Author: saunders.547

Goals and Career Update

For my goals, I believe I made progress in my second year. I have checked off major things on my list that I have wanted to achieve before graduation. I have gained valuable leadership experience within clubs such as MEDLIFE, PHIDE, and The Dementia Project. I started research, which allows me to contribute to a lab and work for a PI. I have volunteered during Covid-19 online, and in person at The Kemper House. I have kept my grades high and learned a lot throughout the last two semesters. I have also been exposed to a global awareness with the pandemic that opened my horizons.

In regards to my Career plan, I am still pursuing medical school. I am currently looking into DO and MD medical schools to keep my options open. I am really eager to pursue this, and I recently decided to take a gap year to strengthen my application, and gain more shadowing hours. Currently, I am interested in Dermatology and Neurology. This summer, I am gaining clinical hours in a Dementia Care unit and I believe this will help my growth for the future. If my grades continue to progress, and if I continuously work on improvement, I see a bright future!

Sophomore Year in review

For this year, I am proud of the progress I’ve made getting more involved in clubs. I was the Recruitment Chair for MEDLIFE OSU and this allowed me to gain valuable leadership experience, while also gaining a stronger connection with my fellow executive board members. I was in charge of the virtual involvement fair and creating flyers for the club. I also created our merch and fulfilled orders. I also became involved with The Dementia Project, where I was able to volunteer at a Dementia care home, interacting with the residents and hearing their stories. This was life-changing, as I connected with them on a personal level, and got to share moments with these special people. I plan on continuing my involvement in both of these clubs in the summer, and I was recently elected Recruitment Coordinator for MEDLIFE. I also began research in The Coutellier Lab this summer. So far this opportunity has been amazing, and I am studying stress and anxiety in mice in their prefrontal cortex.

Gap year plan

For this artifact, I wanted to touch upon my recent decision to take a gap year. This idea has been pondered before, but not until recently have I made the decision to go through with it. With Covid-19, I am not satisfied with my clinical volunteer hours or my shadowing hours, so I decided to act on it and formulate a plan where I could get more experience, and meet the requirements for med school. I plan on staying in Columbus to pursue a scribing job at the Wexner, while continuing my work in my research lab (Coutellier lab). Even though this poses some challenges, I am excited for the plan I have in place and aspire to fulfill this gap year!

First Generation Premed Meeting

I clearly remember the last meeting I had before Christmas break of 2019. For First Generation Premed we focus on defining what it means to be the first in our families to go to Medical school. The topic of this meeting was focusing on DO vs. MD pathways of medicine and what each meant. I learned here that I want to focus my energy on the DO path, and I have since been connecting certain schools that offer this program, and what it takes for me to succeed the requirements of being a great applicant. This club has changed the way I think about medicine, and I’m excited to further my knowledge in the upcoming semester.

End-of-Year-Reflection

It’s sad to see my first year at Ohio State come to an end, but I am proud of the progress I made along the way and the relationships I have formed. Being a Health Sciences Scholar, I’ve built a strong resume, and met some amazing people whom I will share a friendship with for a long time. This organization has helped me think about my professional and career needs and how to work towards them, such as volunteering and being involved in leadership. I have done both, volunteering for MedLife and on buck-i-serv trips. I have obtained an E-board position for MedLife and I am excited to further my impact for the education and healthcare of minority populations.

I have also been able to excel in academics at OSU with a 4.0 for my first semester and hope for another high GPA for spring semester. Being at a large university, I was nervous that it would be hard to adapt to this environment, but I feel comfortable where I am, and up for new challenges.

Overall, freshman year has been a success, and I know what I can work on for next semester.

Reflection1 – Service

Looking back at my freshman year, I am very proud of the progress I’ve made with my service and the amount of volunteering that I’ve gotten involved in. My world was changed when I participated in a buck-i-serv over winter break down in Atlanta, Georgia. There I and other Ohio State students worked with a group called the Medici Project, which targeted populations of human trafficking victims and the homeless in order to give back and provide services for. We participated in many outreach opportunities and got to talk to the women who were in  the industry, or were fortunate enough to get out. This experience opened up my mind to how some people need to make a living to survive. I loved being able to connect personally and reach out to these unique individuals, giving them hygiene products, clothes, and food they desperately needed.

Then, over spring break, I went to Lima, Peru with MedLife to provide healthcare and services for the poor communities around Lima. There we were able to set up mobile clinics, giving them inspections, dental care, prescriptions, and teach their young how to brush their teeth. This experience was like no other, and I’m so glad I got to be apart of a movement so big in an undeveloped country, while learning about their culture.

 

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]