G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness

Having grown up in Spain, I fully intent to continue to speak and learn Spanish through my college career, taking higher level classes in both the language and culture.  Being bilingual is an incredible asset, and I was fortunate enough to be put in a situation where I could grow up speaking two languages.  I don’t want to lose that gift, and so being involved in clubs where I can regularly interact with other native speakers will be one of my focuses as I move through college.  I also work as an interpreter for an organization called Vocalize Columbus which should also help open up opportunities for global awareness.

Original Inquiry

I work in the Kirschner Lab at the Biological Research Tower, looking into how knockout variations of the SHDH-2 gene affect thyroid tumorigenesis in cell lines.  Moreover, I will be engaging in clinical outcome research on how trained medical interpretation alters limited-english patient outcomes through my work in  Vocalize Columbus.

Academic Enrichment

My course load, as planned over the next year, will be more than sufficiently rigorous for the Honors standard, with two labs in the Spring 2020 semester (Biology 1 and Chemistry 2), one of which, Biology 1, will be an honors course, as well as several honors courses in the Autumn 2020 semester.  This course load, coupled with research credits, should prove sufficiently rigorous.

Leadership Development

My leadership development largely comes from my work as President of Vocalize Columbus, a nonprofit organization that trains and connects volunteer medical interpreters with free clinics that are in need of their services.  Working with and within the amazing executive team we’ve put together has really helped me grow as an individual and a leader, and working to make connections with individuals and organizations in the public health space has taught me skills that will be incredibly useful for the rest of my life.

Service Engagement

Most of my service engagement also unsurprisingly comes from Vocalize, where beyond my responsibilities as a president I also work as a certified interpreter.  Working as both an interpreter and leader within the organization has helped me get an excellent view of the organization as a whole, and how I can make a greater impact.  I am also involved in service for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund through my work on the Executive Board of my fraternity, Delta Tau Delta.