-Chelsea Mishan
Earlier this year, the Columbus Zoo and the Wilds came to Ohio State and gave us a
presentation on a variety of different animals right on
campus! Two zookeepers came with not just a couple of
small animals; but a sloth, a lemur, a clouded leopard, an
echidna, a fennec fox, an owl, a penguin, and even an
armadillo!
With so many cool animals just feet away from you,it’s hard to not be amazed. We were fascinated to learn
about different facts about these animals and in the end,
we even got to pet a few. It was a crazy experience that many people don’t get the opportunity to see.
While this experience may have been seeing cool animals that you normally can’t see to others, but this experience decided my future. After this event, I realized that
I wanted to be a veterinarian, but not an ordinary cat or dog vet,
but a wildlife vet. Getting up and close to these animals you
don’t normally see intrigued me. I found every word the
zookeepers said interesting and realized my path. Before the
Zoo-to-You event, I was an undecided major. I had no idea what my major would be, where my passions were, or what my future entailed. But after attending many events put on both by OSU, it’s clubs, and STEM EE Scholars, I found my place. This experience was brought to Ohio State twice, once by STEM EE
Scholars, and again by the OSU Pre-Veterinary Medical Association.
There are so many opportunities on campus, whether it revolves around your major or something you never would have thought of finding interest in.
Stretching from petting penguin to attending a lecture of a professor from a different university to
trivia and karaoke, there’s always something going on. Every day there’s
something new, whether it’s in the Ohio Union, across campus, in the
libraries, or even in the dorms, you can always find a way to step away from
your work, stress, and exams and find something you’re passionate in or just
a way to stress-relieve.