ThankYOu Magellan
This summer, I was lucky enough to spend ten weeks living in a hotbed for political discretion in this country otherwise known as Washington, DC. At the beginning of my Magellan project, I fostered the goal of becoming a more informed citizen who uses their education to improve the quality of life in their community, country, and the world while contributing to my educational goal of creating a competitive writing sample in the hopes of pursuing a graduate degree in the realm of bioethics. I also hoped that through my participation in the Magellan project that I would able to make connections with individuals who are passionate about understanding both the how and why questions that interdisciplinary study provides. Most importantly, I hoped that upon my completion of my project I would be able to say that I began to change the future by initiating my own research on a public health policy issue.
The reality of the goals I fostered at the beginning of the summer, for the most part align with the results that I acheived through my participation of the Magellan Project, but the journey was far different than I ever expected. Working under the tutelage of Dr. Sarah Marsh was especially eye opening because for the first time, I was being challenged to a degree that I never knew that I could compete at. Dr. Marsh challenged my way of thinking, and through my experiences with her over this summer I can say that I am more confident in my decision to pursue graduate school. Before this summer, I was very nervous about the idea of committing five (or more) years to pursuing a highly specific field with a questionable return rate on the PhD in the bioethics field. Thanks to the Magellan Project, I can confidently say that I am ready to commit five (and hopefully more) years to learning and working with medical humanities.
The most important realization that I gained from my participation in the Magellan Project is that I truly can do anything that I put my mind to. Before this summer I have lived with in the same hundred mile radius encompassing the greater Pittsburgh area. The most worthwhile part of my Magellan Project was the self growth that this scholarship program allowed me. Last summer, I lived alone and was responsible for my own budgeting and amenities. Although I have lived on campus at Washington & Jefferson the last four years, nothing had compared to living completely independently. Even more importantly than providing me the means to safely learn to live and function on my own, this project opened the door for self discovery. I have always lived in the same area, around the same people, around the same schools of thought. After this summer I can absolutely say without a doubt that the most important thing anyone can do is leave where they grew up and gain a global perspective. Being in Washington, DC helped me to learn to work with people who thought differently than I did and introduced me to a large population of people who just have different values than I do for various reasons. I will never forget the generosity of Washington & Jefferson College through efforts like the Magellan Project.