Year in Review – Second Year

During my second year at OSU, I have learned so much academically, as well as personally. Through my experiences, I believe that I have grown as a student, a friend, and a member of the community.

In order to develop my global awareness, I have recently started a club with my friend that is aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness of diversity. This club called “Global Minds” is meant to serve as way to learn more about different cultures, ethnic groups, and more by having presentations on different groups, a cultural dinner, and a pen-pal project with students from Nepal (and hopefully more countries in the future). By having encounters with people of different backgrounds, and also learning more about what it is like to live in different cultures or countries, we hope to increase empathy and understanding between people. Through this club, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, and I have also learned a lot about how living in a certain culture can truly shape the way people think and what they value. But most amazing, I have learned that even though people look and seem so different, we are really very similar. I hope to learn more through this club, and also through the various people I meet in classes and in my dorm because it is all very different from what I grew up with.

In addition to participating in Global Minds, I want to take more classes that will introduce me to more cultures. For example, I intend to take History of Art classes that explore other cultures so that I can learn about the history and values of different cultures. In addition, I want to eventually go abroad to see how different people live and what it is like to be in a different environment.

Although I have yet to join a lab and perform formal research, in my biology course during spring semester I have had the opportunity to participate in a CURE (Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience) on endophytes. Through this CURE, I have been able to perform novel research on endophytes which has helped me gain more knowledge on what it is like to do research. My partner and I had to come up with a problem, hypothesis, and the actual methods for experimentation which I have never done before. In addition to the actual scientific process, I have also had the opportunity to write up this CURE as a research paper which has furthered my understanding of how to read and write scientific papers.

In the future, I hope to join a lab and be able to contribute my efforts to their research. This way, I will be able to learn more techniques, and further understand the research process. In addition, I want to participate in a creative production of some sort (most likely musical) so that I can learn more about the creative process like how to brainstorm new ideas, working with others, and improvising.

In my Honors Contract, I intend to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a minor in the History of Art. Biochemistry is a very difficult major as it includes physical aspects of chemistry while combining this with biology and the anatomy of the body. However, I believe that even though it might be difficult it will help me in the long-run because I want to become a pharmacist. By having comprehensive knowledge of biochemistry, I think that I will be better prepared for pharmacy school as well as my career as a pharmacist as I will be able to understand the basics behind the chemistry of our body and its interactions with drugs. In addition, I am pursuing a minor in History of Art because I believe that through art, I can learn more about human nature, history, and cultures. For example, some of the things we know about the earliest civilizations come from their artwork. In addition, simply learning about the artwork of a certain people can help you learn so much about the actual culture in terms of values and ideas.

While Biochemistry and History of Art are already challenging topics as they are, I plan to enrich my academics even further as I am planning to take well over the number of required upper-division credits because I want to explore these topics more deeply than I would in lower-division courses. Also, I am taking the honors version of various GE courses because I want to truly understand these topics through class seminars. Through the courses I am taking, I hope to be well-prepared for my future career as a pharmacist, and also be familiar with humanities studies as I believe it will better help me understand myself and others. Even though these courses may be challenging, I believe that they will truly help me learn the best way I possibly can.

I am currently involved in Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s, Recipe for Good, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club, ALDPES Honorary, One Piece Reading Club, Global Minds, and am a Residence Hall Peer Tutor. I am currently president of One Piece Reading Club and vice-president of Global Minds, and by being in these positions I have been able to grow as a leader. Through these clubs, I have been able to work together with my fellow executive members and also communicate, as a leader, with my club members. As a result, I believe that I have learned cooperation and empathy, while also learning new communication skills and how to be assertive. By being a peer tutor, I have learned the importance of patience as well which has improved my ability to interact with others. When I am a pharmacist, I will have to cooperate with my co-workers and also effectively explain ideas to my clients, so what I have learned by participating in these activities will be beneficial to me in the future. In addition, by being in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club I have learned how chemistry and biochemistry can be applied (especially in regards to medicinal chemistry), which has introduced me to topics that I am interested in eventually doing research in. Therefore, by participating in these activities I have learned skills that will be beneficial to my role as a leader and pharmacist in the future.

