Up until this year, I believed the General Chemistry series was the bane of my existence. I soon found out that I was terribly mistaken. Organic Chemistry was, in fact, the major source of my despair. I had never taken a class that had challenged me so much. First semester was absolutely brutal for me. I was adapting to a new style of science course that required you to study for it the way you would a math class. The dozens and dozens of reactions were very difficult to keep track of and remember for me. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped during my first semester of organic chemistry, but I vowed to work harder and improve for the second semester. I changed up my study habits, put in more work, and I was able to do much better this time around. My year in organic chemistry taught me a valuable lesson in resilience and perseverance. I will honestly say that the course had me contemplating if the path I had chosen for myself was the right one because I was finding myself failing to meet my standards at times, but I tried to remain as headstrong as possible and worked for a better outcome. I think this past year really helped my academic endurance, if you will, and was a great transition for the rest of my major and pre-med requirements.

This past academic year most definitely had its fair share of ups and downs. Fall semester, I had a tough schedule full of hard sciences, one of which being the most dreaded of all — organic chemistry. My class load made things a bit difficult for me, but the quality time I spent with my friends helped to keep me pushing forward. Spring semester was much better for me academically. I finally began taking major courses and tried to branch out and take classes that interested me. I took a CPR and First Aid course that I enjoyed very much. Our coach was great, and all of his stories about riding in an ambulance and his work out on the field made me all the more excited about gaining another tool to be able to use in order to help those around me. I took a caffeine science course since I’m a habitual coffee-drinker and learned a lot of interesting facts about how caffeine works, how consumption has changed over the years and much more. I worked a lot harder this semester and managed to work towards a higher GPA, while also periodically setting aside some time to be outdoors with friends. Towards the end of this year, I made the tentative decision to postpone my graduation for another year, so that I can make sure that when I apply for medical schools, I am my best self and entirely equipped with a plethora of experience and knowledge. Considering my success this semester, I am feeling much more motivated and excited for my remaining college career.

As my second semester culminates to an end, so does my first year at Ohio State. When I first came to OSU, I brought along with me some very high expectations and hopes. I had a one-track mind coming in — a set plan that I was going to follow closely until I graduated. However, first semester began, and things did not seem to go my way. The classes were more difficult than what I had expected, the stakes were higher, and so I began to worry if I would be able to follow through with the plan and goals I had set for myself. During my second semester, I feel as though much of myself evolved, and as a result, I have matured a great deal. I recognized that it’s okay to look outside of your initial expectations and that each experience, whether positive or negative, is a chance to grow. I built up a lot of resilience and mental strength during my first year as a student that helped me get through challenging times. I met some remarkable people that include various professors, faculty, peers, and alumni; some of which, I had the pleasure of meeting during Scholars events. They all taught me that each person has a journey tailored to them based on their experiences; not everyone follows the same, traditional steps in becoming who they want to be. The most valuable lesson I’ve learned thus far is that deviating from the path I had initially set myself upon is okay; as long as I am determined and diligent, I will become successful and reach my ultimate end goal.

As the end of my first semester in college approaches, I feel content with my progress in completing some of the goals I had set earlier for myself. I have been furthering the development of my leadership skills and working towards spreading global awareness by being active in the Armenian Student Association (ASA) and being one of the lead roles in the coordination of the group’s Taste of OSU entry. As for service engagement, I have begun to volunteer at Fresenius Kidney Care Delaware which is both a clinic and dialysis center. In addition, I also have begun shadowing at the same location. I’m looking very forward to my time at the facility as I am learning very much about patient care, the responsibilities of a medical director, as well as nephrology. I am ending the semester with the intent to further my dedication to both ASA and the dialysis center along with beginning to search for possible interesting research opportunities for my sophomore year and continuing the fulfillment of my major and pre-medicine requirements.