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.

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.

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”  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.]