Year in Review

I have grown as a student and as a member of the Ohio State Community. My first year was extremely eye-opening and I learned a number of new skills: such as how to communicate with others, give presentations and effectively study for my classes. I hope to keep partaking in various events and to keep developing and expanding on my current skillset.

In order to develop my global awareness I have been taking courses to progress through my Spanish minor, such as SPAN3401, and SPAN3403. I have plans to study abroad in Spain, once the global pandemic comes to a halt and life goes back to normal. Additionally, I have joined the Russian Student Association in order to connect to people with a similar cultural background as myself. I have made lasting friendships with peers in my classes that stem from a multitude of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and through these friendships I have fostered a new mindset when it comes to social and political issues.

My freshman year I gained experience with lab work through my BIO 1113/1114 and CHEM 1210/1220 coursework. I enjoyed conducting research and working in a lab so I reached out to various principal investigators at OSU and landed 3 research positions with Dr. Xin Feng, Dr. Igor Jouline, and Dr. Maryanna Klatt. I enjoy all three research positions and am glad the work I am doing can contribute to the OSU community in some shape or form. On top of conducing research in the Departments of Human Sciences, Microbiology, and Family Medicine, I wanted to further my research experience. I spent my winter break searching for summer research experiences and landed myself a research position with Dr. Eugene Valkov at the NIH, specifically the NCI. I hope to continue my research work and I look forward to my opportunity to conduct research at the NIH this summer.

I’ve been challenging myself academically, by taking courses that will help me grow as a student, inside and outside of the classroom. The courses listed on my Honors Contract will continue building on my current knowledge and push my academic limits to new extents. My planned course curriculum aligns with my future aspirations of going into medicine, which is also why I chose to major in Neuroscience, as I believe that learning the details and intricacies of the body’s neural network will assist me in my work as a future physician. I am also taking courses in Spanish, in order to achieve fluency and close the language barrier when I’m practicing in a clinic. My course selections demonstrate a commitment to learning material, on a much deeper level than to just obtain a desired grade.

My friend Aylah, and I, are in the process of creating a club at Ohio State called Muslima in Medicine. Our goal is to empower young Muslim females on the pre-med track and help them be competitive candidates for medical school. I am involved in Power In Neuroscience which is a club that focuses on educating children in Columbus City Schools about Neuroscience as a future career path in college. Additionally, I have started an initiative with a non-profit called FEMERGY, to empower young females that are minorities or come from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in the field of science and to educate them about specific fields of science that they’re passionate about. Some other leadership activities I have partaken in are The Catalyst Program, which was offered during Leadership Week at OSU, and the STEP Program, also offered through Ohio State.

Service has always been an integral part of my high school and undergraduate years. I am currently a volunteer at WARM, The Ronald McDonald House, FEMERGY, A Kid Again, Riverside Methodist Hospital, the Red Cross, and Heartfulness Meditation events. As part of these organizations, I interact directly with clients and families, on a daily basis, and do everything in my power to help them with whatever they need, as best as I can. I plan to continue volunteering at these organizations, as well as look for new ways I can serve the community and give back to others.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness means understanding what is going on in the world at any given point in time. It is important to understand what is happening in the world and integrate those different experiences/cultural differences into our culture. I would like to promote global awareness by minoring in Spanish and traveling abroad over the summer to a Spanish-speaking country so that I can improve my language and intertwine with the Latino community. Also, I am currently taking Spanish 1103 so I’m working on my language skills.

Original Inquiry means finding your way of expressing something you are passionate about/something you have worked on for an extensive period of time. I plan on doing research in a lab during my undergraduate years so that I can help a scientist in some way and become more educated over a scientific topic I am passionate about. I would also like to take more advanced courses in neuroscience because I am really passionate about the different ways the brain works and the structural and chemical composition of it.

Academic Enrichment means challenging yourself with your coursework and also challenging your intelligence outside of the classroom in many ways. I plan to major in neuroscience, as a premed major, which will help prepare me for medical school. The topics I learn about in my neuroscience class pertain to topics covered on the MCAT and in medical school courses. I am also taking the prerequisite courses for medical school, which also serve the same purpose. I chose neuroscience because I am very passionate about psychology but I am also interested in the makeup of the brain. I chose Spanish as a minor because I enjoy communicating with the Hispanic population and I would like to be able to speak to Hispanic patients in the future, when I am a physician. I am selecting GE courses that are Honors, in order to challenge myself academically and promote development.

Leadership Development means partaking in activities where you can express yourself actively and in front of a group of people, in a positive way. I am currently participating in a group called the Enrichment Institute for Women where I can develop my leadership skills, among a group of women that are working in the professional world. This promotes my leadership skills because I am able to provide support to the women and speak on my own experiences, as a college student. This relates to my goal of being a doctor because I will need effective ways to communicate with people that are older and more experienced than myself. I have also shadowed cardiologists, which has helped me develop as a leader by promoting my social and professional skills. I would describe my leadership style as actively involved in what is happening around me and providing input and comfort to others as I see fit.

Service Engagement means volunteering and helping out those who need help, without being paid or given something in return. I currently volunteer for the Ohio Hispanic Coalition and the Ronald McDonald House. I plan to continue to engage in these volunteer opportunities and partake in new ones as my schedule permits. My service helps me understand the needs of those that have children that are undergoing rough medical conditions, and it helps me understand the needs of parents with bilingual children. I do my best to help those that are going through a tough time and provide them with the resources they need to feel like they are important.

About Me

I’m currently enrolled as a freshman at OSU. I’m majoring in neuroscience and on the premed track. My aspiration is to become an interventional cardiologist, after graduating from medical school.