G.O.A.L.S.

Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement

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Global Awareness

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, travel abroad options are very limited at this time.  However, my roommate and I were given the amazing opportunity to host a Spanish exchange student in our apartment during the fall semester of 2021. Our apartment has an office room and we all agreed to host Blanca there as she completed a study abroad semester at Ohio State as a Business and International Relations major. We have already learned so much about Spain and the Spanish culture through Blanca and hope to eventually visit her and immerse ourselves in her culture. I also aspire to travel abroad to learn more about Global Health as well as assist in medically underserved areas of the globe through medical mission trips.

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Original Inquiry

Research is an essential part of my Pre-Med education. During my first year on campus, I participated in the Sea-Phage Bacteria research study through the Honors Biology program and then from there moved into an Undergraduate Research Assistant position in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.  I work in the Microsystems and Nanosystems Engineering Biology Laboratory on the development of Electroceutical Wound Healing Bandages under the principal investigator Dr. Shaurya Prakash.  Our ultimate goal is to develop a wound dressing that will inhibit biofilm infection and improve patient wound healing outcomes.

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Academic Enrichment

I chose to pursue a career in medicine in hopes of making a difference in the lives of others during challenging health battles by serving as a Physician in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or Anesthesiology. Participating in the University Honors program will also challenge me to go above and beyond the minimum expectations of the HRS program and classes. Currently, I am an active member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, which enables me to participate in additional academic enrichment webinars and conferences. I am also currently participating in a series of seminars hosted by the Ohio University Heritage College of Medicine for aspiring physicians.  During the 2021 summer break, I attended the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine Pre-Health Wilderness and Emergency Medicine program where I successfully earned my Wilderness First Responder certification through coursework and labs on the Anschutz Medical Campus as well as real-life rescue simulations in the Colorado Rockies of Golden, Colorado. Also, in July of 2021, I was a participant in the Vanderbilt Pre-Med Virtual Summer Science Academy.

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Leadership

In the fall of 2020, I was selected to participate in the University’s R-Lead program for students with proven leadership experience and a strong sense of community involvement to develop those leadership skills further and put them to use at the collegiate level and beyond.  This program was a fantastic aid in helping me build my future leadership and personal goals. As a current member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, I also had the opportunity to participate in the 2020 Leadership Summit. During my Wilderness First Responder and Emergency Medicine camp training, I was selected to serve as a team leader in the search and rescue simulations. This was a wonderful experience and I sincerely enjoyed taking on the leadership role in locating, assessing, and treating our simulation patients. I hope to apply these leadership experiences to medical school as well.

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Service Engagement

Service to the community has always been a priority in my life as I grew up in a small, close-knit community that actively teaches and supports volunteerism and service to others.  I spent a year and a half serving as a volunteer nurse aide for Grand Lake Health System’s Joint Township District Memorial Hospital.  On-campus, I was recently cast and coronated as Sleeping Beauty for A Moment of Magic to brighten the days and grant wishes to children battling pediatric cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, all while raising much-needed funds for pediatric cancer research.  BuckeyeThon is also of great importance to me, and I have achieved my goal of becoming a Miracle Maker to help support Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the treatment and care of children battling pediatric cancer. In the past, I served as a Children’s Champion Fundraising Team Member for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Columbus Marathon to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.  The BuckeyeThon Miracle Maker fundraising program allows me to continue this passion of raising funds for pediatric cancer research and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.