Coursework
Final Proposal to the Global Fund to fight HIV in Ghana
Course: G H 101
I learned about a multilateral organization called the Global Fund that provides funding for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis prevention and treatment around the world. Countries apply to receive funding from this entity. I had to choose a country and “persuade” the Global Fund to support it by writing a final proposal.
Each week, I had assignments that helped me learn more about my country. Completing these challenged my critical thinking skills and research abilities, and they would often take several hours to finish. The assignments asked for very specific data that was hard to find, especially for my country of choice (Ghana) and it often required me to synthesize my findings into an analysis of Ghana’s economy, society, and healthcare infrastructure.
Through this process, I discovered the best ways to find credible, peer reviewed sources that could provide me with the most up-to-date information on events in Ghana whether by narrowing my search on the internet and library catalogs or investigating the authors and publishers. I also learned how to use APA format in my writing and practiced implementing a formal tone that seems like it comes from Ghana’s ministry of health.
The seventh assignment was the final proposal, where I came up with my own plan for fighting HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The most challenging part was figuring out how my program could help promote gender and social equality and develop human resources more broadly beyond its HIV-specific mission. Below is my submission.
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Overall, this class has inspired me to want to incorporate social justice into my future. I think that working for an international NGO would be a fulfilling experience. I would like to make sure I can work with such organizations to promote sustainability so that programs such as the one I proposed can have long term effects on low-income populations. I have always wanted to be a pediatrician, but a career in global health where I can work to fight against the underlying determinants of health sounds intriguing. I will look into it further as I take more global health coursework for my minor.
Unsatisfactory Quiz Grades -> Satisfactory Exam Grades
Course: CHEM 162
Honors 100 suggested that we use grades we weren't happy with as an artifact; then, we should write about what we learned regarding our study habits and the adjustments we made. I am going to do just that!
This quarter in chemistry started off really well. I got a 99% and 98% on the first two quizzes which was great by my standards. Most would see doing well in exams as a positive thing, but this was also my downfall - it boosted my confidence to the point where I subconsciously felt that I did not need to study as much for the rest of the quizzes which was definitely not the case. The month of May was awful for personal reasons and I let myself slip in that I decided not to study for the third quiz and just take the bad grade (and use my one quiz drop for it) and then study for the fourth one with the idea that my first two grades would make up for a lower grade.
In retrospect, not only did this attitude defeat all the hard work I put in for the first two quizzes, this put me at a disadvantage for the cumulative final exam because I did not understand all the material leading up to it. Additionally, it was naïve to believe that my earlier performance on quizzes would correlate with my future performance, especially since the quizzes test on different information. After receiving my fourth quiz score and doing significantly worse than I had hoped for, I knew I had to get my act together for the final exam if I wanted to get a high final GPA.
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When thinking about how to best prepare for the final exam, I realized that completing practice exams and problems has been the most effective study habit for me. Seeing exam-like problems helps me familiarize myself with the test format (in order to understand how fast I need to work, what kind of problem solving the professors are looking for, etc.), recognize which areas of knowledge I need or don't need to brush up on, and refresh my memory on concepts I may have learned weeks prior to the exam. I had slacked for the third and fourth quizzes, by either not even looking at practice questions or writing hasty, sloppy answers that did not reflect my best critical thinking. This is what set those scores apart from the first two, for which I created thorough study guides and completed multiple practice exams. The benefits of completing practice exams also applied to my other classes. For example, biology exams were the ones I most consistently completed study questions for and I achieved high grades in each one as a result (see left).
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So in preparation for the exam, I completed twelve practice exams and five study guides for each unit, making sure to write detailed answers for each question, analyzing how the answer key differed from my responses, and combing through all my notes to make sure the study guides were comprehensive. I also made sure to cover one unit per day (one study guide and two practice exams) leading up to the exam so that I was not cramming everything into the day before. I usually struggle with managing my time this way but planning this specific schedule in a SMART goals format made it much easier to stick with this studying method. I plan to employ these study habits next year.
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In the end, I did well in all of my final exams and scored at 90/96 for my chemistry exam (missing only two questions out of 48). Unfortunately, my fourth quiz grade cost my 4.0 in chemistry - I ended with a 3.9. However, it gave me a valuable learning lesson that will help me succeed in the future.
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Extracurriculars
Activity #1: Cope Health Scholars
Total Time Volunteered March-May: 110 hours
After an extensive application process, I began volunteering at Swedish Hospital - First Hill Campus as part of the Cope Health Scholars Program in March. This quarter, I had an average of two shifts a week, one four hour shift as a health scholar and one two hour shift as a Patient Experience Ambassador (PXA). PXA was a special project I got to participate in as a result of scoring high on the entrance exam. Instead of manning the lobby, I rounded on patients on the 10SW (Telemetry) floor and asked about their experience in the hospital. I got to do the following as a PXA:
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Interact with patients and learn about their stories
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Collect data on the four P's (Pain, Potty, Possessions, and Position)
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Ensure patient safety and comfort by checking for bed brakes, bed position, room tidiness, and accessibility to belongings
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Complete the CAUTI assessment (checking that catheter and Foley bag are positioned correctly)
Click here to see some blog posts about my experience as a PXA.
Cope Health Scholars is one of my honors experiential learning activities. This quarter, I was a health scholar on 9SW, the General Medical floor. This coming summer, I will be a health scholar on a new floor, IIE Nephrology/Urology/Transplant. Click here to see a description of my role as a Health Scholar.
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Activity #2: Project Medicine
I was the freshman representative this year for the UW RSO Project Medicine. I did not get to do as much as I would have hoped, so next year, I am going to try to increase my involvement as the External Communications Associate. This year, I participated in the following as the freshman representative:
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Organized a clothing drive ​​
This drive did not go as envisioned because we did not allocate enough time and resources to implementing it. Next year, I will make sure to start the process earlier so that the drive is better advertised and happens during a time that students will be donating clothes (like the end of the year or before winter break). -
Helped run a pre-med trivia event
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Created onboarding materials for a mentorship program called Raise Guild
At the end of April, the team got together to play volleyball for a fundraiser ran by CRY (a club at UW that supports children's rights and education in developing countries). It was a great bonding experience, especially since I had only met the board members virtually before. I now feel more comfortable reaching out to the board, and this experience really showed me how important camaraderie is for working together as a team. Unfortunately, I also was reminded that I suck at volleyball :D
Reflection
New Experiences
In total honesty, that 3.9 is going to haunt me for a while. However, like I said in my earlier reflection, I learned a lot from that score and now I know how to do better in the future. Overall, I am proud of my work this quarter. I finished the chemistry series! Time for organic chemistry :0
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