This year has been a whirlwind. I experienced a devastating loss this school year which altered me immensely. My grandmother passed away in September 2019. She and I were very close and I loved her deeply.  She passed away while I was at school (I was supposed to be returning home the next morning). I had lost other people while I was in college, but I had never lost something so close to me and I was devastated. I found myself pushing away from all of my friends at college and I was pushing away from academics as well. To be honest, I was completely derailed. However, eventually, I realized that she would not have wanted me to suffer so deeply over her loss. She became my driving force. I pushed myself harder than I ever have and I reaffirmed my commitment to academics because I know that is what she would’ve wanted. I was also reminded of how important family is and how to never take the people in your life for granted. I hope that is a lesson I will carry with me always. Here’s to you, grandma.

As of now, I am a second-year student in my spring semester. I still have four semesters to go and I have a lot to accomplish in that time. Firstly, I would like to use my remaining time at The Ohio State University to raise my GPA. I would love to be able to graduate Magna Cum Laude which requires a GPA between 3.70-3.89. I hope to continue to excel academically while here. I also hope to be accepted into SPHINX, one of the senior honoraries here. I have had my sights on becoming a member of SPHINX basically since I stepped on campus. I would also like to become the President of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Club in the future. I have been a member of this club for the past four semesters and animal welfare means a lot to me and I want to continue to grow that passion while also furthering my leadership skills. I will also be joining the Animal Welfare judging team and hopefully the Dairy Judging Team next semester as well. Join these teams will put me on the path of becoming a Dairy Judge which is something I have been interested in for many years.