My second year at Ohio State was even more amazing than the first. I feel that one of my biggest accomplishments as a second-year student was making the Dean’s List both semesters. I worked extremely hard in all of my classes this year and feel that I really grew as a student. During my first year, I struggled to adjust to college level classes and was following what everyone else was doing to study and learn the material. I felt that I could do so much better in my classes. Coming into my second year, I was determined to make a change in my study habits to really excel in my classes. I knew that my classes were going to be even more difficult this year and was afraid that I wasn’t going to do as well as I wanted to. I was especially scared to take Organic Chemistry because it had a reputation for being a very hard class that many students struggled with. I am proud of myself for not letting these fears get to me and working hard to achieve my goals. I learned the best ways for me personally to study and did not focus so much on what other people were doing. Instead, I focused on myself and the way I learn. I finally began to understand the type of student I am and what I need to do to learn and understand class material. This was a huge accomplishment for me this year. Outside of my classes, I also joined the Doctors Without Borders club at Ohio State and feel I have found a group on campus that I am passionate about working with. I have had so many fun and exciting experiences with the club already and have met amazing people. I remained very close with the friends I made my first year in the BioSci Scholars dorms, and I am so thankful for them and for the memories I have made with them the past two years. I have found that having a good friend group in college is so important because they serve as your support system and escape from the stress of classes and studying. I also got a job this year working with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as a lab assistant for student research projects. I am glad I got this opportunity because it taught me a lot about what it is like to work inside a lab and work with lab instruments. This job made me realize that I would love to work in a research lab on campus, and I plan on pursuing a position in a lab next year. Overall, my second year was great!
Author: petillo.1
Statement of Action
I will work hard every day to fulfill each one of my G.O.A.L.S, and I will do everything I can to prepare myself for a future career in the medical field. I will do as much volunteer work as I can, so that I can pursue my passion of helping people. I will be driven to study and learn in all of my classes so that I can gain a deeper level of knowledge and understanding of my major in biochemistry. I will continue my studies in Spanish so that I can one day be a fluent Spanish speaker. I will participate in clubs, organizations, and events associated with Ohio State to further become a part of the Buckeye community and culture. Most of all, I will be kind to everyone I meet and befriend during my time in college because kindness is one of the most important values in my life.
Vision Statement
During my next two years at Ohio State, I will strive not only to do well in all my classes, but to gain knowledge and understanding on the topics discussed in my classes as it is my goal to pursue knowledge and academic enrichment throughout my life. I want to grow as a student and become a well-rounded person. I also hope to become a strong leader and to use my experience in college to prepare me for a future career. I want to improve my global awareness every day and be accepting of all people. I will continue to meet new people and make lasting friendships and memories that I will cherish even after my time at Ohio State is over.
A Persuasive Essay on Joining Doctors Without Borders (in Spanish!)
In my Spanish class this past semester, I was required to write an essay intending to persuade people to join an organization that I was passionate about. The essay had to be written completely in Spanish. I chose to write about Doctors Without Borders since I am a member of the Doctors Without Borders club at Ohio State and truly believe in everything that the organization stands for. I have participated in many events and fundraisers for the club that serve to raise money for medical supplies for other countries and international volunteer trips. The club also raises awareness of the crises occurring in other countries that need not only medical but also emotional attention. I am very passionate about Doctors Without Borders and was even chosen for one of the club’s international volunteer trips to Sri Lanka in May of 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are still set to go on our international trips after we are cleared to do so, and I am extremely excited for this opportunity to volunteer in hospitals and communities in another country! I tried to convey this excitement and passion I have for Doctors Without Borders in this short persuasive essay in order to invoke an emotional response in the reader. I am proud of this essay because I was able to write about complex, abstract, and emotional ideas in Spanish which I feel shows my growth as a Spanish student. I am also glad I got to write about an organization that I love and believe in!
Abstract
In my ePortfolio, I will showcase who I am as a person, my values, my aspirations, and my life as a college student at The Ohio State University. My ePortfolio will describe my ideal future career and how I am working towards obtaining it and preparing for it through my classes and extracurriculars. This page will also provide links to important job-related files and media. Through my ePortfolio, I also hope to reflect on my time at Ohio State, my growth as a student, and all the amazing experiences I have had. Lastly, my ePortfolio will describe how I am working toward each of the G.O.A.L.S. outlined by the Honors & Scholars Programs at Ohio State. I want this page to be a window to my life in college and an opportunity to get to know me!
