Vision Statement and Statement of Action

Vision Statement: My vision is to become a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician one day. I am willing to put forth all of my efforts to achieve this goal, one step at a time.

Statement of Action: For the remaining 2 years as a college student, I have several things I need to accomplish to achieve this goal. First off, I must finish taking all of the courses that are on the MCAT. Next, in less than a year from now, I will take the MCAT exam. Then, I must work diligently to enhance my experiences to make me a stronger applicant for medical school. Specific areas I need improvement in include, shadowing hours and clinical experience. After that, I will apply to a variety of medical schools. Finally, I will focus on completing my degree and graduating in SP2023.

End of Second Year Reflection

My second year undoubtedly came with many, many challenges. The courses I took were more rigorous, my time commitments piled, my stress levels increased, and on top of it all, I was living through a global pandemic. The particularly difficult courses I was taking include Organic Chemistry lectures and labs, Human Physiology, Molecular Genetics, and Integrated Biology. The first semester of my second year, I had was still managing everything surprisingly well. I was staying on top of my work and was able to balance all my responsibility. But unfortunately, this came at the cost of my mental health. I was experiencing high levels of stress constantly and it caused many physical effects on my body. Luckily, I got help and have returned to a better state. The second semester of my second year has been difficult in its own way. I feel as though I began to burn out from online school. Staying motivated is much easier when I am in person and having constant interactions with classmates and faculty. I began to struggle to stay on top of my responsibilities which had increased since my first semester. But luckily, with the help of my colleagues, I was able to pull myself together to finish the semester strong.

Although I had to overcome challenges, I also had many positive experiences in my second year. For one, I was extremely proud of my success in Organic Chemistry I. Being a super difficult course. My hours and hours of studying truly paid off. In addition to this, I was re-selected as the Future Opportunites Chair for Biological Sciences Scholars in January. I even got a position as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Bronson in EEOB 2520. I was able to remain on the Dean’s List consecutively for the first three semesters of college as well. As a part of the STEP program, I paired up with Dr. Rakotondraibe at the College of Pharmacy to pursue my research project in the coming Autumn Semester. This past week, I got a position in Patient Transport at Riverside and will be working full time this coming summer. I am very excited about the upcoming experiences and I am hopeful that things will start t go back to normal.

Review of Chem 2510

Chem 2510 is the organic chemistry course I took last semester. We learned the basics of organic chemistry and began to learn different reactions. There was a quiz at the end of the week to assess how well you have mastered the material in addition to 2 midterms and 1 final exam. This course was challenging and really put my study skills to the test. What allowed me to do so well in the course was my disciplined study skills. I worked extremely hard to understand and practice the concepts I had learned. The strong foundation I had built definitely aided in my success in the following course that I am taking now, Organic Chemistry II. As organic chemistry is tested on the MCAT I will most definitely be revisiting this area when I study. The solid foundation I built in understanding organic chemistry will definitely aid my MCAT studies in the near future.

Volunteering at Riverside Methodist

I began volunteering in November of 2019 at Riverside Methodist Hospital, which is a 10-minute COTA bus ride from campus. This is the picture I took at orientation when I first received the volunteer badge that gave me access to the hospital. I was able to volunteer up until the pandemic began in March of 2020. I gained a lot of experience working in a hospital setting, communicating with nurses, and providing outstanding patient care. I had a lot of special patient interactions from this position and I am eager to go back. Volunteering at Riverside every week reminds me of my career goals and it motivates me every week to do my best in academics and other school activities so that I can one day get to my career goal od being a Physician.

Abstract

My name is Rita Suzawa and I am a 2nd-year undergraduate student at the Ohio State University. My major is Biology on the Pre-Med track and I am minoring in Developmental Psychology. I will be sharing my various experiences as an Ohio State University Scholars student on this e-portfolio to document my progress.

