[“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.]
Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio
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Year in Review
Reaching G.O.A.L.S.
Global Awareness
The world today is becoming more and more globally connected. It is crucial for graduating students to gain global perspective and experience throughout their undergraduate career, and luckily OSU offers many ways to achieve global awareness. For example, I have taken a globally focused class such as comparative religious studies class that examines the different religions around the world and how religion interacts with culture and society. However, I think the absolute best way to experience global diversity is through a study abroad program. Listening, observing, and discussing global issues and other cultures here at OSU is important and valuable, but nothing compares to actually immersing oneself in a totally new and different country and culture. This upcoming summer of 2017 I am doing an education abroad program called “The Impact of HIV – Tanzania.” Through this program we will explore the epidemic of HIV in the context of Tanzania history, culture, and society. This program will give me great experience in global public health, a field in which I am highly interested in. I also will be apart of OIA’s Student Exchange program next year where I will be partnered with an international student and help them navigate their year at OSU and welcome the into our community.
Original Inquiry
I did undergraduate research in the Molecular Genetics Department in Dr. Bisaro’s lab for two semesters. The research I took part in investigated different plant defense mechanisms against viruses. This was an invaluable experience for me as a science major as I got to see how research was conducted in the lab. However, as I become more interested in public health, I wanted to get involved with research on the more clinical and societal level. So this past spring semester I obtained a job at the Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Student Research Assistant. I work with a genetic counselor, another career I am interested in, on a new study that will examine how genetic testing in breast cancer related mutations effects women’s decisions on preventive health care measures. Furthermore, this summer, along with my study abroad program, I will be conducting research on the potential impact of an incentive-based HIV program for women in Iringa, Tanzania. I will be conducting this research under the mentorship of a microbiology professor, Professor Kwiek.
Academic Enrichment
I am first and foremost a student, therefore pursuing academic excellence is a top priority. I chose biochemistry as my major because I am passionate about biology and I wanted deeper understanding about the chemistry of life. With this major I will be taking challenging science and math courses that I will also enjoy. I am doing a global public health minor because I love the interaction between science and society and this dynamic is essential to the world’s health and sustainability. I also believe that getting a well rounded and diverse education is very important and valuable. For example, I have taken honors psychology, comparative religious studies, and I plan on taking classical mythology, higher level psychology courses, and a women gender and sexuality studies course. I also plan to take a service class that goes to local schools around Columbus to do a DNA fingerprinting lab and introduce students to science careers and college. Through this course I can pass down the importance of academic enrichment to a new generation. The opportunity to get a higher education, especially at a university like Ohio State, is a privilege and I want to take full advantage of my undergraduate career by striving for a rigorous, diverse, and stimulating education.
Leadership Development
The best way to gain leadership experience is to get involved. I am currently a Volunteer Committee Officer with Recipe 4 Good, a student organization that cooks for the underprivileged. Through this leadership position, I get involved with serving our community and I learn the necessary skills to become a leader in the community. I hope to continue to step up in this club as a leader. I also am a Peer Leader within the the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry where I facilitate group work and discussion as the students strive to gain a better understanding of the material. This experience has sharpened my communication, collaboration, and leadership skills. Being in this somewhat teaching position will also help me greatly in many of the career fields I am interested in. As a genetic counselor or in any science or public health career, I will need to be able to communicate and educate people about scientific concepts in way they can understand and be able to make informed decisions. Knowing how to step up as leader and being able to reach out to people in any career field is a great asset.
Service Engagement
I feel that service should be an integral part of our everyday lives, and as college students, we have so many opportunities to serve the community. One way I am involved in service is through Recipe 4 Good, a student organization that focuses on cooking and serving for the hungry and underprivileged of our Columbus community. I became involved with this club during my first semester and it has been an incredible experience to work the other students and the people of the non-profit organizations. It’s always amazing to see how much generosity and compassion everyone has and their determination to make sure no one goes hungry. I love to cook, but it becomes so much more meaningful when you know the food you’re preparing has such an impact on someone’s life. I also did a Buck-I-SERV trip to New Orleans the spring of my freshman year. This experience opened my eyes to the many different ways to serve and what service really means. In the future, I would like to lead a BUCK-I-SERV trip because of the impact it has on me. There are so many ways to get involved in service and by taking advantage of all these opportunities during my undergraduate career, I can learn how to live a life of service.
