Global Awareness: I believe in order for people to truly respect other’s cultures, they must diversify themselves and educate themselves about all the cultures of the world. I consider myself a very open and accepting person, so now I am consequently trying to better educate myself about the world around me. I have been taking Spanish classes since middle school, and am planning on enrolling in Spanish 1103 in the spring semester. I am still considering picking up a minor in Spanish for multiple reasons. I already have two Spanish credits so it would not require too much more work in order to reach the limit for a minor, and a minor in a foreign language can open up a lot of windows for working with Hispanic people or in a heavily Spanish-populated area. Throughout grade school and high school I did not have much of an option as to what language I would want to take, but Spanish has its benefits over other languages as far as practicality goes. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, and has huge influences all over the United States. It is also a plan of mine to study abroad for some period of time before my undergrad time at Ohio State is up. I enjoy travelling very much, and if I can combine travelling with schoolwork towards graduation as in a study abroad experience, then I am all for it. This will also be a good opportunity to gain some knowledge and respect for educational systems around the world. I was an active member of the Spanish club at my high school because I enjoy learning more about the language and the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. Over the summer, I took a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This as my first time leaving the country, and it was a huge eye-opening experience for me because not only was there considerably more poverty, the entre way of life is different. When speaking to any server on the resort, we used Spanish because none of them were very fluent in English. I actually enjoyed this very much too because I knew a great deal of Spanish, and it was cool being able to use it in a real-world situation. I believe Global Awareness is pivotal in order to fully reach a level of understanding for all people, as well as the betterment of your own education.
Service Engagement: I fully believe in the purpose and importance of service in the community. There are many people that do not have all the same blessings or necessities to live a quality life, and it is our job to help those in need. I went to a Catholic high school, and service was a major pillar over the course of my 4 years there. I was also a member of National Honor Society, which required a certain amount of service hours per semester so service became a very regular thing for me. I was not solely doing these service and volunteering opportunities to meet requirements, I also enjoy the gratifying feeling that comes with helping others in service. This is part of what truly defines a scholar. Of course, I am in the Biological Sciences Scholars program so service opportunities are frequently available. I have yet to attend any of these events, but 10 total hours of service are required by the end of the semester. Some of the other clubs I am involved in, such as Health Points club, have volunteering opportunities close to once a week so the requirement should not be hard to meet. I know that as I gain more college experience, more chances to commit to service will appear and will help me in my road ahead.