Year in Review

2020-2021:ADAPT

As I write this, I am in awe of how unique and memorable my freshman year was. As someone who loved planning and created numerous Pinterest boards planning my future college dorm since my sophomore year of high school, I had no idea that the way I thought of my freshman year college experience would be completely reversed because of the pandemic.

I made the decision of deciding to stay home during my freshman year of college. This decision was one of many that I began to step out of my comfort zone and make on my own. Though I had a very unconventional year with online classes, I began to battle this unique circumstance with unique decisions that have helped me experience some of the highest points of my life and some tremendous opportunities for growth.

The year started with lots of excitement and anxiety. I have met so many wonderful people virtually and could not wait to deepen these connections in person. I came in with multiple mentors that wanted to provide support. However, I also came in with a lot of anxiety when it came to my classes and making new friends. I knew that these four years are a time for growth, and I wanted to make the most out of my college experience.

I was able to overcome my anxiety by learning to unapologetically ask for help and use my strengths. This led me to become the social media manager for TEDxUCincinnati and the engagement & outreach chair for the Gable+Allgood student government campaign team. These experiences in student organizations made me realize that engaging large audiences through social media is a strength of mine. I have a passion for working with people and learning more about how the pandemic has altered communication. Another valuable skill I gained from my involvement is time management. Balancing various involvements, personal relationships, and rigorous classes as a medical sciences major was initially overwhelming, however, I learned the importance of discipline, which helped me meet my goals in these areas.

Realizing my potential, I decided to think bigger my second semester. I knew that I was capable of performing demanding tasks from internships. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and apply for internships that I initially thought I was not "enough" for. Since it is currently summer, I have begun to transition into my new internship positions and move on campus. I am so excited to be an undergraduate research fellow for the WISE program in the chemical engineering department and a volunteer intern for the Crossroad Health Center. I have also begun to work on personal projects to help me gain a better sense of what I am truly passionate about professionally.

Looking back, one of the biggest pieces of advice I wish I told my angsty self was that it is okay to not have everything planned out. I came into college with a tremendous amount of support from mentors, friends, and family. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to make them proud and give back to communities that have given me so much. This led me to feel like I needed to be "perfect" at everything. College has changed my perspective of what uplifting communities + people look like. I was only able to learn this by taking advantage of involvements, relationships, and experiences that came my way. Another important lesson I learned this year is to distinguish between involvements I enjoy versus involvements that I am passionate about. As someone that has various interests, I found myself being overcommitted at times.

I anticipate next year to be more rigorous with new leadership positions, opportunities, and challenging classes to come my way. Below are my goals for next year.

GOALS:

Work towards experiences that will help me explore possible careers I am passionate about
Go abroad (study abroad over the summer, study tour, etc.)
Even though I will be taking harder classes next year, don't forget to ask for help.
Maintain a high GPA
Prioritize my mental health above anything else
Don't be afraid to take up space
Take more pictures to look back at :)

2021-2022: Resilience

Lessons I learned this year

Success is what I define it to be
I should not feel guilty for taking time to relax
Schedule something for yourself every week
Saying "No" to things is tough to normalize but it can be rewarding

Looking back at the fall semester, I remember being so excited to start college in person--I wanted to see the football games, large lecture halls, events, welcome week, etc. With this enthusiasm, I pressured myself to experience everything I missed during my first year and also make memories for my second year. A combination of this, having a rigorous class schedule, balancing my personal life, and being heavily involved led me to battle with elevated levels of anxiety fall semester. Along with this, I became very sick with an upper respiratory infection. At the end of fall semester, I was in survival mode.

I didn't want to continue this unhealthy routine. My only goal was to maintain good mental health and not strive for perfection.

This mindset led me to have the best semester so far in college! My friends became my accountability buddies. We established cut-off times for studying, celebrated our accomplishments, and laughed at our mistakes together. I was able to take care of myself guilt free.

I began to aim higher with my goals because I wasn't worried about the end result anymore and began to live through the journey itself. Towards the end of my spring semester, I felt my hard work pay off.

My greatest accomplishment would be coming out of my second year prioritizing my mental health! This academic year was a rollercoaster, but I learned so much about myself, deconstructed my perfectionist tendencies, and developed an appreciation for my resiliency.

I hope to take on my third year with the core theme of giving myself the grace I give others. I know this year will be filled with preparing for dental school applications and ensuring that I have "checked all the boxes". The knowledge I gained from this year will be beneficial in making sure I make decisions that prioritize my well-being.

Goals for Next Year:

Be open-minded
Build relationships with professors, mentors, and advisors
Take risks
Actively maintain healthy boundaries with my work and peers

2022-2023: Identity

If I were to summarize my third year in one word, it would be identity.

I dedicated my first two years to joining organizations, taking classes, and building relationships to learn more about the causes that I am passionate about and the kind of person that I want to be. I created a goal of being intentional with my involvements, academics, and relationships as it is easy to stretch myself too thin. This involved taking a deeper look at my core values and working towards becoming the person I want to be.

As I spent my experiences this year doing community-centered work with Breakthrough Cincinnati and GROW internship with GlobeMed, I reflected on my identity as a second-generation immigrant and how that has fueled my passion for serving immigrant and refugee populations by working to increase access to healthcare through education. My next steps involve working towards admission to a DMD/MPH program where I work towards gaining clinical skills and professional education to advocate for this community. At the core of dental health is preventative health. I wish to increase awareness of preventative hygienic practices on a local and global level and provide care to alleviate pain. Reflecting on having a focus on my work has helped me make meaningful connections to my work and others in the field.

Outside of my work as a student, I have leaned into the idea that I will be a “doer of all, master of none” with my hobbies. This is a sharp contrast from my wish to be more focused on my professional work, but it has brought me a lot of joy as I am not aiming to be the best at my hobbies. I have been having a lot of fun trying new activities such as dancing, cycling, cooking, painting, crocheting, etc. I have found that hiking and spending time in nature has been my “safe space”. This understanding has led me to explore some really cool places in Kentucky and Thailand this past year!

My biggest accomplishment this year was finding what brings me joy and embracing it. It has allowed me to achieve better balance and understand my identity as a student, advocate, friend, etc. At the end of every year, I tell myself that “this is the best year” and I am lucky to experience even more joys and lessons the year after. Looking back at my college experience so far, I appreciate the space honors has given me to grow as starting college in 2020 provided me with an unconventional start. As I begin my final year and plan my postgraduate road ahead, I am excited to take on experiences that support my core values.