Reflecting on My Sophomore Year

My sophomore year at Ohio State seems like it has gone by in the blink of an eye. This year has been the busiest one yet and has been full of positives (and, as with any year, some negatives). Both my second and third semester course schedules have been mainly filled with public health courses, which I have enjoyed– as I finally realized where my academic interests lay. Following winter break, I officially applied for the public health major with a specialization in sociology in the College of Public Health and was accepted. I am now on track to graduate early with a B.S. in Public Health and hope to continue on to receive a Master’s. Following a tough freshman year, I made the Dean’s List during the autumn semester and hope to make it back at the culmination of spring semester.

This year, I began working at the front desk in my Residence Hall and have truly enjoyed this experience. Due to moving from Smith-Steeb to a new building with completely different faces (and due to my job as at the front desk), I have been able to meet new people and make long-lasting friendships.

Although I am officially a public health student, I am still unsure about my future career. However, my interest has piqued in issues of public/health policy. Due to my interest in international affairs and my membership in the International Affairs Scholars cohort, I hope to work with health policy at the global level.

I am excited for my courses next year and hope they will guide me in choosing a career path upon graduation.

Savage Inequalities

Kozol Write-Up #6 -29awvwg

During my fourth semester at Ohio State, I took a Social Stratification course dealing with inequality, race, gender, and class in society. Throughout the semester, we were assigned weekly readings, such as articles and peer-reviewed journals. One week, we were assigned Jonathan Kozol’s novel– Savage Inequalities. This novel is about disparities in the education system between schools and examines the extremes of wealth and poverty while calling into question the reality of equal opportunity in America’s schools. With these readings, we were required to submit 1-2 page reflections summarizing the article(s) or book and reflecting back to our own experience in society.

I very much enjoyed reading Kozol’s book and believe it is an important topic that everyone should be educated on. In my reflection, I conclude that the United States has not made large advances in the public school system. Education is a right and not a privilege that should be offered only to those who can afford to send their children to wealthy and private schools. Every child deserves a quality education. Children have no choice about what conditions they are born into and this should not affect their life outcomes. Public education should be a top priority in the United States, as it is the foundation of a successful society.

Second Year Skills and Experiences

During my sophomore year, I got the opportunity to work for the Office of Student Life as an Office Assistant at my on-campus residence hall. When I was offered the position, I had no idea how much of an impact it would have on my experience at Ohio State. I have made multiple friendships and have gotten very close with the rest of the staff. This position allowed me to meet people in my 600+ residence hall that I would have otherwise never spoken to. In addition to this, I have gained multiple resume building skills that have been extremely helpful in my recent applications for summer Congress and other office-related internships. As an office assistant, I was responsible for greeting students and staff, handling sensitive information, distributing mail, maintaining database, answering phone calls, and corresponding with senior staff and faculty members. I believe that this job has prepared me for office-related positions dealing with customer service and am grateful I was able to be a part of Ohio State’s Office of Student Life.

 

End of Fourth Semester G.O.A.L.S Update

Through my experience as an International Affairs Scholar, I participated in a year-long project my second year designed to supplement and add to my scholars involvement.

I chose to use my dedicated membership in a student organization called Global Health Initiative as my project. Being a student in the college of public health (looking to get involved in public and health policy/advocacy) and an International Affairs Scholar, I knew this project would be a perfect fit. Throughout my time at Ohio State, I have come to realize the interconnectedness of both fields and have been able to apply knowledge I have gained in one subject to the other.

Because of my experience with this project and with my scholars group, I have found a major I am passionate about and that combines my experiences being a foreign service child, my interest in global affairs, and my devotion to health issues.

Local Environmental Health Assignment

Local Environmental Health Assignment (1)-25e0oqb

During my fourth semester at Ohio State, I enrolled in a public health course focusing on environmental issues. My specialization is in sociology, however, I have always been interested in the environment and know that health is largely influenced by it.

This course was made up of two main assignments: a local and a global one. Every student was assigned a state for the local paper and a country for the global paper.

The goal of both assignments was to gain understanding about a current environmental issue and propose a solution to address the issue.

For this particular assignment, I was given the task to write about Massachusetts. Through researching issues on the state’s local Environmental Protection Agency, I decided to focus on lead poisoning and its effects on children.

This assignment allowed me to gain knowledge about a different area of the country and to propose a solution to an issue of concern and predict its outcomes.

 

Experiences and Skills

When I was a junior in high school, I began my first job at a local frozen yogurt and smoothie chain in my hometown. Since then, I have worked for Panera Bread and as a hostess at True Food Kitchen– a popular restaurant with multiple locations across the nation. Currently, I work for the Office of Student Life at Ohio State as an Office Assistant at my residence hall.

These four positions have allowed me to gain experience and multiple transferrable skills for other positions and a career post-graduation. These skills include customer service, communication, conflict and issue resolution, teamwork, and interpersonal strengths.

