After officially completing half of my undergraduate college career, I’ve come to realize just how fast time passes by with every year. Consequently, I’m thankful for the Honors Program allowing me to briefly stop time and reflect upon my past year. Like my previous Year in Review, the format will be a sort of mock interview with myself that will guide my reflection.
What is the most significant event, experience or challenge you overcame this year and what did you learn from that experience? How is that experience influential in terms of how you see yourself today?
One of the most significant challenges I overcame this year was running my first half-marathon in mid-March in the Heart Mini race. Looking back, I ran this race with not enough physical training, but more importantly, not enough mental preparation. Not even halfway through the race, I started to feel extremely tired. Instead of remaining positive and optimistic, I told myself I wouldn’t be able to reach my goal and it took everything in me to not give up completely. I even experienced a brief panic attack, a (thankfully) rare occurrence for me. I finished, but with a time I wasn’t satisfied with. I had never run a more defeating race. In contrast, I ran a 6k in November with Running Club which was the best race of my life due to my positive and determined attitude. After my race, I wondered how my mentality changed so quickly from November to March. From that experience, I learned the importance of taking care of oneself mentally, especially when it comes to running races. Our true mental state reveals itself during our weakest physical moments. In those moments during the race, I experienced negativity and self-doubt. In retrospect, I would have gotten a faster time and enjoyed the race more if I altered my mental state. However, this is easier said than done. I learned I need to be kinder to myself and believe in my abilities and hard work. This experience is influential in terms of how I see myself today because I now know I can overcome tough setbacks and improve in the future. The past doesn’t determine the future, my present actions do. With that in mind, I will continue to run and continue to train, while being gentle and supportive to myself. I plan to run my next half marathon in October in the Queen Bee race!
What significant relationships or connections have you developed this year? How have those relationships impacted your experience?
The most significant relationship that I’ve developed this year is that of my first serious, committed, romantic partner. Before this year, I hadn’t ever had a relationship of that type with someone. I started dating him at the beginning of the calendar year, in January. This relationship has impacted my experience because I had to learn to balance my two values of independence and human connection, a feat I hadn’t had to do before. I’m an independent person who likes to be productive and values her time alone. On the flip side, after I’ve done what I needed to do and have extra free time, I enjoy spending it with people over anything else. As I learned last year, the value of incredible people in one’s life cannot be underemphasized. Regardless, I had mostly always been successful at balancing alone time and productivity with leisure time and friends. However, in the spring semester it became more challenging once I entered into a relationship with my boyfriend. It became harder to provide proper alone time for myself and for my academic endeavors, as I wanted to spend more time with him than anyone else I had known before. I had to strengthen my will power and ensure I gave myself enough time for the tasks I needed to accomplish, for self-reflection and stillness, and for exercise. Gradually, I became better at balancing time with myself, my friends, and my romantic partner.
How will you use your gifts and talents to give back to the community and society? In the fall, I will use my gifts and talents to be the best Anatomy and Physiology I Supplemental Instructor possible. Since the University of Cincinnati is my immediate community, what better way to give out than to help students to succeed in one of the most challenging freshman/sophomore classes? Another way I want to give back to society is by volunteering weekly for a cause I am passionate about. Although I will need to ensure that I have enough time for this commitment, service to my community and society is something I’m passionate about.
What is at least one goal that you have set for yourself for the upcoming year? Some of my goals that I have set myself for the upcoming year are as follows:
Enjoy and succeed in my first semester as an A&P I Supplemental Instructor
Continue to contribute and work hard at my RSA position at Children’s Hospital
Maintain high academic standards and work hard to meet those standards in order to be competitive for grad school
Prioritize my physical and mental health (eat in the healthiest and most nourishing way possible, get a good amount of sleep each night, exercise daily and in a pain-free manner, take time for myself to be alone, be kind to myself)
Shadow at least one physical therapist to gain more observation hours
Give back (volunteer weekly with people and at a place I care about)
What piece of advice would you like to give yourself as you prepare for the upcoming year, be that academically, personally, or both? In preparing for my junior year, I’d like to tell myself the following: “If you want something, if you want to achieve success in any area of life, you must apply your discipline and your work ethic. Because discipline is what helps you consciously do things in order to reach a desired goal. Discipline is a rejection of entitlement and expectation. Discipline is having a strong awareness that your choices have impact and that your actions make a difference.”