Month: April 2017

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.