Sophomore Year Timeline

Autumn 2016

  • Interned at the Ohio Statehouse in the Senate Minority Caucus
    • Conducted policy research focused on health issues in the state
    • Explored a potential career in state government and the roles different staff members play
  • Started serving as the High School Outreach Co-Chair for OSU Global Health Initiative
    • Helped to organize and plan educational workshops on public health and the role that it plays locally, nationally, and globally
  • Worked as an Office Assistant in the Houston and Houck Residence Halls
  • Began working as a Resident Advisor in Morrison Tower in the International House Learning Community
  • Participated in the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP)
  • Accepted into the Canadian Parliamentary Internship program
  • Regularly volunteered at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank as on the Columbus Have a Hart Day City Captains
  • Awarded the John Glenn College of Public Affairs 2016 Alumni Scholarship
  • Recognized on the College of Public Health Dean’s List
  • Achieved the goal of a 4.0 semester GPA

Spring 2017

  • Attended Population Connection’s Capitol Hill Days for the second time
    • Led an 80 constituent lobbying meeting with Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio’s office
    • Participated in a three day conference focused on international and domestic family planning topics
    • Lobbied my elected officials in Congress for three key international family planning policy changes
  • Helped to create an ongoing volunteer partnership between the Student Life International House Learning Community and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank
  • Received my DICE (Diversity, Inclusion, and Civic Engagement) certification through the OSU Multiccultural Center
  • Joined the Gamma Rho Lambda Sorority
    • Volunteered with Stonewall Columbus
    • Helped to organize a fundraiser for the Trevor Project
    • Elected to be a Autumn 2017 New Member Educator for Gamma Rho Lambda
  • Inducted into Chimes Junior Honorary
  • Volunteered at the Columbus Boys and Girls Club with OSU Global Health Initiative
  • Continued to regularly volunteer at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank
  • Recognized on the College of Public Health Dean’s List

Sophomore Year Refection – Part 1

Chapter 2 – New Beginnings

Going into my sophomore year, I didn’t know what to think. I knew that it wouldn’t be the same as freshman year, but I never could have expected what Autumn 2016 would hold.

The first new beginning was my internship with the Senate Minority Caucus. For years I had contemplated working in the government. Finally, I got the chance to see what a job in the field might hold. I was hooked. Immediately, I knew that I had made the correct choice adding my second major in public affairs. That experience, combined with STEP led me to apply for Ohio State’s Canadian Parliamentary Internship program. At the end of the semester, I learned that I had been accepted into the program. I was thrilled!

At the beginning of the semester, I also began my role as one of the High School Outreach Committee Co-Chairs for the Ohio State Global Health Initiative. This position has given me the opportunity to work with a partner to plan and do outreach to local high schools and other organizations that work with youth. The purpose of this committee is to introduce youth to public health and the way that it impacts their world at a young age. I love the opportunity to educate others on something as important as public health. Unfortunately, we struggled to create a long lasting partnership with any high school teachers in the area. Consequently, moving into the Spring 2017 semester, my partner and I knew we would have to get creative to meet the mission of High School Outreach.

The final – and biggest – new beginning was my employment by the Ohio State Office of Student Life. In my freshman year, I had applied to be an Office Assistant in the residence hall where I lived but did not receive the position. I decided to apply again at the beginning of the autumn semester after volunteering during move-in weekend as an Ohio State Welcome Leader Coordinator (OWL-C). As an OWL-C, I got to work with the Senior Staff in my residence hall and realized that I enjoyed helping to create a great atmosphere for students in their new home. I was incredibly excited when I learned that I was hired as an Office Assistant in the Houston-Houck Residence Halls. My positive experience working at the front desk motivated me to apply to be a Resident Advisor. Originally, I had intended to apply to become an RA starting in the Fall 2017 semester. Instead, I was hired to begin immediately as an RA in Morrison Tower. In a whirlwind, I accepted the position on a Saturday, met my new Hall Director on Tuesday, moved on Friday, and began working on Sunday. While it was a challenge to take on this huge responsibility in the middle of a semester, I could not be happier with my decision.

