G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness

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To broaden my perspective of different societies around the world, I plan to take several courses on the history and culture of regions outside the United States. Religious Studies 2102.02H will examine the sacred texts of religions around the world in order to compare the views of the universe, life, and morality around the world. History 2204H will talk about the history of Europe – a topic that is rarely covered in high school, especially pre-World Wars. I also plan to participate in at least one service trip on another continent, and am open to the idea of studying abroad.

 

Original Inquiry

Throughout my time at OSU, I plan to continue working in the BioMedical Research Tower as an undergraduate research assistant. My work has already complemented my coursework in biology and chemistry in numerous ways. For example, our work in the lab seeks to investigate how certain micro RNA fragments lead to the modification of messenger RNA and the differential expression of the genome – a concept first introduced in my introductory Biology class. As I accumulate more knowledge, I believe I will many more such connections, and I look forward to contributing more to the lab as my expertise increases.

Academic Enrichment

By choosing a Biochemistry major and Sociology Minor, I picked a set of classes that would endow both technical expertise and cultural/social awareness. In other words, I hope my fields of study will not only give me some very specialized skills, but also a sense of purpose to guide my endeavors. My Biochemistry major will help me understand and manipulate the chemical reactions involved in metabolism, homeostasis, and the development of diseases. Meanwhile, my psychology and sociology classes will help explain why people behave in a certain way, and why society is structured as it is. These fields overlap in the areas of public health, and the study of health disparities among different socioeconomic categories in the United States. As I study the many cases of inequality in the US, I’m beginning to realize that a meaningful contribution to society involves more than just offering up one’s skills to some organization. To truly contribute to society, we need to actively identify sources of injustice or inequality and try to change them. Otherwise, our skills are just propagating the status quo.

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Leadership Development

To develop my skills as a leader, I plan to immerse myself in activities and roles that require cooperation and coordination. Several of my clubs, including Buckeyes for Mentoring and STEM Outreach, give me the opportunity to work with kids – something that forces me to develop my communication skills, as well as reflect on how I can be a better role model. These clubs also require club members to cooperate to develop new projects or to find better ways to connect with our mentees. I am also open to becoming a TA –

something that will entail a huge amount of responsibility.

 

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As part of Stem Outreach Club, I’m helping Professor Betty Lise Anderson develop a cheap chemistry activity to bring the middle schools around Columbus as a part of OSU’s STEM Outreach program. This proposed activity, which will be associated with the holiday season, will involve dipping pine cones in various salts to create colored flames when burned. I hope that by developing this activity with the rest of the club, I will gain experience in leading community service events like these, and become moreĀ confident in taking the initiative in the future.

 

 

Service Engagement

Many of the clubs I participate are clearly involved with community service. Stem Outreach focuses its endeavors on underprivileged schools in Columbus, with the aim of promoting interest in technology where school STEM programs may be inadequate or nonexistent. Buckeyes for Mentoring also focuses on underprivileged children who need positive role models in their lives. In addition, I am working as a research volunteer for the Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to veterans, the elderly, and the underprivileged. By researching various medical conditions, such as PTSD, I will help the lawyers at the LASC in their mission to ensure that veterans are compensated for the experiences they endured during their service.