Second Year Service Project – Wexner Medical Center Volunteering

During my second year at Ohio State I completed a lot of service hours, all of them extremely meaningful and close to my heart, including serving regularly at the Ronald McDonald House and participating in a Day in the Life of a Buckeye. I spent a huge chunk of my time, though, volunteering at Wexner Medical Center in the admitting office in Rhodes Hall. I volunteered in admitting (also known as registration) for two semesters, and I became very close with all of the women working in the office, and I always looked forward to my volunteer shift despite it starting at 5 AM.

My job as a volunteer in admitting was to greet patients checking in for early-morning surgeries and then escort them to their respective waiting rooms in different parts of the hospital. I assisted the Registration staff in various ways, and I often took on the role of an Ambassador by helping people around other parts of the hospital. Although I didn’t get much clinical experience in this role, it was very valuable for me to see the background of what keeps a hospital running, and I truly enjoyed meeting and talking to the diverse patients that seek medical care at Ohio State.

Some of my favorite memories while working in admitting include having conversations with Spanish-speaking patients without the help of a translator, transporting and comforting a woman in labor to Labor and Delivery, and learning about an elderly gentleman’s time in the Vietnam War. Although there were some exhausting, stressful, awkward, and downright terrifying moments in the admitting office, I cannot underestimate how my people-skills grew as a result of this role, and the friendships I made in admitting over the past year are stronger than I ever expected. Above all, I learned that working in a hospital is like working with your family, and that our job is to serve our patients the best we can. Although I know it’s time for me to seek out more clinical-based volunteer roles, I am very grateful and will truly miss my job in admitting.

Academic Enrichment – Informational Interview

For my Informational Interview, I recently spoke to a former Ohio State student who is currently attending Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine. She also happens to be attending medical school on the military’s Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) for which she receives funding to cover the entire cost of medical school and supplies, as well as approximately $1800 a month for housing and food costs. I have always wanted to join the military as a physician, but I still was unsure of the best way to do so, and this interview served as an excellent way to get all my questions answered.

The most important revelation from the interview was the years of service owed after completing medical school; it is significantly less than I thought, which makes me a lot more interested in pursing the Health Professions Scholarship. I also gained some insight on HPSP versus Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, which really left me with some things to think about regarding how I’ll go about entering the military. Overall, visiting Wright State and learning about HPSP was an invaluable experience, and it left me feeling much more confident about my life choices.

Eat.

I always heard people raving about Hounddog’s Pizza, a small but infamous restaurant just off of north campus, so this January I decided to try it. The restaurant was conveniently located and had a warm, inviting atmosphere. My boyfriend and I split a pizza, half-meat and half-vegetarian. Although the pizza was delicious, I don’t think I’ll ever give up the much closer and more personal Blaze Pizza. Nevertheless, eating at Hounddog’s was an interesting experience, especially seeing their delivery car with a Hounddog perched on top!

Hounddog's Pizza

Go.

During Spring Break this March, I visited the Columbus International Auto Show at the Columbus Convention Center on High Street. Although not very far from campus, the car show was an eye-opening experiencet! They had a variety of classic cars, including some of the original Ford Model T’s! There were a lot of brand new cars, too, including the 2017 Ford F-150, a personal favorite of mine. You could even test drive a Dodge Ram on a special obstacle course! Although my boyfriend was more interested in the sports cars, it’s safe to say I found some pretty beautiful pickup trucks. You can take the girl out of Appalachia, but you can’t take the Appalachia out of the girl!

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My first semester at Ohio State was far from easy; I struggled with feelings of inadequacy, homesickness, and the fear of failure, but in the end, I have much more confidence and am more aware of how to utilize the many resources available to me while at Ohio State.
Early in the semester, I questioned my major and career choice, apprehensive that I would not be successful. I felt more assured after exploring various careers in the medical field both online and on campus, but I still feared that a major in the humanities might put me at a disadvantage. Although several programs at the Health Sciences Majors Fair piqued my interest, I realized how unique my major truly is: Romance Studies is the reason I came to Ohio State, and after my first semester, I am much more certain of both my major and career choice. I am also considering the pursuit of a minor in Medical Humanities or a career in Public Health, two options of which I wouldn’t be aware had I not utilized various on-campus resources.
Despite the many challenges I’ve faced this semester, I managed to balance my physical and mental wellness with academic and extracurricular demands. Running is my primary stress alleviator, but now I am better equipped to realize when I need a break from homework to enjoy time with my friends and family, and I hope to maintain this wellness in the many stressful years to come.
Overall, this assignment encouraged me to consider various career possibilities and become familiar with several campus resources. As a result, I am now more confident both in my academic choices and my ability to communicate with professors and faculty. In the coming semesters, I hope to maintain this self-assuredness as I seek greater campus involvement, pursue research and volunteer positions, and forge relationships to help me on my road to success.

