As I come to the end of my first semester at OSU, I’ve made many new friends and have experienced many amazing things. I’ve met people who come from many diverse backgrounds and experiences and hearing their stories has opened my eyes to new perspectives of the world. As I continue on my journey through my undergraduate career, I plan to keep opening up to new people that I meet so that I can build a large network of friends and colleagues that I can exchange ideas with. At this point in my academic career I’m mainly focused on my courses but soon I plan to find ways to enrich my education outside of the classroom through opportunities such as research, volunteering, and internships. I currently participate in a few student organizations and I plan to continue to be an active member of those organizations in the future. I’m still pretty set on my goal of becoming a research scientist and going to graduate school when I’m done with my undergraduate education, but I’ve considered a few other options as well and I have learned that is important to keep my mind open to all of the opportunities that are out there for young college graduates. I know that my interests and goals could possibly change over the course of these next few years so I don’t want to rule out any options too soon.