Leadership Development
Leadership Development involves taking a leadership position in a group or organization that you are in or simply acting as a leader in everything you do. I feel that I have had Leadership Development through being a tutor. For the past year and a half, I have participated in a tutoring program at the Bridge Community Center in Columbus. This program is for the children of Somalian refugees in the Columbus area. Each volunteer gets paired with a student that they work with for the 12 week session, and they help them in the subjects of math and English. Many of these students struggle in school because English was not their first language, and many of their parents do not speak English at all, so they cannot help with the students’ schoolwork which is all in English. The tutors work with the students on lesson plans given in both subject and also have the opportunity to bond with the students through games and fun activities. I have had the honor of tutoring the same student for the past year and half that I have been with the program, and it has been the most amazing experience for me. I have gained so much leadership experience through tutoring because it requires me to be a leader and a role model to my student. It has taught me to be a better listener in order to know what the student is struggling with and meet the needs of the student. The experience has also improved my patience since I worked with a fourth grade boy who was very hyper and had trouble focusing on school work. I think that active listening and patience are two extremely important qualities for a leader to have, and I gained both of these through this program. I plan to continue my Leadership Development in other areas of my life by pursuing a leadership position in a club or organization on campus.
Academic Enrichment
Out of all the G.O.A.L.S., I think that Academic Enrichment has been the most important throughout my two years at Ohio State. My entire life in college is centered around my classes and the pursuit of knowledge and understanding in these classes. I am passionate about learning, and I think that learning and gaining knowledge is what Academic Enrichment is all about. I believe that in order to achieve Academic Enrichment, I must challenge myself in all of my classes to retain the information that is being given to me and to understand it on a deep enough level to apply it in the future. My major of biochemistry has definitely proven to be a challenge for me that I have gladly accepted. My classes are difficult and require a lot of time and studying to understand the material, but I have enjoyed that challenge. I have learned the best ways to study and learned so much about the way that I learn as an individual. One of the hardest things for me to learn in college was how to learn. Everyone learns in a different way, and part of Academic Enrichment is understanding the type of student and learner you are. Once I learned what worked best for me in terms of comprehension in class and studying, I was then able to truly excel in my classes. The most difficult classes I have had to take thus far were Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, and I applied my new found learning and study methods to these classes and did very well in both.
Original Inquiry
To me, original inquiry means participating in research projects and pursuing your own creative ideas. I think that original inquiry is important to my own future career in the medical field because there is so much research that goes into new treatments, medications, vaccines, diseases, etc. The medical field relies on research in all areas to make improvements in existing medical practices and to create completely new methods, techniques, technology, and treatments that advance the field. There is also a lot of research that goes into diseases and cancers that do not yet have a cure or an effective treatment plan. Since I plan to work in the medical field in the future, it is important for me to understand the research process and get involved with research on campus, so I can understand that aspect of the medical field. I would like to start working in a research lab on campus to fulfill the area of original inquiry in my own life. I have started looking into different research projects of professors on campus so that I can find something I am truly interested in and passionate about. After my time working at The James Cancer Center, I have become interested in cancer research. I plan to start contacting the head researchers of some of the projects I am interested in to try to obtain a position in a lab. Participation in research is also important for medical school applications which will help me in my goal to get accepted and go to medical school after I graduate.
Buckeyethon!
I participated in the 2019 Buckeyethon at Ohio State and was on the orange team. I joined with the Barrett-Nosker group because I lived in Barrett House during my freshman year with the BioSci Scholars. I took the night shift which means that I was at the dance from 7 pm to 7 am of the next day. During the 12 hour shift, I had to stay standing up and participate in various Buckeython activities.
My favorite activity at the dance was the Silent Disco. I met a bunch of new people that I hung out with the whole night, and we all had so much fun. I was completely exhausted by the end of my 12 hour shift, but it was worth it. I personally raised over $500 and was proud to be able to contribute to the amazing fundraising efforts that go to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Linked In Profile
URL: www.linkedin.com/in/halli-petillo-5b813219b