A Kid Again’s Columbus Crew Jackets Game

I have been volunteering with A Kid Again’s organization for quite sometime now but my favorite event this past semester was definitely the Columbus Crew Jackets Game. I signed up last minute when I read an email saying that they had needed some extra face painters. It wasn’t a part of OSU’s chapter so I was worried about transportation but I am so glad I decided to sign up. It was a very large event, much larger than the events I had worked before and there were so many kids who wanted their faces painted. I was overwhelmed at first by the number of kids in line but with four face painters we were able to handle it. Hearing the families stories and the kids tell me about themselves reinforced how much I wanted to go into pediatrics. Their stories were so inspirational and the kids were so strong and brave. But what made this event so memorable and what inspired me the most was that despite all their hardships, the kids were having the absolute time of their lives. Just by the looks on their faces you would have no idea what they had been through. Seeing the kids with smiles going from ear to ear and being able to help them have fun was a great feeling. By the end of the night I had face paint allover my arms, hands, and a little on my face too. But I was okay with it because of how hard the kids were laughing when they got to paint different animals and spider-man all over my arms. I love and cherish every opportunity I get with A Kid Again but this event will stick with me for a long time. Their faces were so memorable and had such a strong and empowering feeling attached to it. These are the moments I will hold onto as I pursue my career.

Volunteering at Riverside Hospital

Back in November I began volunteering at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Patient Discharge. I knew that this opportunity would allow me to gain experience working in a hospital setting as well as experience with patient interaction. But I have gained far more than just this. I have made such great relationships with my fellow volunteers and we make a great team to make sure each patient receives the best care as they depart from the hospital. I have also realized how much I love interacting with patients. Even in the short 10 to 15 minutes I get with each patient, I feel like I establish a connection with every single one of them.  Discharging a patient is such a positive experience not just for the patient but for me as a volunteer as well. Seeing them leave healthier than they were when they came in or often times with a new bundle of joy in their arms is such an amazing feeling. Being able to ensure that patients leave Riverside Hospital on a positive note has become my favorite part of the week. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, volunteers are not active in the hospital at the current time. My weeks in quarantine truly feel a little empty without my shifts at Riverside. But I look forward to returning and I hope to pick up an extra shift once volunteer services opens back up. I love getting to volunteer at Riverside every week and plan to continue doing so throughout the rest of my undergrad.

A Kid Again OSU

My main area of interest in medicine is Pediatrics. I find passion in caring for and nurturing kids that I knew from the start that my career would involve kids. These are photos from winter of 2015, at A Kid Again’s Holiday Party. This was the very first A Kid Again Event that I had ever volunteered at. I performed several dances with my dance team and got to dance with this sweet girl pictured above. It’s been four years since then and I have now volunteered at multiple Holiday Party Events, as well as A Kid Again’s Spring Fling, Magic Show, and Columbus Crew Adventure. When I came to OSU, I knew that one of the student organizations I wanted to take part in was A Kid Again. A Kid Again gives the chance for children with life threatening illnesses as well as their families to have the time of their lives and “Give Illness A Time-Out”.

With Ohio State’s Chapter, I have volunteered at the Columbus Crew Game Adventure and I have also become pen pals with two kids from the Central Ohio area. These experiences have allowed me to interact and engage in activities with the families who are dealing with the situation of having a child with a life-threatening illness. I have learned how to communicate, work as a team, develop and carry out ideas, and most importantly enabled for the kids to take a break from reality and make life-long memories. I plan to volunteer for as many A Kid Again events possible and stay involved with the organization throughout my undergraduate studies.

Volunteer hours in hospitals are essential to get proper training and to get used to the types of environments that we may one day be working in. However, I believe that the experiences that people can obtain will resonate in a way that will remind themselves why they chose to do what they do. This is why I chose to volunteer for A Kid Again for all these years- it has given me the experiences of a lifetime.

Paint Pot Scholars Event!

The first Biological Sciences Scholars event I attended was the Paint Pot Session in Jennings. I had so much fun painting my pot and getting to know my fellow Bio-Sci scholars. This event has allowed me to make great relationships and connections. Having connections and relationships with other students in the same scholars program has been helpful when working together to study for harder classes such as chemistry. I also believe that starting relationships and connections with students in your field can be quite beneficial as one day you may be working in the same building as your fellow scholar. I plan to take part in many more scholars events throughout the rest of the year and I look forward to them.