Challenges in Prisoner Reentry

challenges-in-prisoner-reentry-final-copy

During my sophomore year at Ohio State, I enrolled in my first criminology class. I have always been intrigued by this field of study, but did not plan on taking any courses relating to it. However, as I am in the sociology specialization of the public health major, there are a few classes I am required to take relating to crime, stratification, and justice.

In this criminology class, we discussed the many theories of crime (which I was not aware existed) and the different subtypes and categories of crime. Although confusing and extensive, my professor did an amazing job explaining each theory in her lectures and in the practice activities we completed.

As a final project, each student had to choose a topic of interest related to crime and write a research paper synthesizing findings from academic sources. The topic I chose was prisoner reentry and the challenges ex-offenders face when integrating back into society. In my paper, I argue that the challenges in housing, employment, and family relationships faced by parolees expose the need for additional and improved reentry programs. And that, above all, it is important to prepare prisoners for re-entry by placing them into such programs prior to release, and by monitoring them throughout the reentry course.

Comparative Health Project- Infant Mortality

comparative-health-problem-infant-mortality-final-paper

During my third semester at Ohio State, I took an upper-level public health course called “U.S. and International Health Care.” Before starting the semester, I was very nervous due to the fact that I had just began taking core public health courses (and that this would be my first course at the 4,000 level). Although I was challenged by the course content, timed online quizzes, and essay-filled exams, it turned out to be one of the more interesting courses I have taken since being at this university. One of the major components of this course was a group research paper accompanied by a video presentation. The research paper was a comparative one, and we were able to choose a public health topic and the countries we wanted to study. My group chose infant mortality and looked at how the United States, Afghanistan, and Norway are dealing with the issue through a comparative lens.

Of the three countries, Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate and Norway has the lowest. Many assume that the United States has a lower infant mortality, however, data suggests that this is not the case. Our paper explains why the United States is not at the ‘top’ and how it can decrease its infant mortality. Additionally, it describes how Norway’s healthcare system has achieved its low rate and why Afghanistan is experiencing such a high rate of infant mortality. The paper concludes with suggestions for improvement in both Afghanistan and the U.S.

Although completing this project was challenging (assigning research, paper sections, and coordinating meetings is not always easy when working with others who have completely different schedules and commitments), I breathed a sigh of relief once it was submitted and am quite happy with and proud of the final product.

 

G.O.A.L.S. Update

One of the main reasons I chose to attend Ohio State was its highly renowned Honors & Scholars program. While looking through the list of programs offered, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of the International Affairs cohort and dedicated the following days to perfecting my scholars supplemental essay.

My decision to be in the International Affairs cohort was mainly due to my experience living and studying in four different countries while also being exposed to a wide range of cultural backgrounds. With my passion for global issues, I hoped to learn more and widen my perspective further, and being a student at Ohio State has done exactly that. Throughout my time at this university, I have been able to attend events ranging from a talk about the refugee crisis from a historical perspective, to an international coffee tasting centered around a discussion about identities, traditions, and experiences.

I have recently attended an information session about a student organization coming to campus in the spring semester. This organization involves mentoring refugee high school students in the Columbus area. This program is unique in that it uses an online platform with 24/7 access to your student. I quickly jumped at this opportunity to help with an issue that I am passionate about and have a lot of interest in. I am now going through the application and interviewing process and hope to be selected as one of the sixteen mentors this coming semester. I feel that being a part of this organization will pair perfectly with my involvement in International Affairs scholars and will help me fulfill my vision as a successful scholars student.

Update

screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-8-07-32-pm

As I begin my second year at Ohio State and reflect on my freshman year, I realize that many things have changed. When I started my undergraduate education at Ohio State, I was completely undecided with regard to my major. However, I thought I was interested in career paths related to food sciences, development, and sustainability. After some exploration with classes related to those career paths, I decided that, although the topics were very interesting, I did not see myself pursuing a career in the food science/environmental field. Additionally, when I began my freshman year, I was convinced that I would pursue a pre-medicine path. After a long struggle with my chemistry courses, I realized that I was pushing myself to do something I did not have a passion for and that I was merely doing because of my childhood dream of becoming a ‘prestigious’ doctor.

Now, as a second-year student, I have finally decided on a major and have come to realize that the classes I am currently taking fit perfectly with my interests and complement my strengths. The degree I am now pursuing is a Bachelor of Science in Public Health—and will be applying to the BSPH and MPH combined five-year program in order to receive a Master of Public Health in health behavior and promotion.

As an International Affairs Scholar, I have a wide variety of resources available for my use and am able to study and learn about a field other than my major. I find that to be the main reason why I chose to be in this program. Coming from a background of living in multiple countries throughout my childhood, I have a great interest in international relations and affairs. I consider it a great privilege to be able to exercise this interest without having to sacrifice space in my schedule for classes that would not count toward my major. Now that I have decided on a field of study, I realized that being an International Affairs Scholar fits perfectly well with public health, as many of my classes deal with global health, epidemiology, and international health policies.

I am currently involved in multiple public health related campus organizations and hope to become more involved in the College of Public Health as I progress through my sophomore year.