Service Engagement

I served my community in a variety of ways this year. I was involved in the annual Community Commitment day at OSU, where I volunteered at COSI with the Health Science Scholars program. I was an OWL at the end of the summer, so I helped hundreds of students move into my dorm building. With the boxing club, I volunteered at an event for Mental Health Awareness week and helped set up equipment for multiple AmeriCheer events throughout the spring. Next year, I plan on doing a lot of volunteering with a service club called Music for Memories in order to make a greater impact in my community.

Freshman Year

During my freshman year, I learned that college is a lot harder than I thought it would be but it’s also more rewarding. I was an OWL and joined OSU’s boxing club. My goals were to get involved in my community, decide on a career path, and get good grades. I reached all of these and picked some new goals for myself. My goals for next year are to continue to be involved in my community, keep getting good grades, decide on a place where I can get clinical volunteer hours, and get involved in a research lab.

I’ve gotten to understand myself better and figured out what I want in terms of my education and my career. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do when I came to college, but now I know that I want to major in neuroscience, minor in chemistry, and go to med school after I graduate. To reach my goal of becoming a doctor, I started taking many prerequisites for med school and I made the Dean’s list. I signed up to take more classes over the summer so that I can take the MCAT in July of 2021. I also joined a club called Music for Memories to volunteer and I plan on using that to get more involved in my community next year.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  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.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. 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.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  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.]

About Me

Hi, my name is Katie McKenna and I’m currently a neuroscience major on the pre-med track. I grew up in Avon, Ohio and graduated summa cum laude from Avon High School. I enjoy baking, hiking, reading, volunteering, and doing yoga in my spare time. I also have a passion for music and can play several instruments, with my main one being saxophone. I have a newfound love for boxing and have joined the boxing club in order to improve my mental and physical health. I’m a member the Health Science Scholars program because I want to be able to give back to my community in addition to learning about and working on myself. My fascination with the brain and the human psyche began during high school and has become my main motivation to seek further education. Once I began volunteering at the Cleveland Clinic, I discovered my love for helping others as well as my interest in medicine. My current long-term goal is to become a neurologist, because it’s a career that combines many of my interests and allows me to help others.