Career

Currently I am studying psychology on the pre-medical track, and I am hoping to pursue a career in psychiatry after attending medical school. To prepare myself for this career path I have tried to take a course load that will set me up to be able for this path. At the end of my second year of college I am setting myself up to be about halfway through my major classes, and only have four more classes I need for my pre-med track. In the upcoming semesters I plan to complete my classes I need to complete my degree in psychology, and I will also be completing my pre-med classes and applying to medical schools. I am hoping to take the MCAT at the end of the spring 2023, and then apply to medical schools the following fall with the hope of attending medical school directly after my undergraduate.

Some of the extracurriculars that I am a part of that aid in my goals are my involvement in my fraternity. I am currently the secretary of the fraternity Theta Xi at Ohio State. Theta Xi is a small fraternity (~30 members) that is very academically minded, and works very diligently to progress in our academic standings. This organization has helped me learn valuable leadership skills, value my academics, and network with many alumni and members from across the country. Another extracurricular I have is the Mount Leadership Scholars program at Ohio State. This is the scholars program at Ohio State that is established to help teach young adults what it really means to be a leader, and give them opportunities to grow as leaders. In this organization I have been able to serve the local JCC for over 75 hours of service, plan and organize a leadership conference focused on citizenship, and attend many events to help educate me on diverse aspects of the world.

Some mentors I have connected with about my career goals are various doctors that I have established relationships with. I have already been in contact with two doctors that I know very well, and been able to get a lot of great advice regarding experience needed for medical school applications. My hope is that over the next two years I can continue to create more relationships with people more experienced in the medical field and the application process to provide me with guidance and advice through my process.

Artifacts

Artifact 1

For my artifact I chose a picture of apples and honey. This picture is significant to me because it represents my Jewish identity, and how it has adapted since I have arrived at Ohio State. I grew up in a Reform Jewish family, and it has always been a huge part of who I am. I grew up in a very diverse area in Northern Virginia, but  the Jewish population was not very extensive. However, I have always been very proud of my Jewish heritage, and spoken a lot about it all my life. I was a big member of my synagogue and Sunday School from first grade all the way through sophomore year of high school, and continued going there through graduation. My temple always felt like an inclusive space, and I always felt welcome there.

Since being at Ohio State I have found new ways to express my Jewish identity. So far, in the Mount Scholars Program alone, I have met more Jewish people than I had in my high school of 2,000+ students. This has been super cool, because a lot of us are able to talk about and relate on things a lot of people do not understand. I have also become active at the Hillel Center at Ohio State, and am partaking in a fellowship there, and I have learned a lot through it. Lastly, my Judaism had adapted as well. I have always gone to the high holidays, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, at temple every year for as long as I can remember. These are the two most holy days in the Jewish year, and they are our new year and day of atonement. One of the trademark things of Rosh Hashana, the new year, is apples and honey, which is meant to bring in a sweet new year. This year I was unable to make it to temple for the first time in a long time, but me and a couple other Jewish people I met here did something special: we did our own Rosh Hashana. While we did not do a service, we ate apples and honey, educated others on the holiday, and celebrated our holiday. It was something really special, and something I will remember it for a long time.

 

Artifact 2

For my second artifact I have selected a picture of my computer. This computer is meaningful to me because it is very symbolic of my college experience thus far. Since March of my senior year I have had to attend classes online, both synchronously and asynchronously. The biggest significance in this the past couple months has been the fact that I have not experienced any other version of college. The entirety of my college experience so far has been through the screen pictured. This has caused me to learn to adapt to this challenge, and has taught me to become more proactive about doing my work. Since getting to college, I have had to account for myself 100% of the time, and virtual classes have definitely taught me this through trial by fire.

Another facet of my artifact I have chosen is what is on my computer screen. On my screen is a word document with my “lesson plan: part 1” for my legacy week project through the Mount Scholars Program. Legacy week for Mount scholars is when we break into different teams (poverty, environment, health, global, education, and abuse) and each team facilitates two service projects in their area to help better our community. The team I am on is team Environment. Over the past couple of months I have become very involved in the planning of this project, and is my teams main communicator with one of our organizations, Green Columbus. This project has already taken so much work, and it is something that everyone is hoping will go well, as we try to inform the greater Columbus area about the negative affects of illegal dumping. While this project will only go so far for all of us helping make it happen, we are hoping our project has a lasting effect that benefits the community around our beautiful campus.

