This year was challenging and unexpected, yet rewarding. Amongst the global pandemic, I successfully completed my freshman year of college. Although unorthodox, I am grateful to have experienced many new activities, meet new people, and become acclimated to being a college student. I was able to take courses pertaining to my major, along with some unexpected general education courses, like anthropology and folklore.
This semester I applied to my Aerospace Engineering major through the Department of Engineering. In addition, I declared my Computer Science minor, and began working toward it. Next year I will be taking multiple major-specific classes, along with completing some of the final classes toward my minor. I hope to apply this coursework to potential summer internships in the coming year. I have been in contact with a few companies regarding these opportunities. Furthermore, I will be working on a few independent courses and coding projects over this summer in order to prepare.
I have been working towards furthering my involvement outside of the classroom as well. Last semester, I joined the Engineers Without Borders club to get involved with engineering projects in The Gambia, as well as to meet new people in the engineering college. I also joined the Society of Women Engineers, where I have made many connections with other female engineers at OSU. Here I was also exposed to various networking events and career resources. In partnership with the Engineering Department, I joined SKY Engineering, which is a meditation club focusing on wellness and meditative practices using the SKY methodology for engineering students. Lastly, this Spring I joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Through this I was able to become part of a community and connect with others amidst the pandemic. Within this sorority, I joined the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and have since become the co-editor and manager of the monthly newsletter.
This summer, along with independent programming coursework and projects, I plan on securing a research position at the university for the fall in one of the Aerospace Engineering labs. I also plan to continue to work a part-time job in Cincinnati at the UPS Store. In the future at OSU, I plan on studying abroad through an engineering specific program, in order to keep up with my coursework. I also plan on getting involved with mental health organizations in Columbus and on Ohio State’s campus. I would also love to potentially get involved with the Buckeye Space Launch Initiative in the coming semester.
I am very pleased with my experience at Ohio State this first year, and can’t wait for next year to be even better!