During my second year, I added a Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies major, which has really broadened the focus of my studies to include groups of people and issues that I otherwise would have had very experience with, and possibly even no awareness of. Being in classrooms for this new major that are set up in different ways from traditional classrooms, which are discussion based rather than lecture based really has allowed me to get a fuller picture of the world I live in and the people who live in it. Especially given the intersectional approach of the majority if these classes, and the way that they consider how certain issues or policy changes could affect people around the world, even if they benefit people in the United States, I feel like I understand the world in a very different way than I did even just a year ago. This coming year, I plan to continue with this type of course work, and I believe with each new course and experience, I will continue to expand and deepen my knowledge about how people move through the world, no matter where they are from or what their circumstances are.
I also joined two labs during my second year here, the Cognitive Development lab under Dr. Sloutsky, and the Attitude and Persuasion lab under Dr. Petty, where I run REPs. Both labs have not only helped me gain a better understanding of the research process and how integral our student population is to it, but also a better understanding of what I want to do with my future. By being involved in psychological research in a hands on manner, I have come to understand on a deeper level the rationale behind certain research methods that I had only heard about in classes before, and I can also think about those things as a more automatically, rather than having to make an effort to recall them. I plan on continuing to work in both of my labs and gain more advanced positions in them as time goes on, and possibly develop some research myself as an undergraduate. I also am planning to take the Social Psychology Laboratory course, which will give me a chance to have an even more hands-on role in the research process.
I knew before I came to Ohio State that I wanted to major in psychology. Ever since having first been introduced to the field of study in high school, I knew that I wanted to continue to learn about it, at the very least, if not make a career of it, so for me that choice was relatively simple. I had always been interested in people and why they do what they do from a young age, and I only got more people-oriented at I got older. A harder, and later choice was the one that lead me to my second major. I had originally been planning to minor in German, but after taking some courses, though I did enjoy language learning, I realized that continuing to study German during my time in college would not have made me happy, so I decided to drop the minor and went to speak to an Academic Advisor. Through the conversation and discussing my options, she commented that I seemed very passionate when we talked about Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies. I planned to take a couple of courses the semester following this conversation, and after a few weeks, I realized that I wanted to continue learning like this, and about this topic. I felt like I knew the world better, understood how it worked on a more intimate level, so I declared my second major shortly afterward. As far as GE courses, I have always been a curious person, so when we first were handed the sheet of options to fulfill the GE, I was excitedly searching the course catalog for descriptions. For the most part, I have chosen courses that just interested me, regardless of how closely they may or may not tie into the either of my majors. If one of the courses listed sounded like something I could see myself getting excited to attend, I tried to fit it into my schedule, while at the same time making sure I would still be challenged, since I knew I would get bored if I could skate by too easily.
While at Ohio State, I haven joined a few clubs, some just due to their relations to things that I’m interested in, others because of the social and political work that they do, and still more because of their commitment to academic excellence. I am hoping to gain a more central role in some of these organizations in the coming year, after coming to a more thorough understanding of the responsibilities involved in making sure a group runs smoothly, and the communication needed to facilitate this. I also think that as I spend more time in both of my labs, I will probably gain a higher role among them and help to train incoming research assistants now that I understand my own role in those labs better and could comfortably answer any questions that someone may ask me in regards to my role and duties within a laboratory setting. In the future during graduate school, this experience will help me to understand the support and direction that my own research assistants will need.
Over this past summer, I assisted in running a lunch program at an elementary school, which provided lunch and programming for low income elementary school aged children and children who had special social needs, including children with developmental disorders and children who speak English as a second language. I really grew some close relationships with some of the kids we saw every day and realized the importance of this extra support, and extra attention and interaction with adults to those kids, and I look forward to engaging in similar opportunities in the future. I am also part of an honor fraternity, which meets once a month to do some kind of service-related project that the officers of the club plan in advance, which range from making something to donate to going to a separate location to assist in the daily running of a center, like an animal shelter. I also go with my roommate, Emma, to volunteer at Riverside United Methodist Hospital sometimes, where she helps to assist the art therapist that is employed by the hospital to prepare her materials, or to create door decorations for the oncology unit. I also am planning to attend a Buck-I-Serv trip in the near future as part of my STEP experience, and the trip that I am hoping to be selected for will travel to New York City to assist in running the GMHC center, which provides assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS and the LGBTQ community. I am hoping to be able to engage in more service in the coming year, since living off campus and possibly having a car will help to facilitate participating in more service opportunities outside of the ones which are easily accessible on campus.
