Returning to campus would prove to have its fair share of successes and setbacks.
For me, personally, and for many of my fellow third-year peers, this has been the most mentally and emotionally draining year of our lives. We had to transition from working in a room behind a screen to taking difficult upper level courses in a classroom once again. Many of us had previously only had gen-eds during freshman year in massive lecture halls or equally large science labs. These more intimate, content heavy, very "traditional" environments were new and unfamiliar. I found myself missing remote learning the way working individuals now miss remote work as well. I enjoyed being in control of more time in the day and not being forced out of bed in the morning to commute to medical campus, which did not ease during the entirety of the academic year, and I imagine is something I will think about with longing and nostalgia for many years to come.
I kicked this academic year off representing Generation Action as Co-President for the first time at the Student Organization Fair, and later had to go to the emergency room for heat stroke, which is an apt metaphor for the work being done by the reproductive justice community this year. In the fall, my home town of Mason, Ohio was set to pass an ordinance criminalizing abortion for residents of the city. My fellow officers and I began working with advocates at Planned Parenthood Ohio to organize within the UC community. We partnered with other student orgs to show up, protest, and increase education of resources available to us as university students. Our work continued to grow in truly remarkable ways throughout the year as we implemented the UC CampusCup initiative to provide anyone within UC a menstrual cup. Incredibly, we were able to provide over 400 cups, saving about $200,000 on single use menstrual products and divert 600,000 products from landfills. Our organization is continuing to blossom this summer with increased momentum following the Supreme Court draft leak as we begin to prepare ourselves for a post-Roe world.
For me, personally, and for many of my fellow third-year peers, this has been the most mentally and emotionally draining year of our lives. We had to transition from working in a room behind a screen to taking difficult upper level courses in a classroom once again. Many of us had previously only had gen-eds during freshman year in massive lecture halls or equally large science labs. These more intimate, content heavy, very "traditional" environments were new and unfamiliar. I found myself missing remote learning the way working individuals now miss remote work as well. I enjoyed being in control of more time in the day and not being forced out of bed in the morning to commute to medical campus, which did not ease during the entirety of the academic year, and I imagine is something I will think about with longing and nostalgia for many years to come.
I kicked this academic year off representing Generation Action as Co-President for the first time at the Student Organization Fair, and later had to go to the emergency room for heat stroke, which is an apt metaphor for the work being done by the reproductive justice community this year. In the fall, my home town of Mason, Ohio was set to pass an ordinance criminalizing abortion for residents of the city. My fellow officers and I began working with advocates at Planned Parenthood Ohio to organize within the UC community. We partnered with other student orgs to show up, protest, and increase education of resources available to us as university students. Our work continued to grow in truly remarkable ways throughout the year as we implemented the UC CampusCup initiative to provide anyone within UC a menstrual cup. Incredibly, we were able to provide over 400 cups, saving about $200,000 on single use menstrual products and divert 600,000 products from landfills. Our organization is continuing to blossom this summer with increased momentum following the Supreme Court draft leak as we begin to prepare ourselves for a post-Roe world.
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I spent the spring semester working on a self-proposed honors experience creating a short film about elementary school girls and how they view STEM. Creating this video was my first significant foray into amateur filmography during college, a hobby I mainly pursued in high school where I had significantly more time on my hands. I was lucky enough to cover a topic that spoke to me through a creative directorial lens that I had in my mind for a few years. This effectively rounded out my junior year, with an exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center on April 28th, which was the last day of the semester. I am truly so proud of myself and the final output, shown below.
One of my most sought after college experiences was the only study tour offered through the Medical Sciences department. I first heard of it during freshman orientation in the summer of 2019 and immediately knew I would do whatever it took to participate. The course is titled "In the Footsteps of Louis Pasteur: Science and Art in Paris". As expected, it was cancelled in the winters of 2020 and 2021, but will return this upcoming winter. I feel beyond fortunate to partake in this adventure next semester with one of my favorite professors in the department, as medical history and preservation is an interest of mine that goes back to my time working at the CDC Spencer museum in Atlanta.
As I am writing this reflection in the final week of May, studying for the MCAT, sick with COVID for the first time, remarkably, I am suddenly floored by how much I have witnessed the world change. In the blink of an eye I am entering my final year of college, even though I have only just completed my first full year on campus. I have spent many days this year contemplating whether I really want to enter the field of public health and medicine after seeing how society almost failed to function when those industries were at their most dire. Admittedly, I feel less certain about what I want to do with my career after I ship off to UCCOM next fall. As I throw another year under my belt, decisions about the future feel less black and white, and more like I must choose between a thousand shades of grey. But I am also certain that I will have many doors open for me, and the opportunity to walk many paths. If not, I am confident that I can break open a window and find my own way.
As I am writing this reflection in the final week of May, studying for the MCAT, sick with COVID for the first time, remarkably, I am suddenly floored by how much I have witnessed the world change. In the blink of an eye I am entering my final year of college, even though I have only just completed my first full year on campus. I have spent many days this year contemplating whether I really want to enter the field of public health and medicine after seeing how society almost failed to function when those industries were at their most dire. Admittedly, I feel less certain about what I want to do with my career after I ship off to UCCOM next fall. As I throw another year under my belt, decisions about the future feel less black and white, and more like I must choose between a thousand shades of grey. But I am also certain that I will have many doors open for me, and the opportunity to walk many paths. If not, I am confident that I can break open a window and find my own way.