G[Global Awareness] – Spring break of my sophomore year (2019), I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Barcelona, Spain for the entire week. I was with a couple other friends and though none of us were studying abroad at the time, we spent the week visiting another friend who was studying abroad there for the entire semester. A week was not nearly long enough to explore the culture of a whole new country that I had never been to, let alone enjoy everything Barcelona had to offer; though we certainly made the most out of our trip! As cheesy as it sounds, it made me realize just how much adventure and experience there was outside of my bubble in Ohio. I had never seriously considered studying abroad before that trip, but the global awareness experience of even just visiting one country outside of the US has completely changed my perspective. I have already begun looking into both study abroad opportunities for coming semesters, as well as any experiences or opportunities that would allow me to branch out of Ohio to further increase my knowledge of global awareness.
O[Original Inquiry] – This year, I made it a goal of mine to look for job or shadow opportunities that related to my area of study, the HIMS major. I ended up getting a job at the Student Health Center on campus in the Patient Accounts and Registration department, which could not have been a more perfect step for me in order to help me get an idea of just one example of where a HIMS major can put you in the real world. I am hoping to be able to apply the knowledge I have learned here in these 6 short months to my major coursework, which will begin next semester (Autumn 2019). The valuable knowledge I have learned about HIPPA, patient security, insurance, claim submission, benefit determination, and the way a medical facility works at the administrative and “behind the scenes” level has been simply invaluable and though I have not started my major coursework yet, I truly believe I am in the right major for me and my interests. Many of my superiors that work here graduated with a HIMS degree and some have moved on to get their MHA, MBA, or MBoE and I am extremely grateful for all the time they have taken to sit with me and discuss not only what the HIMS major entails in the classroom, but show me where the degree can get you in the future as well.
A [Academic Enrichment] – I spoke to Rachel Knebel, my peer mentor, about a tentative career path pursuing Occupational Therapy. In weeks following the interview, I received notice that I had gotten into my major (HIMS) and confirmed that I wanted to go into Health Administration as opposed to Occupational Therapy, however. The interview questions and answered are summarized as follows. I asked Rachel about her classes and major now as well as schooling after her undergraduate degree. She plans on graduating in 4 years with a degree in Health Sciences and will start looking for post-graduate schooling next year to go to OT school. She would love to go to Ohio State to receive her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, but is looking into schools throughout the Midwest. Currently, her courses consist of mainly STEM field courses with a focus on the science courses, as she is pursuing a minor in Psychology as well. At the moment, she is not exactly sure in what environment she would like to work in as an occupational therapist, as she is open to any opportunity she gets. She likes this field because it is always in need of workers and she knew she wanted to be in the medical field, working closely with other people.
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S [Service] – This semester I participated in a multitude of service projects and opportunities. Consistently, I worked with Buckeyes for a Cause to make handmade bracelets and cards every other Monday that were to be send to Nationwide Children’s Hospital at the end of every month. I enjoyed making the bracelets and cards because they were going to a good cause, of course, as well as it serving as a relaxing period of time away from schoolwork (yet also giving my time towards helping others). Other service activities I participated included the Garden of Hope, making and serving meals at the YWCA through the Thomas Newman Center, and going to COSI on the MLK Day of Service trip. It was a very busy and successful semester and I hope to focus in on just a few of the organizations I explored this year to devote my service to for next year.