G.O.A.L.S. revisited

Global Awareness

Global awareness is so important to the central theme and thread of humanity: human connection. By learning more about other cultures and perspectives on the world, people become more accepting to other people. Through my own experiences, I have noticed that people who are receptive to others’ points of view are slower to anger and are more likely to lend a hand to someone of a different background than their own. Personally, I strive to be someone who takes into account the positions of other people, and global knowledge helps with that immensely. I am pursuing a French major, and have chosen to complete the requirements abroad, not only because the culture of France interests me greatly, or that knowing multiple languages helps brain development and problem-solving skills, but also because I want to be able to connect with more people. Language and culture barriers can separate people into “us and them” ways of thinking, but overcoming these through education can help unite the world as a whole.

Original Inquiry

Original inquiry is where developing an academic, or even moral, identity apart from anyone else begins. This does not need to be, and for me most likely will not be, lab-based research as one might think of it. This can come through further reading or discussion on interesting topics within a class or assignment itself (often involving amateur research through internet searches and video links). As always, this pursuit of deeper knowledge on a specific topic can, and most likely will, come with taking classes. For instance, I am interested in the field of Biology as it relates to medicine, so I plan to take courses, such as Anatomy and Physiology, which relate the two. I also plan to attend medical school, and while this is my career path, I chose it because of interest and a desire to know more, which is the basis of original inquiry. I am studying in France out of interest in the culture, language, and history, but also because I want to explore my own perceptions of humanity. In my opinion, original inquiry does not have to be based in academics at all. This can come, as previously mentioned, morally when investigating social topics relevant in the world today. In this way, my interest in global awareness is a large part of my inquiry about humanity and connection, and will therefore involve my own kind of “research” as I challenge myself to learn more about others.

Academic Enrichment

Personally, I have always strived to maximize my education in any given situation. In class, I try to understand the materials fully, even if the information I seek will not show up on a test or is beyond the scope of the course. I have always taken the most challenging courses that I was presented with, in an effort to challenge myself and soak up as much knowledge as possible while surrounded with other, like-minded people. At work or in other “real-life” settings, I would join conversations on topics of which I found myself in the dark so that I could arm myself for a hypothetical future situation I might find myself in. I plan to take classes which interest me, challenge my perceptions, and allow me the best opportunities to learn the most from professors here at Ohio State. As an honors student, I am lucky enough to have access to classes which present the information in an even more challenging way, which will help me as a student to gather more information. Even while constructing my general education portion of my degree, I found ways to take classes that will help satisfy some of my desires for global knowledge and help me on my inquisitorial journey of the world. These classes, along with my French, pre-med requirements, Biology minor, and Health and Society minor, will help me start to connect my passion for medicine and human health with connection, culture, and humanity, which come from healthy societies.

Leadership Development

The idea of “leadership” always frightened me as a kid. I have always been shy and was never really one who wanted to stand out in any way. As I’ve grown, however, I have learned that leadership does not always involve standing in front of people with a bullhorn, directing their actions and taking responsibility for them. I am much more a fan of quiet leadership, leadership by example. I had a part time job at home through high school and during breaks freshman year, and though I didn’t have a managerial position, I established myself as a crucial part of the team. My job was simple, but I still tried my hardest to do it correctly and to the best of my ability every shift. In France, I had the opportunity to teach English to high school seniors as part of an internship program. Over the course of the semester, I found myself more comfortable in a “traditional” leadership position, much to my own surprise. I am excited to transfer the skills and professional self-confidence that I gained there, and at various volunteer positions, over to other aspects of my life. Constructing study groups or actively participating in student organizations, such as OSU Pride or the Multicultural Club, are small leadership roles that I can take. I hope to be able to establish myself in volunteer positions at hospitals as a reliable person who is dedicated to her efforts. All of these experiences that I can have while still here at Ohio State will definitely help me in preparation for a future career.

Service Engagement

Service is a very important topic to me. I believe all humans are all obligated to help each other out. Plus, there is a sense of validation of your own life and purpose when you are able to support the well-being of others, or even just make them smile. I want to spend the rest of my life giving back to humanity on this planet in any way that I can. Health is one of the most important ways I want to accomplish this, hence why I wish to go into the medical field. As a result, I want to spend my time leading up to the start of my career by volunteering in hospitals and other health-oriented spaces. In high school I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer at my local children’s hospital, and I hope to have the opportunity to do the same here in Columbus. While abroad building my understanding of human connection, I was able to volunteer in a community center helping underprivileged students in their academic efforts. Service requires a practice of empathy, which only drives further creation of interpersonal connections, and thus the continuation of humanity itself.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness

Global awareness is so important to the central theme and thread of humanity: human connection. By learning more about other cultures and perspectives on the world, people become more accepting to other people. Through my own experiences, I have noticed that people who are receptive to others’ points of view are slower to anger and are more likely to lend a hand to someone of a different background than their own. Personally, I strive to be someone who takes into account the positions of other people, and global knowledge helps with that immensely. I am pursuing a French minor, and plan to study abroad, not only because the culture of France interests me greatly, or that knowing multiple languages helps brain development and problem-solving skills, but also because I want to be able to connect with more people. Language and culture barriers can separate people into “us and them” ways of thinking, but overcoming these through education can help unite the world as a whole.

