My name is Tarik Whitham, I was born in Canada and have since lived in Russia, Switzerland, and now the United States. I have visited over 25 countries. I truly consider myself an international citizen as I have family all over the world and love to travel. My many travel experiences have taught me so much about the world in which we live.

Having studied in 9 different school has made me a very adaptive learner and an open minded individual. In high school I was given lots of exposure to many subjects. Science has always caught my attention from a young age. Given the chance, I took as many science courses as possible and excelled in all of them. Having taken many AP courses prepared me well for college and the many science related courses I  take as a biology major.

I aspire to go onto medical school and become a surgeon. This goal has led me to  many great experiences . For several years I volunteered at a local hospital in an attempt to gain exposure to my desired occupational field. I’ve worked in a retirement home with the elderly in need of medical care and I have scrubbed in on operations to test my composure. Over this past summer I conducted independent research with the EPA. I investigated UV-inactivation of pseudomonas aeruginosa in relation to premise plumbing apparatus’.As first author I presented this paper at the national water microbiology convention, I was the youngest individual to ever present at this conference.

Since beginning at OSU I have become an EMT working with MEDCARE ambulance service. I volunteer at the Wexner Medical Center and am currently working on a quality improvement project with the volunteer department. I have also gained further research experience doing cardiology research with Dr. Sakima Smith.

My experiences are not limited to academic interests as I have played hockey for many years and was captain of two teams. I was also captain/president of Ultimate Frisbee. I was kitchen manager of Chipotle, participated in mock trial, tech crew, national honor society, DECA,wrestling, and tutoring.

I look forward to expanding my horizons with further academic enrichment. I hope to study abroad and conduct research research in Antarctica. After graduation I plan to travel to south Africa to help animal conservation initiatives and complete the tour de Mont Blanc before beginning medical school