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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

I have always been fascinated by the way things work. From a young age, I would tinker with any toy I could get my hands on; I would take them apart, scrutinize and learn their mechanics, and put them back together again. As the complexity of my tinkering grew, so did my skills, and I went from re-assembling objects to modifying them. I replaced springs in Nerf guns so they would shoot twice as far and rewired an electric scooter so that it could reach alarming speeds (I still need figure out the brakes). I quickly began to realize that my passion went beyond solely understanding things but in improving them as well. Armed with this realization and understanding my analytical nature, I landed on my major, Industrial and Systems Engineering, which has always seemed like the perfect route to both cultivate my talents and apply my interests.

A major component of ISE that I am drawn to is the business-minded aspect that all other types of engineering don’t seem to encapsulate; with an ISE degree I have the opportunity to leadership roles as an engineer. This is something that I value deeply, as a practiced leader and Mount Leadership Society scholar.  My strong public speaking and social skills are valuable traits in the STEM field and something that I believe sets me up for success.

I seek to improve the world around me and grow my knowledge of cultures and ideas I am unfamiliar with; I’m confident that the skills I will acquire at Ohio State will help me achieve that goal. I am passionate, accomplished, and motivated, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me!

Career

Zack Singer         (440)-665-1964           Zsinger123@gmail.com

Education

  • The Ohio State University, expected to graduate in 2021 with B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering specializing in data analytics and optimization
    • GPA: 3.971
  • Solon High School, Solon Ohio, honors diploma 2014-2017
  • Graduate of Kennametal Youth Engineers Program 2016

Employment

  • L-Brands, Reynoldsburg, Ohio – Commercialization Services Intern May-August 2019
  • RnD Consulting, Solon, Ohio – Intern June-August 2018
  • Visited clients across the country and interviewed key staff to understand their manufacturing processes to determine if they qualify for R&D tax credits
  • Identified qualifying activities and cost for client’s R&D tax credits
  • Supported completion of calculation and delivery of tax credit results
  • Safe Drive, Solon, Ohio – Founder 2016-2017
  • Created a company that provides peer to peer designated driving services focused on the nights of school dances
  • Greensong LLP, Cleveland Heights, Ohio – Site Manager 2015-2017
  • Responsible for maintenance and renovation projects at this property management company

Community Service

  • Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services – Teacher August 2018-present
    • Teaching English, communication skills, and citizenship information to immigrants and refugees
  • Stowe Mission, OSU – Project Coordinator 2017-2018
    • Organized and facilitated hygiene bag drive for the homeless of the greater Columbus, Ohio area
  • Alumni Relations Committee – Member 2017-2018
  • Saltzman Youth Panel – Fellow 2015-2016
  • Analyzed grant requests and collaborated with other teens to allocate $50,000 to various establishments and charities in the Jewish community

Leadership Experience

  • Mount Leadership Society Scholars Program – Fellow 2017-present
    • Member of highly renowned scholars program at the Ohio State University that focuses on enhancing leadership skills and community service
  • BuckeyeThon – Team Captain 2017-present
    • Lead recruitment and fundraising efforts for 24-hour dance marathon for pediatric cancer research
  • Relay for Life – Team Captain 2011-present
  • Captain of a team at the annual 24-hour cancer awareness event raising over $17,000 in total in the past 7 years. Participant in event since 2001
  • Comets Fighting Cancer Club – President 2014-2017
  • Organized and led over 80 members, facilitated fundraisers for cancer research
  • Donate for Life Club – Officer & co-Founder 2015-2017
  • Helped create club and led over 50 members, fundraised for organ donation awareness
  • Future Business Leaders of America – Officer 2015-2017
    • Organized and led over 30 people, learned professional business skills

Interests and Activities

  • OSU Engineering curriculum – ability to use programs such as Excel, MATLAB and Java
  • Soccer – team Captain, four-year varsity letterman, four-year all-region academic athlete
  • The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta – Recruitment Chair
  • Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers – Columbus Early Learning Center Consultant

Artifacts

My first artifact is one of my most prized possessions; although it carries significant monetary value, its value to me is purely sentimental. The necklace that I almost never take off is a golden Star of David with חַי (chai), meaning “life”, transcribed in the center. The star was originally encompasses by a gold and diamond circle that belonged to my Mother; however, today I wear one half and my sister wears the other. Additionally, the necklace was made by my second cousin who is a jeweler. This necklace is irreplaceable and therefore priceless. It’s value lies not only in its strong connection to my family, but in the necklace’s significance in Jewish culture. Although Judaism has never been very important to me from a religious aspect, I have always felt a strong connection with Jewish culture. The necklace is a frequent reminder of those friends, family and people all over the world that I share that connection with. Throughout history and in many places still today Jews are persecuted for something as simple as wearing a Star of David necklace so I like to wear it with pride and let it serve as a reminder for those who cannot express religious freedom. To me the necklace represents many things, but when I look at it I always think of my family. College is tough being separated from your loved ones, but having at least one thing to remember them always makes me feel more at home.

About Me

Zack Singer recently graduated from Solon High School which was named part of the best public school district in the United States by Niche.com. At Solon, he excelled in and out of the classroom; he received an honors diploma and honor roll while juggling extracurricular activities like being captain of the state ranked soccer team, president of Comets Fighting Cancer Club and CEO of Safe Drive, a designated driving company he started himself. Since high school, Zack has begun studying Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Ohio State University where he plans to get involved in similar leadership and community service roles to ones he held in Solon.