Starting in January of my freshman year, I began doing research in Leight Lab on campus. This notebook is where I have planned out all my experiments and made notes on new protocols and techniques I learn in the lab. For me, this notebook, while small, is a huge representation of how I have grown while at Ohio State these past two years. My first semester in the lab was difficult, as I was in a world I have never been exposed to before – the world of research. On top of difficult classes, I was now having to learn advanced lab techniques, as well as review basic biology, as I hadn’t taken a biology class since my freshman year of high school. Moving on to my second and third semesters in this lab, though, I grew from being overwhelmed to excited to go into the lab every day. Seeing the pages in my notebook slowly get filled with more and more information is an encouragement to me to continue working at things even when they are difficult at first, because the end result is so worth it. Working in this lab has been one of the most rewarding experiences and I cannot wait to see what I am able to accomplish next.

Each year at my high school, one graduating senior is presented with the Sister Bernadette Vetter Award. This award recognizes the student that best lived out the mission of the school during her four years. I was fortunate enough this past year to be the student selected from among my peers by the faculty and staff to receive this award. At my high school, I was incredibly involved in many different areas – athletics, performing arts, campus ministry, volunteering, and helping with various events for the school. However, I never expected to be recognized in such a big way for my involvement. It was nice to know that the work I had done didn’t go unnoticed, so this award is very important to me and encourages me to continue living out a life that is focused on learning, service, and leadership.

I attended the corn maze in Little Darby Creek with the Biological Sciences Scholars group a few weeks ago. While this may not be an “academic” activity, I really enjoyed it because it allowed me to meet more people from the Scholars program that I hadn’t previously met. It was a really nice way to get to know people better while also de-stressing by doing some fun fall-themed activities!