 

 

Freshman Year Reflection

Chapter 1 – What if?

When I think back on my freshman year, my mind immediately jumps to an office hour visit to a professor who has become a mentor. I was in the process of exploring second major options, and I was putting too much pressure on myself to make the “correct” decision. My professor gave me the simplest, yet most striking advice I have received. She said, “Listen to yourself and just keep going down the path that feels right, even if it wasn’t part of your plan.” Listen to yourself and let your passions pull you down the path. I remember being over-whelmed in the sea of opportunities, drowning in “what ifs.” Learning about myself and truly listening guided me through the confusion. Self-awareness, listening to myself and my passions, became the theme of my freshman year.

I joined the Global Health Initiative (GHI) student organization immediately after the Involvement Fair. In a whirlwind of smiling faces with brochures and information, GHI stuck out and drew me in. It gave me the opportunity to volunteer throughout Columbus at the Helping Hands Free Clinic, the Autism Society of Ohio, LifeTown Columbus, and Red Cross Blood Drives. I was able to use my creativity and passion for empowering young people as a part of the High School Outreach Committee. Together, we organized, planned, and presented to high school students on global health topics. These ranged from “What is Public Health?” to an interactive presentation on infectious diseases. It was amazing to see the interest in the students’ faces when they realized that public health is a diverse field full of opportunities. Through GHI, I also got the opportunity to attend Population Connection’s Capitol Hill Days. Those four days in Washington, D.C. were truly a transformative experience. For three days, we attended a conference with other students and professionals focused on international and domestic family planning. We heard stories from professionals working in the field in distant corners of the globe; experts led discussions major foreign policy topics. Finally, I was able to lobby my elected officials in Congress. I was the only person present from my Pennsylvania Congressional District, so I met with one of my Congressman’s aids by myself. I was terrified walking into that meeting, afraid that I would do something embarrassing or unprofessional. Afterwards, however, I walked out feeling confident and proud of the work I had done over the past four days. Capitol Hill Days ignited my passion for contributing to big changes that can impact lives on a small scale.

My freshman year has become a series of memories that fly through my mind, mostly good, many inspiring, and some bad. Yet, I can confidently say that I made the most of my year and followed that advice from my professor. “Listen to yourself and let your passions pull you down the path.” This motto continues to guide me as I am about to enter my second year at Ohio State.

Freshman Year Timeline

Autumn 2015

  • Volunteered as a 1girl program facilitator at Cassady Alternative Elementary school
    • Worked with fifth and sixth grade girls
    • Taught goal-setting and emphasized the importance of respect for self and others
  • Joined the Ohio State Global Health Initiative, an organization that has become my home in the Ohio State Community
    • Helped to plan and present global health topics to Columbus high school students as a member of the High School Outreach Committee
    • Volunteered as a member of the Local Volunteering Committee
  • Declared Public Affairs as my second major and joined the Glenn College of Public Affairs
  • Achieved the goal of dean’s list

Spring 2016

  • Began training to become an HIV test-counselor at the AIDS Resource Center of Ohio
  • Selected to become a High School Outreach Committee Co-Chair in the Global Health Initiative
  • Inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies
  • Attended Population Connection’s Capitol Hill Days
    • Participated in a three day conference focused on international and domestic family planning topics
    • Lobbied my elected officials in Congress for three key international family planning policy changes
  • Applied to and was selected for the State Government Internship Program through the Ohio State Government Affairs office
  • Achieved the goal of dean’s list

Preparing for a New Start

I have a love-hate relationship with the month of August. As a student, it takes January’s place as the month for new beginnings. It is a time to reflect, reset, and prepare. It is also the time when summer comes to an end, and the real work – school – begins again. Yet each summer is a time for growth, just as each school year is a time to evolve as a student and a member of the community. We do not notice our own growth in day-to-day life until we take the time to pause and reflect. When I think about where I was in the August before my Senior year of high school, I am astounded and proud by the person I have become. Cheers to new growth, each and every year.