Month: October 2015

G.O.A.L.S.

When it comes to learning, knowledge for the sake of knowledge is an important concept to me. Some students memorize definitions for exams or take easy classes to improve their GPA. I prefer not to do that. I take classes that truly interest me and will challenge me to open my mind to new perspectives and ideas. Doing this has made me a more globally aware individual. I took African History (1870 to present) in the spring of 2015. The class covered important events in history that we, as students of Western education systems, do not typically learn about. I also took Introduction to Peace Studies in the fall of 2015 in which I learned you have to try to see where someone with an opposing view is coming from in an argument. I plan on further increasing my level of global awareness as I continue to study psychology because psychology research within one culture may not be generalizable to another cultural. This truly shows that all cultures are different and equally important.

I am planning on becoming more involved in the psychology department and am currently searching for research opportunities. I want to be a research assistant in a social psychology or personality psychology lab starting either in the summer or autumn of 2016. After becoming more familiar with the research process, I might pursue my own research in areas of interest to me. I am new to the psychology major and want to gain experience in various fields of psychology as an undergraduate student in order to better determine what career track I want to pursue.

I started out my college career in the autumn of 2014 as a theoretical mathematics major, but I decided to pursues a psychology major in the autumn of 2015. In addition to my new major, I am pursuing minors in mathematics and coaching education. I decided to study psychology because I am interested in people, specifically at the individual level, and aspire to help others. I want to do this as a school psychologist or counselor in which I can help students realize their strengths and potential, while guiding them in the right direction. I also hope to do the same as a high school soccer coach, which is where my coaching education minor will help me reach this goal. I am currently enrolled in Theories of Personality for my major and plan on taking The Self. Together, these courses will help me to better understand individuals and how to interact with them in my future career endeavors. In autumn of 2015, I took Foundations of Higher Math, which was a logic class (rather than your typical math class). I am now qualified to be a math undergraduate TA at Ohio State because of my completion of the course and am planning on applying for the 2016-2017 academic year. As I continue pursuing my interests in the classroom, I hope to earn internships to gain outside experience, including (but not limited to) an assistant high school soccer coach position in the Columbus area in fall 2017.

During my first semester at Ohio State, I was a server at Sloopy’s Diner on campus. This position helped me to become more comfortable talking with people that I do not know, while also helping me improve my time management skills. (There were days when I had class until 1:35pm, work from 2pm-7:20pm, and class again from 7:40pm-9:40pm.) I decided to become more involved on campus during my second semester, though, and left my position as a server. With my free time, I joined the Boo Radley Society, which is a random acts of kindness student organization on campus. As of fall 2015, I am a team captain for my committee within the organization. As such, I organize social events for my committee and help plan our committee’s events. My leadership philosophy is listening to those that I am leading and combining all of our ideas together in order to make the final product a team effort with contributions from every member. My leadership role in Boo Radley is an excellent example of this philosophy because, when planning our events, my committee works together every step of the way. The importance of teamwork is visible in the strong community that my committee has. I am planning on applying to be on the executive board for the 2016-2017 academic year because I want to take the next step and give even more to this great organization that has given so much to me. I am currently and office assistant in my residence hall. This position has allowed me to be both a resource and leader within the residence hall community. It always feels rewarding when I am walking on campus and a resident stops to talk to me. The positions that I have held at Ohio State have all given me the opportunity to help others, which is what I want to do with my future career.

As mentioned previously, I am a team captain in the Boo Radley Society. I am also a peer mentor in the International Affairs Scholars program at Ohio State. Both of these organizations have given me the opportunity to serve the campus community. I have been given the opportunity to become peers with two first year IA scholars. I have also tried my best to create a positive environment on campus and spread random acts of kindness through Boo Radley. Recognizing that the little things in life are what truly make a difference to the people around you is something that I want to continue throughout my life, and I want to help others recognize this through my own actions. Even when life gets busy and stressful because of college now and careers someday, I want to take the time to serve others around me who may be feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of everyday life. Sometimes it can make all the difference. You never know when that difference needs to be made, so you should strive to make it every day.

About Me

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Hi!  My name is Shana Parker, and I am a second year student at The Ohio State University.  I entered my freshman year as a Theoretical Mathematics major but recently switched to Psychology.  However, I still enjoy mathematics so I plan to pursue a minor in Mathematics and possible Coaching Education. With my education, I hope to become a counselor for college level students.  Outside of the classroom, I am involved in the Boo Radley Society, Buckeyethon, and the International Affairs (IA) Scholars program.  The Boo Radley Society is a random acts of kindness student organization at Ohio State, and our goal is to create and promote a more positive atmosphere on campus.  I am the captain of my committee within the club and, as such, help plan events while creating  community.  I represent Boo Radley as a Buckeyethon Team Captain, which means I am responsible for fundraising and recruiting students to represent Boo Radley at Buckeyethon, which is a student philanthropy that raises money for Nationwide Children’s Miracle Hospitals through a twenty-four hour dance marathon each year.  As an IA Scholar, I have learned to keep an open mind and to not accept social stereotypes.  Instead, I have challenged myself to learn about the world, its problems, and its habitants and their cultures.  I am  currently an Office Assistant in my residence hall and find it to be quite rewarding because I get the opportunity to meet and help my fellow residents on a daily basis.  I have chosen my major, minors, and activities because I am genuinely interested in people and helping them. As mentioned earlier, I aspire to be a counselor, and I hope that the knowledge and experience I am gaining through my involvement at OSU will help me help others someday.