Global Awareness
The majority of global awareness I have gained over the past two years has stemmed from interactions with a variety of students on campus and through a number of my courses. For example, Spanish 1103.01 not only focused on improving my fluency in the language but also had a distinct focus on the traditions and lifestyles of numerous predominately Spanish-speaking countries. English 2201H allowed me to gain a historical perspective of early British civilizations through their literature, including early feminist movements and class struggles. The English 2367.01 class in which I am currently enrolled has a uniquely insightful theme relating to disability and access, and how our society constructed for normal bodies often overlooks the needs of the disabled. Theatre 2100H and the courses for my projected Music, Media and Enterprise minor have also introduced me to the social, political and economic value of art in modern and past societies. In future semesters, I hope to gain even more knowledge and perspective on worldwide social aspects in Anthropology 2202H and History 2002H. I have not gained any experience studying abroad from the university nor do I plan to at present. While I have been exposed to various cultural organizations, I am not a current member of any.
Original Inquiry
My ventures in original inquiry have not matured to the fullest extent to which they can develop in my undergraduate career thus far. The most notable experience I have was working in a small research group in Chemistry 1620 and exploring the possibility for double perovskites in solar cells. In addition to formulating an original proposal and testing our hypothesis, my group and I were able to formally present our findings to the class at the end of the Spring 2017 semester. Although the experiment was largely unsuccessful, the process gave me valuable insight to the research process which I can utilize in the future. For my senior year I intend to perform two research credit electives, one in the Autumn 2019 semester and one in the Spring 2020 semester. I will likely participate in the Undergraduate Research course (Biochemistry 4998/4999) or work with a professor in a research group if possible.
Academic Enrichment
I believe my Honors Contract demonstrates a commitment to academic achievement and excellence due to my constant motivation to challenge and better myself, even if my grades may suffer slightly as a result. Perhaps my proudest achievement thus far in my college experience was completing the progression of calculus courses through Math 2153. Rather than changing my degree to a B.A. to avoid the subject, with which I had minimal experience in high school and struggled my first semester with in Math 1161, I decided to continue and complete Calculus II and III. I’m glad I made that decision, as I believe my character improved over time concurrent to the improvement in my grades. I declared a major in biochemistry at the beginning of my freshman year because I still continue to make efforts to eventually achieve my goal of becoming a dentist or orthodontist, and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to complete my graduate studies at Ohio State as well. Taking a wide variety of science courses, including 4000 and 5000-level courses, totaling over 60 credit hours allows me to gain a wholistic view of every component of my potential future occupation. It also provides an academic fulfillment and challenge which I would have likely been unable to receive at the other universities I was considering in my senior year of high school. My minor in Music, Media and Enterprise was chosen due to my lifelong passion for music, including playing numerous instruments from the time I was nine years old and continuing to the present day, along with the economics of the industry. Taking courses for this minor allows me to gain experience regarding business, law, historical trends and economic psychology relating to producers and consumers. All of my GE courses are generally chosen based on personal interest (such as Theatre 2100H, due to my past experience on the stage in high school) or a desire to expand my knowledge in a given field (such as English 2201H and Economics 2001.03H).
Leadership Development
Aside from group activities and projects in my classes, I do not believe my leadership abilities have necessary been tested or improved upon in my first four semester at Ohio State. Although I keep up with a number of clubs, I have not attended any regularly enough to justify running for a leadership position. This is definitely the G.O.A.L.S. area which I aim to improve the most over the next two years, as I look to get more involved and potentially hold officer positions in organizations related to my major (Pre-Dental Club) and minor (MEISA).
Service Engagement
The service experience I remember most fondly was the BuckeyeThon event last year. I was able to raise $250 as part of the team which raised over $1.5 million for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Aside from the dancing and activities at throughout that evening, I was able to interact with some of the fantastic children who are patients at the hospital, hearing their stories and getting to learn about their stories of struggle and perseverance.