Author: osborne.442

End of (Second) Year Statement

It is hard for my to pick my favorite moments of the last two years as there has been SO many, but I am able to say some of those moments have been a direct result of the opportunities and friends I have made through the OSU BioSci program. From struggling in Barrett to late nights in Thompsons chugging espressos and crying over GenChem, I wouldn’t change a thing (except the genchem thing- that was rough). I have been able to become so involved in my campus community through volunteer events, scholars events, football games, clubs, student employment, and much more. People always ask how I made Ohio State not feel so big, and it’s really easy to explain that it is because of the people. Everyone at OSU is driven to be the best version of themselves, so finding friends to push you and challenge your ideas is not hard. I am so thankful to go to OSU and hope that the next two years only get better.

Vision Statement

When I remind myself that I am half way done with my undergraduate degree, I feel ill. How am I supposed to leave this incredible place?? How am I supposed to do everything I want to do in two years?? I have been so blessed to be a part of the Scholars program as it has led me to some incredible opportunities, but I’m not done yet! In my next two years I have some big goals to accomplish. A few of them include; continuing my research project with the Volek lab, continue working with the pen pal program, becoming more involved in food security organizations on campus, add a minor, apply to graduate school and a dietetic internship, go on a study abroad trip, and many many more. There is no time to slow down now, and why would you want to! These past two years have been some of my favorite yet and if I had to guess, I think they’ll just continue to get better.

Pen Pals :)

The volunteer hour requirement was not a difficult one to fulfill, so I decided to focus my hours on a program that I was passionate about. I joined to OSU Pen PALS club after seeing the message in a scholar email. This is a year long program that allows you to write to a child in elementary school for an entire year. I thought this was really important in establishing a relationship and getting to know the kids. My pen pals name was Dylan and he went to West Mound Elementary School. After a school year of writing back and forth, we had the chance to meet the kids when they came to campus for a visit. Meeting Dylan was so fun! We got to hang out for the day and walk around campus. It also allowed the kids a chance to see a university and maybe get excited about the idea of getting a higher education. I plan on continuing my involvement in the club for the rest of my time at OSU, and would highly encourage anyone else interested to join!

Abstract

My hope for this portfolio is to provide an insight into the opportunities and experiences I’ve had as an Ohio State University Biological Sciences Scholars student. Although it has only been two years, I had accomplished so much and grown in so many ways in the time I have spent at OSU so far. Being a part of the Biological Science Scholars program has pushed me to be more involved in my community, both on campus and off. In this online portfolio, you will be given a glimpse into some of those experiences, which I assure you were better in real life and will always be a part of my memories. I hope you enjoy my eportfolio!


This photo was taken the day of my High School graduation. Where I’m from, graduating from high school is not necessarily the biggest accomplishment, and I can’t say I was overly impressed with myself either. However, graduation was more than finishing a chapter of my educational career, it was the beginning of a whole new one. High school was a great opportunity for learning, but also for making memories and developing a better understanding of what you want to do in life. The day of graduation reminded me of all the hard work I put in to getting to the next step in my education, and all the hard work that is to come.

Year in Review

As my first semester of college winds down I have begun to reflect on how it has affected me as an individual as well as how I have affected others. I have learned so much from my professors and piers about both textbook knowledge as well as knowledge about people and the world we live in. This first semester allowed me to explore my interests through volunteering and clubs, which have in turn provided me with new friendships and opportunities. In addition to the situations and experiences that went great, there were also definitely ones that went less than great. I learned from the mistakes I made and plan for an even better semester 2.

G.O.A.L.S.

When thinking of all the goals I have set in my life, I first notice how much they have changed between my junior year of high school and my first month of college. From obsessing over ACT scores, volunteer hours, and extracurriculars, which all worked towards my goal of getting into a good college and receiving scholarships, to being in the position to choose what I want to do for the rest of my life, I’ve realized that goals are constantly evolving.

Choosing to come to The Ohio State University to study biology was prompted by my love for biology in high school and the incredible opportunities found at OSU. However, I did not make this decision based on a long-term goal. Being surrounded by individuals with set-in-stone plans of attending medical school, veterinarian school, or any type of graduate program has motivated me to start exploring options for my own post undergraduate life. With a biology major, there is no end the possible careers I could one day have. Instead of blindly searching through the depths of google for ways to apply a biology degree I have a plan to narrow down my interests and values and find a career or graduate programs that pairs up. By signing up for different events offered through the scholars program and by joining clubs that relate to my major, I think I will find areas of different fields that interest me. From there I will seek out shadowing opportunities to further reinforce these interests. Hopefully, through exploring the different career fields I will find one that I am interested in doing for my own career.

In addition to having goals for the future (post undergraduate), I also have goals for my life in the near future as well. These include getting good grades in my classes, completing the requirements for the scholar’s program, and enjoying my freshman year of college. These goals may seem simple and easily obtainable, however, as I am quickly learning, the task of balancing different aspects of life in college can be a difficult task. But being in an environment where people are equally motivated to thrive is making my goal more attainable.

Artifacts

This photo is from the study session Scholars event on October 9th. This event was a really good way to not only study but also to meet people in the biological sciences scholars program that do not live in Barrett. Since a majority of the people at the event are in similar classes, it was easy to study together and ask questions. From this experience, I realized that people are always willing to help and that group studying is a great way to work through difficult concepts that you may have been struggling to understand on your own.