Original Inquiry

Original inquiry is where developing an academic, or even moral, identity apart from anyone else, begins. This does not need to be, and for me most likely will not be, lab-based research or any kind of academic, lab-based research as one might think of it. This can come through further reading or discussion on interesting topics within a class or assignment itself (often involving amateur research through internet searches and video links). As always, this pursuit of deeper knowledge on a specific topic can, and most likely will, come with taking classes. For instance, I am interested in the field of Biology as it relates to medicine, so I plan to take courses, such as Anatomy and Physiology, which relate the two. I also plan to attend medical school, and while this is my career path, I chose it because of interest and a desire to know more, which is the basis of original inquiry. In my opinion, original inquiry does not have to be based in academics at all. This can come, as previously mentioned, morally when investigating social topics relevant in the world today. In this way, my interest in global awareness is a large part of my inquiry about humanity and connection, and will therefore involve my own kind of “research” as I challenge myself to learn more about others.

Academic Enrichment

Personally, I have always strived to maximize my education in any given situation. In class, I try to understand the materials fully, even if the information I seek will not show up on a test or is beyond the scope of the course. I have always taken the most challenging courses that I was presented with, in an effort to challenge myself and soak up as much knowledge as possible while surrounded with other, like-minded people. At work or in other “real-life” settings, I would join conversations on topics of which I found myself in the dark so that I could arm myself for a hypothetical future situation I might find myself in. In this academic plan, I have tried to take classes which interest me, challenge my perceptions, and allow me the best opportunities to learn the most from professors here at Ohio State. As an honors student, I am lucky enough to have access to classes which present the information in an even more challenging way, which will help me as a student to gather more information. Even while constructing my general education portion of my degree, I found ways to take classes that will help satisfy some of my desires for global knowledge and help me on my inquisitorial journey of the world. Some classes that I am excited to take along this line are various Psychology and Sociology courses, a course on the history of LGBT persons in the United States, and American Sign Language. These classes, along with my Biology, pre-med requirements and my French minor, will help me start to connect my passion for medicine and human health with connection, culture and humanity, which come from healthy societies.

Leadership Development

The idea of “leadership” always frightened me as a kid. I have always been shy and was never really one who wanted to stand out in any way. As I’ve grown, however, I have learned that leadership does not always involve standing in front of people with a bullhorn, directing their actions and taking responsibility for them. I am much more a fan of quiet leadership, leadership by example. I have a part time job at home, which I hope to be able to transfer here in a year or two when I can have a car, and though I don’t have a managerial position, I have established myself as a crucial part of the team. My job is simple, but I still try my hardest to do it correctly and to the best of my ability every shift. I hope to be able to transfer the skills and professional self-confidence that I gained there, and at various volunteer positions, over to other aspects of my life. Constructing study groups or actively participating in student organizations, such as OSU Pride or the Multicultural Club, are small leadership roles that I can take. I hope to be able to establish myself in volunteer positions at hospitals as a reliable person who is dedicated to her efforts. All of these experiences that I can have while still here at Ohio State will definitely help me in preparation for a future career.

Service Engagement

Service is a very important topic to me. I believe all humans are all obligated to help each other out. Plus, there is a sense of validation of your own life and purpose when you are able to support the well-being of others, or even just make them smile. I want to spend the rest of my life giving back to humanity on this planet in any way that I can. Health is one of the most important ways I want to accomplish this, hence why I wish to go into the medical field. As a result, I want to spend my time leading up to the start of my career by volunteering in hospitals and other health-oriented spaces. In high school I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer at my local children’s hospital, and I hope to have the opportunity to do the same here in Columbus. While I am abroad building my understanding of human connection, I hope to find opportunities to serve others as well.

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

My name is Alexandra. I am an honors Biology major pursuing a pre med path with a minor in French. I hope to use the resources at Ohio State to help me achieve my goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon. Traditionally, I am a hard worker who is very academically focused. I am extremely excited to get the opportunity to apply these skills to a field that will prove relevant to my professional life.