In order to guide Ohio State’s brightest towards a more well-rounded and impactful life, the university created five facets for their Honors and Scholars to follow. These facets, called GOALS, stand for Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. While all should be applied to one’s life, I believe that the two pillars most applicable to my future are Global Awareness and Academic Enrichment.
Ever since day one, the Global Awareness aspect of the University’s GOALS has stood out to me the most. I have always had a passion for travel and for exploring different cultures the world has to offer. Currently, I’ve only visited Croatia where I have family. I’ve learned so much from my exposure to this culture, but I cannot help wanting more. While I am here at Ohio State, I soon hope to have the chance to study abroad and do research pertaining to my major, Biomedical Engineering. One option for this would be a study abroad program that brings students to India to visit a clinic that manufactures prosthetics (while also saving time to explore!). Past my undergraduate career, one of my goals is to find research abroad. As BME becomes more and more popular, there are ample opportunities opening up worldwide that utilize the field’s practices. Ten years from now, I hope to have cemented a job. While this may put travel on the backburner, that doesn’t mean that it will be impossible. Plus, I will have gained a myriad of experiences through my exposure to diverse cultures and people. Seeing how things differ worldwide will provide me with a more well-informed and open-minded mentality.
On the other hand, the Academic Enrichment aspect of GOALS is something that I have been incorporating into my life since high school. In my freshman year of high school, I did not challenge myself whatsoever; by senior year, though, I had completed numerous AP and honors classes. I’ve always been proud of the fact that I had pushed myself to try better and learn more. I continue this trend through my major/minor and the current classes I’m taking. Every time I tell someone that I am in BME, they usually scoff and wish me good luck. Added with a minor in professional writing, my coursework over the next four years seems challenging to say the least. However, I’m committed to excelling in my field and its accompanying courses. Not only do I hope that a successful and impactful career will be waiting for me after graduation, but I also hope to gain as much knowledge as I can through the plethora of studies I’ll be undertaking. Outside of classes, I’m also beginning a research position. This will give me experience in research (which I want to do professionally), as well as offering me a unique learning opportunity that I would have missed out on otherwise!