 

Artifact 3

For my third artifact I have selected my singular tattoo that I have. This tattoo is of the character Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, and it is placed on the inside of my right ankle. The tattoo is made up of stitch holding a hat in his hands, and also has a safety pin placed on his left ear. The tattoo in its entirety is really meaningful to me, and has multiple deep meanings. First off, I have a cartoon character from my childhood on the inside of my right ankle to honor my dad, who has a tattoo of Underdog (a tattoo from his childhood) on the same spot. Next, the exact character was picked because of what he stands for: Ohana (family). Stitch symbolizes all of the family you have, both the one you are born into and the one you get to pick during your life. This is incredibly meaningful to me, because I have close friends who I consider to be parts of my family. The hat he also is holding happens to be Woody from Toy Story’s, which is another character I loved from my childhood. Lastly, he has a safety pin on his ear to symbolize more personal aspects, because it is part of a tradition I had when I competitively danced for 8 years.

This tattoo was something I wanted for so long, because it symbolizes so many aspects of my life that I hold dear to me. While getting it was a bit controversial to my Jewish identity, I ended up deciding that it was meaningful enough to me to put onto my body. I wanted to be able to be able to put something on me that I was passionate about, that also was a way to show my father and friends how impactful they were on my life.

About Me

Hello, my name is Owen Welz, and I am first year student here at The Ohio State University. Currently, I am a student in the College of Engineering, and am right now in the Engineering Physics program. I was raised in, and went to school in, South Riding, Virginia, which is about 25 miles west of Washington D.C..  I was very active in my community growing up, spending all four year’s of high school on my school’s football team, and I was also in Boy Scouts all my life, and earned my Eagle Scout. I also worked at a local restaurant, Velocity Wings, during my senior year, and competitively danced for eight years, from 5th grade to 12th grade, at a studio called Powerworx Dance.

Here at Ohio State, I am part of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars program, and am on the Recruitment, Outreach, and Welcome committee (ROW) for Mount. I am right now hoping to get involved in participating in 1-2 student organizations. While right now I am uncertain as to what I will do after college, I am excited to figure it out, and for the journey ahead of me!

Year in Review

This year has been a very odd year, but it has also been filled with a lot of fun and memories. Mount has kept me busy through two semesters, especially with legacy week. For legacy week I was not in a specified leadership role, but I took on a lot of work for my group. I communicated with our organization the entire length of our project, and it was able to teach me how to best communicate with organizations, as well as council members, for I talked to Council member Remy of Columbus.

As weird as this year has been, I have also been able to create some great memories with great people. Pictured above is myself on the left with my big and the president of the fraternity I was able to rush second semester, Theta Xi. Despite COVID taking so many things away, I was able to still experience a version of the rush process and find a fraternity that I am very happy to be a part of. This year has been very different, but it has been a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to continue to make more memories here at The Ohio State University.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness:

My hope for this is to broaden my horizons about different backgrounds and cultures that are present both internationally and in my community. Since arriving at Ohio State I have met so many people from different backgrounds, and it has continued to adapt my viewpoint on the world. On top of this, it is also my goal to study abroad eventually. My hope through studying abroad is to experience a new culture in a hands on context, so that I can truly see what other countries/regions are like.

Original Inquiry:

I am planning on getting an internship that applies to my hopeful career path this upcoming summer (2022). I know that the best way to prepare myself for the working world is through experience, and it is my hope to begin getting meaningful experience the summer after the completion of my second year.

Academic Enrichment:

My hope for this category is continue to push myself in my education endeavors here at Ohio State. As of right now I am studying Psychology on the pre-med track, and because of this I have a very heavy course load. I grew up in a family that was very school and goal oriented, so my goal is to strive to do as best I can in my courses.

Leadership Development:

This category is one that is very important to me. My definition of a leader is someone who leads by example, and someone who is always accountable. I always try my best to be hands on in the activities I take part in, and be a resource to those around me.

Service Engagement:

Service has always been a big part of my life. As someone who grew up in Boy Scouts, and got my Eagle Scout, giving back to the community and environment around me was a value that was instilled in me at a young age. My goals are to continue to do my part in giving back to both the people and the world around me. Some ways I plan to do this is through my year of service project, at the local JCC in Columbus, and through river cleanups with my fraternity, Theta Xi.