Freshman Global Lab

As a freshman, I’m excited to say that through Ohio State and through the Fisher College of Business, I get to study abroad during May semester. I’m only a first-year, I am just about to move out of my first dorm room, go home for the first time in 5 months and I get this amazing opportunity. We will visit financial corporations in Switzerland and Italy and be able to have conversations with real International Businesses which is such an huge opportunity to network. I don’t know any other business school that would have provided this opportunity to its first years and this is just another reason why I love Ohio State.

Pi Beta Phi

I went through formal recruitment and I’m now an active member of Pi Beta Phi’s Ohio Beta chapter here at Ohio State. Pi Phi has changed my life, only being in it for a semester I’ve learned to already be a better person and I have so many new, amazing people in my life that I didn’t have before. I now have a family here at Ohio State and somewhere where I feel welcomed and belonged. It has already challenged me to be the best version of myself and I can already tell that my sisters will be the ones that stand up in my wedding and will forever be here for me. I cannot wait for the next 3 years and continue to improving myself as a person and the life of others through Pi Phi.

First Semester

First semester was extremely rough for me, I had troubles adjusting to college and because I had too high of pride I never admitted it. But throughout the social struggles I faced I ended up my first semester with a 3.93 GPA and that is my second “artifact”. Grades have always been such an important part of my life and I’m so glad that my academic life was doing so well to be accepted in Fisher’s Honors College. This proved that when a certain aspect in life is not going well, at least work as hard as you can to make a different aspect of your life something a little better so it doesn’t all seem so bad.

Year in Review

This year has been extremely challenging for me. Everyone always tells new freshman how amazing college is and how it will be the best four years of their lives. Well, I definitely did not feel that way first semester. First semester was so hard on me emotionally and socially, I had difficulty trying to fit in and find friends that are like me, but thankfully after first semester my year got 100x better. After joining my sorority I found people who were just like me and they inspire me. They help me study, they help me when I’m upset or confused, and I’m so thankful that I stuck out this year here at Ohio State. There was a point first semester where I wanted to transfer from Ohio State because I hated it so much, but now with a combination of my sorority and the opportunities academically through Fisher, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. This year has challenged me and made me doubt myself, but in the end I’m a better person and a better student because of it.

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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.]

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z7dfESuC5giTB5AqdxZJIzyM2GuEniXhqCTmZQYhu1c/edit?usp=sharing

Above is the link to my Millennium Development Goal presentation on Child Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reducing childhood mortality was one of the UN’s development goals and we chose to focus on sub-saharan Africa. We chose this region because of the effects of colonization from Europe that impacts this region and we talked a lot about colonization in class and it’s effects on the world. Sub-saharan Africa is still unfortunately the top-leading region with the most under 5 year old deaths. This is partly due to the fact that the infrastructure such as sanitary and sewage systems are not up to standards and the lack of medical experience/knowledge.

These development goals help to make the whole world better and help create a world standard for every country and region. These standards help provide a better life and better opportunities for all parts of the world. Most risks pertaining to childhood mortality can be prevented but without knowledge about pregnancy, family planning, vaccinations, and modern medicine some of these countries will continue to see childhood mortality rates staying the same or worsening. Everyone deserves to live and grow up healthy and thankfully the UN has helped Sub-Saharan and other regions of the world out in trying to achieve this goal.

 

About Me

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Hi, I’m Marisa Merges and I’m from a northern suburb of Chicago. In high school I was very involved in student organizations such as my Global Youth Summit group, where we discussed what it meant to be a global citizen and an Equal Justice Under Law program, where I found my interest in law, where we discussed and voted on current Supreme Court Cases. I am currently an International Business major but I’m looking to switch my major to specialize both in Finance and Economics with a minor in International Studies with a focus in security and intelligence and then an interest in Pre-Law. Currently at Ohio State I’m involved in CHAARG which is a female workout group aimed to empower women through exercise and develop skills, such as teamwork, that they can take outside of the gym. I love to travel and go to different places, so luckily I’ve been able to go to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Belize within the last six months. I’m so excited to start my journey at The Ohio State University and to keep learning about different parts of the world and the cultures within them.