- Global Awareness: I am currently involved in a student organization called Advocates for Women of the World (AWOW). It is a club that promotes gender equity and equality both domestically and abroad.
- Original Inquiry: I am not currently involved in any research or advanced coursework, but I do plan on involving myself in them over the next few years as I fulfill my major and minor.
- Academic Enrichment: During high school, I took many AP and CCP courses to free up my class schedule. This allows me to focus more on my major and any other prerequisite I need for graduate school.
- Leadership Development: I am involved in many student organizations at Ohio State. I hope to gain leadership positions in them as I continue my studies here.
- Service Engagement: I have found it very difficult thus far to find service opportunities. I assume I will continue to struggle to find them as the pandemic wages on, but I hope to find virtual opportunities in the upcoming months.
Career
Here, I will compile documents and reflections about my experiences that will impact my future career. I will update this page as I complete more internships, research projects, service projects, etc.
Artifacts
Artifact 1:
The Claddagh is a traditional Irish symbol that represents love (heart), loyalty (crown), and friendship (hands). A few years ago, my great aunt gave me a Claddagh ring for my birthday and I wear it every day. The symbol and the ring itself remind me to stay grounded. It has reminded me and continues to remind me that even when life is difficult, I have a support system in my friends and family. This symbol relates to my goals in that it reminds me to keep going and that there are people rooting for me in all of my ventures. 
Artifact 2:
This is a book called Ethics & AIDS in Africa, and I chose to read this for a class I took this year (BIOETHC 3000: Case Studies in Medical and Healthcare Ethics). In this class, we were assigned a final paper in which we had to pick a topic we covered, provide a relevant case study, and ethically analyze the study and topic. The professor so kindly allowed me to stray from the syllabus, and I elected to write about the current state of the AIDS Epidemic and what ethically ending it might entail. This paper and book incorporated and allowed me to examine two of my biggest interests: bioethics and microbiology/HIV. Though this was not necessarily a challenge, I was able to grow academically as a specialized interest of mine was fostered in a class I thoroughly enjoyed.
About Me
Hello! I am Emily Watters and I am a sophomore at The Ohio State University. I am currently majoring in microbiology and minoring in bioethics. My short term goal is to successfully complete this school year by maintaining satisfactory grades while also prioritizing a healthy social life. My long term goal is to attend graduate school and earn a PhD in microbiology or virology, depending on the available programs.
Semester in Review
As my first semester at Ohio State draws to a close, I think it is safe to say that it was not what I thought it was going to be. Online classes, though challenging at times, taught me a very important lesson in time management. I quickly learned how I needed to budget time on assignments and studying in order to maintain good grades. I also learned just how important it is to take time for yourself. During an accelerated semester like no other, it is important to set the books down and just relax for a little bit to avoid burning out halfway through the semester. Additionally, I learned how important it is to join student organizations. I joined the Pre-Med Club, Alpha Epsilon Delta, AWOW, MSF, and Oval Dogs. I found that joining clubs was a great way to meet other students, especially once we were allowed to hold in-person events. To conclude, I would like to think I managed my first semester here well and I am looking forward to the next semester and the rest of my time here.
Second Year Review:
My sophomore year looked a lot different than my first year, mainly because my classes were in person for the most part. I would like to note that just because this year was different, it doesn’t mean that it was bad. The year had its bad moments, like most extended periods of time do, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of being able to experience college the way I should have last year. I would say that my biggest challenge this year was balancing a full course load, especially when two of those classes existed in the realm of organic chemistry. Throughout the semester, I found myself in a study group, and this little community helped me succeed in the class, but it also showed me how important building a community is. Upon successfully completing the courses, I became a peer mentor for organic chemistry, and I was able to help a student complete their course. I am still involved in AWOW, and I will be the club’s treasurer for the second year in a row. I have found this position to be very fulfilling as I am helping raise a fair amount of money for very good causes that seek to promote equality and inclusivity across the world as well as locally. I have also begun shadowing in a virology/microbiology lab on campus. I hope that I am able to be a part of a research project during my remaining years here. I would also like to become a TA for any of the classes I have enjoyed during my time here. I am very excited to see what the next two years hold for me!
Class Review:
The class that has impacted me the most during my first two years there has been “HIV: From Microbiology to Macrohistory” (MICRBIO/HIST 3704). By taking this course, I was able to foster my interest in HIV. This course provided an interdisciplinary examination of HIV. I learned about the historical aspects that were necessary for the zoonotic crossover event that would lead to the epidemic, as well as the host-virus interactions that are necessary for the chronic infection. Additionally, the course included a semester-long project called a Pecha Kucha. In essence, it is a 20-slide presentation, and each slide is on the screen for 20 seconds. The idea of this project made me quite anxious over the course of the semester, but now that it is over, I can say that it was a valuable experience. My group’s research question surrounded how CRISPR was being used to treat and cure HIV. It started out broad, and we found a lot of information about our topic. Eventually, we narrowed down all of the information to form a cohesive presentation that could be presented within the time constraints. This project has taught me even more about working with a group as well as how to take a lot of important information and condense it to make a compelling point.