G.O.A.L.S.
Global Awareness
The world today is becoming more and more globally connected. It is crucial for graduating students to gain global perspective and experience throughout their undergraduate career, and luckily OSU offers many ways to achieve global awareness. For example, I plan on taking a comparative studies class that examines the culture of medicine through a global perspective. This class will give me exposure to the global diversity in the field that I am interested in pursuing. However, I think the absolute best way to experience global diversity is through a study abroad program. Listening, observing, and discussing global issues and other cultures here at OSU is important and valuable, but nothing compares to actually immersing oneself in a totally new and different country and culture. This semester I went to the study abroad expo and learned about the many different opportunities for study abroad, even for science majors. Many programs offer courses and experience in the biological and medical field. There is also the possibility of doing research aboard. Studying abroad gives students an awareness and understanding of different cultures. Students learn vital skills about communication, problem solving, and how to navigate a big and diverse world. Overall, the experiences, memories, and skills obtained from studying abroad are too valuable to pass up and are definitely worth a student’s time and effort.
Original Inquiry
It is one of my main goals to get involved with undergraduate research. Although, I am still unsure of what I want to do after college, pursing research is definitely a possibility. I am most fascinated by areas within biochemistry and genetics and I think I would really enjoy being able to apply the knowledge I learn in the classroom to make a difference in the real world. Thankfully being at OSU, there is so much research being done and undergraduates are strongly encouraged to get involved. I plan to find a faculty member that is doing research that really interests me and hopefully I can get involved in the lab. If I am passionate enough and enjoy the research I find, my goal would be to pursue an undergraduate research thesis and graduate with “research distinction.”
Academic Enrichment
I am first and foremost a student, therefore pursuing academic excellence is a top priority. I chose biochemistry as my major because I am passionate about biology and I wanted deeper understanding about the chemistry of life. With this major I will be taking challenging science and math courses that will be interesting to me. I also plan on doing a molecular genetics minor because I really love learning about genetics and I want to connect it to my knowledge of biochemistry. As much as I love science though, I believe that getting a well rounded and diverse education is very important and valuable. For example, I am just as excited to take classes like honors psychology, cultures of medicine, and classical mythology. The opportunity to get a higher education, especially at a university like Ohio State, is a privilege and I want to take full advantage of my undergraduate career by striving for a rigorous, diverse, and stimulating education.
Leadership Development
The best way to gain leadership experience is to get involved. One way I hope to gain leadership is by establishing a role within Recipe 4 Good, a student organization that cooks for the underprivileged. If I can obtain a leadership position in this club, it will allow me to get involved with serving our community and I will learn the necessary skills to become a leader in the community. Other ways I can seek leadership experience is through jobs, internships, and research. Stepping up and becoming a leader in these areas will give me the opportunity to learn and experience how I can be a leader in life after college, especially within my own field of interest. A final way that I would like to experience leadership is through the possibility of tutoring or being a peer mentor for research or honors. Every student deserves the best education possible while they are here at OSU and I think students can a lot from each other. Being able to teach, help, and guide one’s peers is a vital aspect of being a leader. Everyone can and must be a leader within their community for the betterment of society, and college is one of the best places for students to step up and become leaders.
Service Engagement
I feel that service should be an integral part of our everyday lives, and as college students, we have so many opportunities to serve the community. One way I plan on getting involved in service is through the many clubs and organizations offered at OSU. Recipe 4 Good is a student organization that focuses on cooking and serving for the hungry and underprivileged of our Columbus community. I became involved with this club during my first semester and I know I’m going to stick with it because I absolutely love it. It has been an incredible experience to work the other students and the people of the non-profit organizations. It’s always amazing to see how much generosity and compassion everyone has and their determination to make sure no one goes hungry. I love to cook, but it becomes so much more meaningful when you know the food you’re preparing has such an impact on someone’s life. Not only do I want to serve our Columbus community, but also the rest of the world. A Buck-I-SERV trip is the perfect way to achieve this. The opportunity to go somewhere in the U.S. or abroad and leave an impact on someone else’s community would definitely leave a big impact on me. There are so many ways to get involved in service and by taking advantage of all these opportunities during my undergraduate career, I can learn how to live a life of service.