The picture above is of my first clinical group in the College of Nursing here at OSU. We took this picture on our first day, all very excited to be wearing our red scrubs and jumping head first into nursing classes. This picture is very symbolic of a large leap for us as students. My entire first year was mainly working so hard to just get a chance to wear these scrubs, studying day in and day out to get into one of the best nursing schools in the nation. And here I am, at the end of my first semester of nursing school. But, it has not been so easy. Exam after exam, clinical skill evaluations and vital signs checkoffs, when we forget why we are putting ourselves through all of this work, we have to look back at the smiling faces in this picture. We have to look at those students who are so eager to learn and who genuinely want to help others. Sometimes the pile of homework and all of the lab skills can obscure the real reasons we applied to nursing school.

I have grown so much this semester. My time management and prioritization skills have improved immensely, and I can’t remember the last time I retained as much information from one semester. We have to work hard because, someday, somebody’s life will be in our hands and we must be prepared to take care of them. While the classes and clinicals can be stressful, I have never been so proud of my grades and how hard I have worked. Having just finished my last clinical session for this semester, I am looking forward to spring, putting back on my red scrubs and going out into the hospital to learn.

From left to right, my mother, my grandmother, myself and my father pose in front a banner at a Parent’s Weekend reception.

While I have absolutely loved my time here at OSU, it is always nice to see family members. Luckily, I am only from two hours away and all of my grandparents live within 15 minutes of my house back in my hometown. One of my parents is usually in the area every week or so, allowing us to go to lunch with my brother, who also attends Ohio State. Parent’s Weekend (mainly Nov. 4) was great because I was able to see both of my parents and my grandma and show them around campus.

After a great lunch and then a reception with the Mount Leadership Society, I was able to come back home for two days to see my sister, my dog and some of my friends who were also back home. During these two days, I was able to rejuvenate (and I even chopped off 6 inches of hair!). Ohio State is an amazing school, but it is also great to get away from the chaos of such a big school for even just a couple of days. Seeing family, friends, getting away from homework and stopping all the worrying about school for a bit has allowed for me to focus more when I came back.

From left, Kaitlynn, myself and Isabel took this photo while waiting in line for College Gameday.

So far at Ohio State, I have made many amazing friends and have had some great experiences. On the night of Friday, Sept. 8, some of my friends from Mount and I went down to the Short North to get Jeni’s Ice Cream before going to Gateway Movie Theatre to see the movie, “IT.” We saw the midnight showing (Sept. 9) and got out around 3 in the morning.

My friend, Isabel, and I immediately went to The Oval to wait in line for College Gameday for the Oklahoma game later on Sept. 9. We met up with around 30 or so other Mounties and all stood in line for 6 hours to get a spot to see College Gameday up close. After the 6 hours, we watched College Gameday live for 3 hours. This was a really fun experience and allowed me to get closer with Mounties I hadn’t hung out with much. Then, after a well-needed nap, I went to my first home football game as a Buckeye and loved sharing this experience with my fellow Buckeyes.

This is just one of my favorite memories from my OSU experience so far and I’m so glad I got to share it with my fellow Mounties. Through many of our experiences together in the past month and a half, they have made me a better person and have given me great stories that show how OSU is the best school out there.