A Year In Review – A Reflection on the GOALS I Set for Myself

A Year In Review – A Reflection on the GOALS I Set for Myself

G-Global Awareness

I set out to educate myself on the diverse communities around me through joining a student organization and studying Spanish. Throughout the year, I stopped doing both of these things. The Alexander Hamilton Society was not the right fit for me, and I recognized that pretty quickly. I didn’t get the global engagement I desired. And Spanish wasn’t a great fit either, I unfortunately didn’t have a personal connection to drive me to continue studying. So, what have I done? I’ve been actively learning Swedish outside of classes and it has been great. I feel more connected to my Swedish family and am planning a visit after I graduate. And while I haven’t found a student org specific to global awareness, like I thought AHS would be, I am actively researching serving in the Peace Corps. I will have to reflect next year to see how far that interest takes me.

 

O-Original Inquiry

My ambitious first-year self was determined to join a research lab as quicky as possible to “prove” myself as a scientist and show my commitment to the STEM field. But after a few discussions with principal investigators about a place in their labs, I decided to wait until I had the correct motivations and time to commit to a lab. While it has certainly been disheartening to not be in a lab, I have found other ways to integrate myself into a laboratory setting. Through classes and through being a teaching assistant for the chemistry department. I am still deciding if participating in research is my end all be all goal for college, and if I can only secure validation through a position in a lab. Perhaps it is time to seek out other methods of inquiring about the world around me.

 

A-Academic Enrichment

When my parents told me about college, they told me about all of the friends I would make and all the amazing experiences I would get to have. What they failed to mention was how difficult the actual “college” part of college is. This past year I had to come to terms that academics would be incredibly challenging and I had to find a way to make things work. I struggled at the beginning and just when I was beginning to fully adjust, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic threw a wrench in my system and caused me to have a really bad semester. I am not ashamed to say that I have not performed as well academically as I though I would. But I am proud to say that I put so much work into the things that I did achieve and have learned a lot and am ready to keep going.

L-Leadership

Leadership is where I think I have made the greatest advances in myself. I have to attribute most of this growth to my position as a teaching assistant for the department of chemistry and biochemistry. I became the person that an entire class looked to for advice, education, and lab safety. It was really difficult my first semester teaching due to the incredible nervousness I had. However, this semester, even with the unique challenges it provides, I found myself confident in my abilities to lead the lab and help bolster the education of my peers, and it is a good feeling. My next goal is transferring that confidence in my abilities to other aspects of my life.

 

S-Service Engagement

I feel very lucky that I found the student organization, Enlighten. It is comprised of a great group of people all working together to raise awareness and hold campaigns to stop the spread of human trafficking. I have gotten to participate in service activities, such as the S.O.A.P. project in the Columbus communities and even in Miami, Florida where we spent our time providing resources that have the potential to save the lives of victims of human trafficking. I felt so passionately that I secured a leadership position in the organization and hope I can help it grow.

 

My time spent so far at Ohio State has been nothing less than amazing. Despite the stress and worry, I have always found a community to support me in my goals. I hope that I can be part of that community for someone else.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness – My aim is to always remain an active member in the global community and further my understanding and appreciation of other cultures. One step I have taken to accomplish this was to join the Ohio State chapter of The Alexander Hamilton Society, a globally conscious group that focuses on international relationships and conflicts. In this organization, opinions from a large range of ideologies are shared on the current events that are affecting our world. In addition to maintaining my current event knowledge, I am actively studying Spanish. Through my foreign language education, I have been able to, and will continue to, connect to a more global community outside of campus.

 

Original Inquiry – As an honors student, I am wholly committed to participation in research. I am currently taking rigorous classwork in chemistry and mathematics in order to gain the base knowledge needed to be an active and influential member in the research community. My academic plan includes taking advanced coursework that will equip me with the skills I need to participate in one of the many expansive research fields at Ohio State and beyond.

 

Academic Enrichment – I am an honors student with a major in biochemistry and a minor in microbiology at The Ohio State University. My ultimate goal is to attend graduate school and obtain a Ph.D. so I can initiate and participate in research that has meaningful impacts on my local and global community. In order to achieve this, I have selected a demanding course plan for my general education courses and my major and minor courses. These classes will enable me to be a successful candidate for post-undergraduate education.

 

Leadership Development – Effective leadership is an essential quality for all aspects in society. By constantly testing my leadership skills, I continue to grow as a person and gain the skills necessary to be part of a high-functioning team. My work experiences have taught me how to be an effective and supportive team member and how cooperation is the best way to accomplish a task. I plan to continue my leadership development through work experiences and by participating in clubs such as The Alexander Hamilton Society.

 

Service Engagement – When I arrived at Ohio State, I was eager to jump in an get involved in my new community. I began by participating in the annual Community Commitment. I worked in a local communal garden in a part of Columbus where fresh, organic foods are not always an option to the residents. It was a rewarding experience to know that I impacted people’s lives and was able to help provide them with healthy food. This type of volunteering also gave me insight to the areas of my community that struggle with food availability and made me passionate about this public health issue. I plan to continue diving deeper into this topic and finding ways I can make sustainable changes that have a positive change for the people who need it.