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Year in Review

As an incoming freshman at Ohio State, I had really high hopes for this past year. Although I haven’t gone through any major life changes like many freshmen do, it’s been a transformative and thrilling year nonetheless.

 Like most Health Sciences Scholars, I suffered through General Chemistry I and II, learning that I’m not as bad at sciences as I previously thought! I realized that no matter how difficult it may seem, if you make something a priority, it will pay off in the long run. I learned to embrace and be thankful for my Appalachian roots rather than being bitter about the academic opportunities I missed out on. This past year, I realized that I am successful because of my small-town origins, not despite them.

Fall Semester, I practiced the art of balancing small-town life with big-city life, all whilst trying to memorize all the chants and cheers and songs of Block-O at Ohio State football games. I had a hard time adjusting to life at Ohio State; I had such pride for my high school and hometown that it was hard to accept that I just wasn’t part of it anymore, but I was able to channel that spirit into love for my Ohio State community. Spring Semester, I balanced learning both Spanish and Italian at the same time, and although it was challenging and a little confusing at times, it only reinforced my love for linguistics and for my unique major. I loved my Italian class so much, in fact, that it is now my primary focus of three Romance Languages, and I’ll be studying abroad in the land of pasta and the Eternal City in just a few years!

I was involved in so many different service projects this year, but most importantly, I spent several days visiting and serving and preparing meals at the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio, the biggest in the world! I am so passionate about the services the Ronald McDonald House provides, and it is so rewarding to help families going through such difficult times. Recently, I was elected to be an officer for the Buckeyes for Ronald McDonald House student organization, and I look forward to volunteering there throughout my next several years at Ohio State. In mid-March, I also had the opportunity to volunteer with the Day in the Life of a Buckeye program through Social Change at OSU; I spent an entire day with a student from Appalachian Ohio talking about what it means to be a college student.

Although my first year at Ohio State may not have checked every expectation I had, I benefited and grew in ways I never would have expected, and I have three more years to get everything I want out of attending this amazing university! This summer, I’m traveling to Mexico with the International Affairs Scholars Program to learn about globalization and the Mayan culture. During my sophomore year, I hope to get involved in either research or volunteering at one of the many hospitals of Columbus. I’m looking forward to my continued involvement with Health Sciences Scholars and other new and exciting programs at the university. Here’s to a fabulous first year at Ohio State and many more to come!

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand 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. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

Mackenzie Wright
120 W 11th Ave. Columbus OH, 43210 – wright.1824@osu.edu – 740-466-6782
EDUCATION
The Ohio State University, August 2015 – present
– College of Arts and Sciences: B.A. Romance Studies, pre-medical track
Ohio University, June 2013 – May 2015
– Post-Secondary student while maintaining full high school course load, GPA: 4.0
Adena High School, May 2015
– Valedictorian, GPA: 4.0
– Honors Diploma
HONORS AND INVOLVEMENT
College:
– Health Sciences Scholars
 Chosen to Participate in competitive, community-based program for students interested in health-related careers; attend weekly seminar course and relevant HSS events, complete 40 service hours per semester
– Buckeyes for Ronald McDonald House
 Attend regular meetings, fundraise, visit house to prepare meals for residents
High School:
– Senior Class Representative, August 2014 – May 2015
 Organized events, conducted surveys, recorded data, ran meetings, planned graduation, published Senior Newspaper
– National Honor Society, May 2014 – May 2015
 Weekly School Store volunteer, fundraised for Pennies for Patients and the American Heart Association, Spanish tutoring for younger students, organized of Elementary School Easter Egg Hunt
– Adena High School Key Club, August 2011 – May 2015
 SCROOGE annual Christmas food drive, organized and decorated for Homecoming dance, King of the Courts Charity Volleyball Tournament volunteer
– Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, August 2011 – May 2014
 Monthly Senior Citizen’s Dinners, chaperoned annual Middle School Halloween Dance, FCCLA Fair Week volunteer
– Classroom Assistant, January – May 2012 and August – December 2013
 Graded student assignments, organized classroom equipment and ran morning activities, taught students reading skills
SKILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS
– Certified in Suicide Prevention, November 2015
– Spanish and Italian conversational skills
– Proficient in typing and Microsoft Office