I have participated in Community Commitment, Science Day, Children’s Hospital in New Orleans (where I volunteered), and a Buck-I-Serv trip (where I was able to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity in Lafayette for families that need them) and I am currently participating in Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s (where I am able to volunteer at a care center for people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases). I plan to continue to engage with the community by continuing to volunteer with Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s as I have been severely impacted by the people at the care center as well as the workers there, and I hope that I have made the patients there even a little happier. In addition, I intend to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Columbus. Since my Buck-I-Serv trip, I have realized that there are many people—even within this country—that due to living in a bad neighborhood or due to their current living arrangements have had such difficult lives. By volunteering with Habitat for Humanity I hope to help these people because they truly deserve better. Also, I hope to volunteer at a hospital nearby next year (either Grant Medical Center or Riverside Methodist Hospital, so that I can learn more about my future profession while still contributing the the people here. In addition, whenever sporadic opportunities come up I will certainly take them so that I may further benefit the community that I live in here at OSU.

G.O.A.L.S.

As an Honors student, I plan to fulfill the G.O.A.L.S. of the program that show my interest in global awareness, original inquiry, academic enrichment, leadership development, and service engagement.

In order to become a global citizen with an understanding of all people and cultures, I intend to take classes that relate to global studies and diversity issues. To learn more about other cultures, I am pursuing a minor in history of art which I believe will show me how different cultures think and view the world through their artwork. In addition, I want to learn more about other people and their backgrounds by taking courses in psychology and sociology. By taking these courses, I will learn diversity as not only different cultures but also in terms of health, gender, intelligence, identity, and more. Along with courses that will explore diversity, I hope to either study abroad during my time here or at least travel to a different country and learn from the experience on my own. Also, I want to get involved in organizations and groups whose goals are to expand cultural understanding. By trying to expand my understanding of others, I believe that I will be better able to work with others in the future.

Another aspect of being an Honors student is that we must pursue original inquiry to understand the research process. In order to work towards this goal, I hope to obtain a research position during my time as an undergraduate student here. I am already participating in the URO Mentorship program which I hope will help me decide what kind of research I want to get involved in. I think that I am interested in labs involving organic chemistry and I want to be in research by the time I am a second-year student. If possible, I would also like to do some kind of research in art history so that I can use the research process outside of the traditional scientific field. By doing research, I think I will learn how to pose a question, come up with ways in which I can find an answer, and also figure out an answer independently.

Also, Honors students are meant to always pursue academic enrichment, both inside our classes and outside of them. Currently, I am seeking a biochemistry major as well as a minor in the history of art. As a pre-health student, I am aware that the biochemistry major contains most of the prerequisites required by most professional schools, but I also chose my major because I knew that I would be academically challenged through courses like Calculus III and higher division biochemistry classes. In addition, I have enough time in my schedule to take at least 15 credit hours per semester so I will pursue classes outside my major and minor classes which I believe will be beneficial to me. Along with my general electives for the Honors program, I will also take upper-division classes for my minor and pre-health prerequisites like physiology. Along with difficult courses, I intend to join organizations that cultivate academic enrichment as well, such as the Biochemistry Club.

As Honors students, we are also expected to develop our skills as leaders. I hope to actively participate in the organizations where I am already a member and eventually become an officer in them. Also, I hope to eventually start my own organization that I believe I will feel most passionate about with others that have similar interests. Though I am unsure of what kind of organization I want to create, I know that I eventually want to. By joining and forming organizations, I believe that I will develop leadership skills like being organized and working with others which will be beneficial to me when I am an adult and working in my field.

The last part of the goals of being an Honors student is service engagement. As someone who is interested in pre-health, service engagement is important to me because I think that it helps everyone grow as a person and actively see the world around us. I have already participated in Community Commitment at the beginning of the term and I intend to continue this during my time here. Along with this, I am currently signed up for Science Day this December where I will show elementary students fun science experiments. Also, in the future I would like to volunteer in either a hospital nearby or a free clinic and participate in volunteering through the student organizations I join. By being engaged in service, I hope to grow as I help others.

Based on the purpose of the Honors Program, I will aim to fulfill these G.O.A.L.S. and become a better student and person as a result during my time as an undergraduate at The Ohio State University.

 

 

 

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]