G.O.A.L.S.

The acronym G.O.A.L.S stands for Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement.

  • Global Awareness pushes students to cultivate and develop an appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. I have demonstrated global awareness in the past through my volunteering abroad and teaching at Chinese school. I plan to continue to show global awareness by getting involved in CASA, the Chinese American Student Association, and educating myself on issues affecting POC and other groups of minorities, especially in the health fields as a pre-health student.
  • Original Inquiry entails understanding the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. In my Biology 1114 lab, my lab group and I conducted an observational experiment on captive orangutans at the San Diego Zoo and will present our findings about the activity levels of female orangutans of different age groups at the end of the semester. Starting in SP21, I am in Dr. Risa Pesapane’s Parasite and Pathogen Ecology Lab researching the prevalence of tick-borne diseases.
  • Academic Enrichment means pursuing academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom. I have adjusted well to taking college courses, and based on my grades for each course that I am taking I expect to finish my first semester with a good GPA. Next semester I will challenge myself by taking more credit hours and getting more involved in student organizations. I also aim to compete in an event with HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) in the spring in order to learn more in-depth information about a certain aspect of the health field.
  • Leadership Development involves developing leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in co-curricular activities, and in future roles in society. I held several board positions in high school, which taught me how to work with others to ensure the success of a larger group, and my teaching experience at my Chinese school improved my problem-solving and communication skills. I want to aim for leadership positions in college and learn how to shoulder more responsibility, starting with applying to be a chair for a programming team in the Biological Sciences Scholars.
  • Service Engagement is committing to service to the community. Currently volunteer opportunities are hard to find or do consistently due to COVID-19, but I have tried to participate in service when possible through activities such as socializing rabbits at the Ohio House Rabbit Rescue and the plarn event organized within the Biological Sciences Scholars. A long-term commitment I hope to keep is volunteering at the Ohio Wildlife Center’s Hospital once they open new volunteer applications.

About Me

Hi! I’m Selena Wang, a student in the class of 2024 at The Ohio State University from Edison, New Jersey. I am currently majoring in biology with the aim to get into veterinary school.

In high school I was most involved in my choir, where I sang in four ensembles and served as secretary of choir council in junior and senior year. I was also secretary of the Modern Music Masters (Tri-M) Honor Society my senior year, helping to coordinate volunteer opportunities and organize concerts. Choir and Tri-M taught me about the importance of cooperation as a team while also allowing me to realize how much impact an individual has within a group, and I appreciate that my positions allowed me to have a more direct line of communication to the students I served. Additionally, I joined my school’s Animal Welfare Society in order to volunteer at the township animal shelter, and in senior year I served as treasurer of the club, where I raised money for donations to various animal welfare organizations. Outside of school, beginning freshman year I volunteered to create a curriculum and teach a conversational Mandarin class at my local Chinese school for students who had less exposure to speaking Mandarin at home. Conversely, in the summers of my freshman and sophomore year I traveled to China with different organizations and taught English to the kids there. These opportunities let me use my language abilities to help others connect with their culture and let me learn about and embrace my culture as well. If you couldn’t already tell, I love volunteering and serving others, and I believe that there is always something that can be learned through these experiences and the people involved. That’s a big part of why I decided to join the Biological Sciences Scholars program as well as the Pre-Veterinary Medical Association. These groups allow me to give back to the local community of Columbus that I have really come to appreciate and also give me the chance to get closer to achieving my career aspirations.

Attending an out-of-state college and attempting to get involved on campus along with keeping up with my classes in the middle of a pandemic is not easy, but I am not one to give up easily and fully intend to make the most of my time here!