In November 2015, I was given the opportunity to attend the Forte College 2 Business Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At this conference, I had the chance to speak with businesswomen already in the field, as well as students from colleges across the country. It was interesting discovering how other business schools learn about business and the industry. We participated in a marketplace simulation where my team was in charge of running the operations of a business over the span of four quarters. I learned about business in the “real world” that continues to help me during my classroom experience.

Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to attend the Risk Institute Conference. This event was a wonderful experience to meet leaders in the risk field as well as celebrate the opening of the Fisher College of Business’s new research center. My favorite speaker from both events was General Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA and NSA. Listening to his input on the modern day crises facing our world was extremely informative and insightful.

In April 2015, I traveled with the International Affairs Scholars program to Toronto, Canada. We stayed in Toronto for three days, exploring the topic of diversity and immigration. This trip was a wonderful experience for me because it was my first time out of the country. I had the opportunity to explore the city with other IA scholars, some of which I had never met before. I had never been to such a large city and I was overwhelmed with such large buildings on every corner. The picture was taken at a Japanese restaurant. Normally I don’t like seafood, but it was one of the only menu items, so I ate it and it was delicious! I would definitely visit Toronto again!

For the beginning of my freshman year until March 2016, I was a research assistant in the Consumer Analytics and Behavior Lab. This was economic research that was part of the Department of Consumer Science. In this position, I learned about the SNAP and WIC program in the United States and was able to quantify results of various food security studies. I was able to learn about the various problems that people with lower incomes face, as well as understand in a deeper level the cyclical nature of poverty. The research will hopefully be able to help change policy in order to combat rising poverty levels across the United States.

I recently joined a student organization called Student Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations. I am part of a team of four people working with a local nonprofit, Rebuilding Together Central Ohio (RTCO), to help make RTCO into a social enterprise. Since RTCO is having trouble funding their nonprofit, like most nonprofit organizations, our goal is to help them become more self-sustaining rather than only relying on donations. I have been the most involved in this organization since coming to OSU, and as a result, I have gained many life skills that will help me both in my major and in my life. I am able to present well, write reports well, and have a deeper understanding about how nonprofits work and how they are impacted by the current market.

I began tutoring student-athletes at East High School at the beginning of this year. At East High School, many students do not know about the college application process because they either don’t think they will be accepted to college or they don’t think they can afford college. I help provide support with college-prep materials such as the FAFSA, ACT, and external scholarship applications. Tutoring has helped open my eyes and reminisce about my own high school experience and how extremely lucky I was to be born into my family.