice had payed off. My boat won our first race ever. It was so exciting to hear that everything we had sacrificed in the past few months and all the hours we had spent were all worth it.

The biggest things I’ve learned from rowing are discipline and perseverance. I have always been highly motivated to do well but frequently experience burnout. But with rowing I know that I can’t take days off because my progress will suffer. Everyday I show up to practice, even when I’d rather stay home, I am happy that I went. I see my times improving and can even see physical changes in my muscles. I have stayed with this sport for this semester and can’t wait to see what else I can learn.

G.O.A.L.S

In my remaining years at Ohio State University, I hope to develop more as a global citizen and integrate myself into the Columbus community. I can do all that and more by setting G.O.A.L.S for myself.

Global awareness:

For my own mental health, I avoid watching the news or reading in too close on current events. It often fills me with a sense of impending doom. However, I want to set a goal to learn one new thing about what’s going on in the world each week. This will give me a small dose of news without sending me over the edge.

Original inquiry:

I would like to shadow physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to understand what it is like to be in the medical field. As a premed student, engaging in these experiences can help me feel more prepared for my future career and to better appreciate the healthcare workers I interact with in my life now.

Academic enrichment:

I hope to continue to push myself and excel in my coursework. I know my classes will get harder as I progress through undergraduate school. I just have to keep my head up and think about the end goal (while still living in the moment of course).

Leadership development:

I recently joined the club rowing team. Although this year I am a novice, I would love to hold a leadership position on the team next year. I would especially love to be captain. This position would allow me to act as a leader of the team and the liaison from athlete to coach.

Service engagement:

In my Year of Service (YoS) project through the Mount Scholars program, I will be consistently volunteering for two organizations: Grant Medical Center and the Columbus Dream Center. I hope that my work this year will be meaningful and that I will be able to continue serving the Columbus community after my YoS project is over.

Artifacts

My artifact is an award from my first week as a camp counselor. The award is “counselor of the week.” The award is chosen by older counselors who pick one staff member they think is doing an awesome job. Receiveing this award was super special for many reasons. First, it was my first ever week as a counselor so having someone tell me right off the bat I was doing a good job was super reassuring and made me confident the rest of the summer. Second, I had had a really tough week. I had multiple sicks campers and I was even a bit homesick myself. Recognition for the hard work I had put in all week made me feel really good.

What I learned from receiving this camp this particular summer is that hard work earns respect. When my boss and even other counselors noticed the hard work I was putting in, they gave me more leadership positions within the camp. I was able to help lead camp fire activities and delegate jobs during clean up. Moving forward, I will continue to work hard and even put in a bit extra to any job I have. 

Year in Review

The start of my time as a buckeye has been crazy and exciting. With the limitations of COVID-19, I thought my experiences would not amount to a “normal” year in school, I was absolutely wrong. This year, I have learned so much, met so many interesting people, and had many experiences that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my time at OSU and past my undergraduate years. Through Mount, I was really able to step up and find my passion in leadership.

This year, I had the opportunity to help lead a team in the Mount Leadership Society’s Legacy Week tradition. My role as a zest coordinator introduced me to different leadership styles and taught me a lot about collaboration. One of the biggest things I learned is how to effectively lead engaging meetings and respond to feedback. When my team first started our project planning, our meetings were slow and (honestly) boring. With the feedback of my team, I was able to alter my presentation style to allow more participation. This is a skill that I will have with me for the rest of my life. After college, I hope to go to medical school. As a physician, you must know how to work well with your team and respond to feedback.  Because of that, the lessons I’ve learned this year in leadership will prove to be exceptionally helpful if I do choose that career path.

This leads me to my next area of growth: my newfound ability to change my plans.  Before college, my ideas for my future were very rigid. I wanted to do four years of undergraduate and then move on to medical school. Now, I understand that “traditional” paths don’t always lead to the best outcomes and they may not bring the happiness you desire. Since talking with many faculty and other students, I’ve seen that any path that makes you happy is the right path. Because of this, I’ve started considering taking time off between undergrad and medical school. Obviously, that’s getting way ahead of myself as a first-year, but even considering these new ideas has helped me grow to be more flexible.

Despite its challenges, I am thankful to have started college during such an unknown time. Virtual formats have given me so many opportunities to meet people I may not have been able to meet in person. Further, the take it day-by-day lifestyle during COVID has helped me be more accepting to change.

I can’t wait to see what next year has in store.

 

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 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.]

Artifacts

My artifact is from one of my most memorable and emotional service projects. In high school, I participated in a project called Adaptive Ascents. The project took place twice a year at my local climbing gym. The goal of Adaptive Ascents is to teach children and young adults with disabilities how to rock climb. Generally, Adaptive athletes would be paired with one or two volunteers and could climb for as long as they wanted. But one day, I had a young girl, Maddie,  who didn’t find much interest in rock climbing. Instead, she wanted to show me her cheer routine and even taught me and some of the other volunteers one.

Even though the routine changed every time we practiced it and climbers are notoriously unflexible and uncoordinated, my friends and I had an absolute blast doing cheer routines with Maddie. It was so rewarding to just be goofy and laugh while doing choreography with Maddie and the other volunteers.

This experience taught me a lot. Though I had worked in this program for a full two years prior to meeting Maddie, I had always been the coach. It was super special to be able to step back and allowing a child to teach me, especially a child with a disability. Even though it sounds cheesy to say, Maddie taught me that it’s okay to be different if you’re doing something you love. I don’t know her personal situation but I know that growing up in my town, kids were sometimes made fun of for having disabilities. But whether Maddie was going through that or not, she was definitely not giving up cheerleading anytime soon.

Moving forward since this event, I have tried to step back a bit in situations where there could be a clear leader and a clear follower. I’ve found that, when leading a group, you do your best work if you hear from the group members and don’t just control their actions. Maddie helped me see that followers sometimes have an even better idea than the leaders might.

About Me

Hello! My name is Regan Macerollo. I am currently a first-year student at Ohio State majoring in public health on a pre-medicine track and minoring in Spanish. I grew up in Worthington, OH, and went to Thomas Worthington High School and the Linworth Experiential Program (LEP). In high school, I did gymnastics and cheerleading. I also participated in my school’s community service club. Through the LEP I was able to participate in many experiential learning and service opportunities. My favorite experience I completed was a four-week shadowing experience with a cardiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. So, fun fact, I have been within one foot of a human heart on an operating table!

I am a part of the Mount Leadership Scholars program and am on the Recruitment, Outreach, and Welcome committee.  I hope to join the club gymnastics team here at OSU and continue to meet new people. In the coming years, I wish to study abroad in Central or South America. After college, I want to attend medical school and become a pediatrician.