Victoria Riddle
As wonderful of an opportunity as college has been for me, it has also been a great tool for improvement both academically and personally. As with any major life change, college became a learning curve for me not only through my freshman year but every day. I am grateful to always be learning new life skills and improving myself in order to be the best version of myself that I can be. The Professional & Civic Engagement Pathway has led me towards experiences that have not only empowered me, but also challenged me to grow as a person and taught me lessons that will last a lifetime.
The experiences that have been challenging for me remind me of a concept I learned in Biology 550-Bacteriology. We outlined a unit on Immunology and I feel as if life lessons work similarly. Please refer to my Bacteriology notes for a brief overview on vaccines. First you get a vaccine and you are introduced to a weaker version of the disease itself. Although the virus is weakened and does not produce symptoms, it is still a challenge for your body to gain resistance, and later immunity to the virus. The virus causes the immune system to produce T-lymphocytes and antibodies. This process takes a few weeks and during that time, your body is somewhat compromised towards the disease itself, because it takes time to mount a defense against the disease. Your body fights off the small amount of antigens that are introduced, and then eventually creates memory cells. These memory cells create immunity, so if you were to experience the pathogen again then your body would mount an even larger defense against the disease and would utilize the memory cells in order to create antibodies to fight off the disease, as depicted in the graph entitled “Concentration of Antibody in Primary and Secondary Immune Response”. The first exposure elicits a small response to the virus, but the secondary response is faster and stronger because the body has memory cells and immunity against the disease. Even though the vaccine is a weaker form of the disease, your body can fight off the disease even if it is more infectious than the vaccine once was. Vaccines allow us to have lifelong immunity, much like the lessons I have learned throughout my journey here at USC. Once I encounter situations that are challenging outside of my college life, I will have more effective tools to be successful and confident in my ability to complete such tasks.
Immunity for Life
Graph depicting primary and secondary responses to a disease after vaccination.
Source: http://shawmst.org/biology/appendix/extended-responses/
The first experience that precipitated a struggle for me was with my leadership position within Alpha Gamma Delta. I was elected as the Alumnae Relations Coordinator the second semester of my sophomore year. Since we had just recently colonized my freshman year, there was not a job description outlining my responsibilities. Aside from a few major tasks, a minor task for me was preparing a small event for alumnae and a small amount of members to have at the chapter house. I decided to plan the event to be a craft night where everyone did a step-by-step guide for painting a Lilly Pulitzer print. I soon realized that even a small event demands an attention to detail and hard work. I had to budget my supplies, send out invitations to alumnae within the area, and conduct a Google Doc to assess chapter member interest. The event ran smoothly and prepared me for an even larger event that I would have to plan later that semester. This smaller event served as a type of vaccine and helped me accomplish my largest task as Alumnae Relations Coordinator. My major task as Alumnae Relations Coordinator was to plan International Reunion Day, a mandatory event for all members where the Fraternity’s history is celebrated and alumnae members are invited to socialize with collegiate members. This luncheon seemed easy to visualize, but I soon realized that planning an event for 250-300 people was much more challenging than I had originally anticipated. The major struggle for me was finding a venue for the event, as the budget was somewhat limited and finding a space for that many people is not an easy feat. I tried booking the event through Russell House but after some miscommunication, it became apparent that I needed to look other places. I entered into discussions with the Columbia Marriott, who could cater my event and fit everyone within my budget. After the venue was booked, I shifted my focus to logistics: an exact head-count, programs, nametags, decorations, and much more. As an example of the detail that the planning required, I attached the program for the event. Additionally, I created a Google Doc polling attendees for food preferences. There were many days where I felt so overwhelmed but I remained persistent and determined to get everything under control and lined up. By the time International Reunion Day came, I had everything together and the event went as smoothly as I could have ever imagined. I learned so many things from my leadership role in Alpha Gamma Delta, but the most important life lesson I will take away is be that being persistent and having faith in yourself helps to yield the best results. Additionally, I learned to never be afraid to ask for help or advice because other people are the best sources of wisdom and they help you to realize that you are never going through life alone. Looking back on my time as Alumnae Relations Coordinator, I realize how grateful I am that I had the opportunity to not only establish the traditions of events within the Theta Omega chapter, but also to learn about myself personally. I know that when I experience a situation similar to this one, I can always refer back to the experiences I had for guidance.
Another challenging experience I encountered at USC was in Organic Chemistry II, Chemistry 334. I struggled with the class because I could not visualize the reactions. My first professor taught the class more visually, with the tests being applications of what we had discussed in class with new reactions. This portion of the class was my main struggle, because I had trouble making the connections from reactions we had discussed in class to the new reactions on the test—I just could not understand how to go from one to the other. I studied for hours but after the first few tests I realized that I just was not grasping the material. As the end of the semester neared, I realized that I would probably have to retake the class, which was very hard for me to deal with personally. I had not previously had the experience of not doing well in a class, especially after studying and putting in a lot of effort. Even though I felt embarrassed, I knew that retaking the class was something I would need to do in order to go to Physician’s Assistant school. I signed up for the class during the summer, and there was only one professor teaching the class. I went into the class determined to do well and master the material. The first time I took Organic Chemistry was the vaccine which created memory cells that I could utilize in order to change my study habits for the second time I took the class. Even though the initial experience seemed as if it was not beneficial, going through the material one time helped me to build a foundation to study from for my second time around as well as knowledge of study tactics to avoid in order to learn the material most effectively. This professor taught the class in terms of rules. If you learned the process of the reactions, then you could apply those rules to any of the other reactions you would encounter on the test and achieve the correct products. This was much more conducive to my learning style, as I am very Type A and process oriented. I studied every day for multiple hours and I noticed that the material was coming to me more easily than before and my grades were much better. Here is an example of some of the class notes. After a month of studying daily, I came out of the class with an A and I ended up getting to exempt the final. I attached the form I signed in order to exempt the final, with my well-earned A at the bottom! I cannot describe the relief I felt in knowing that I could master the material. As hard of an experience as this was for me personally, I learned so much more about myself than I could have just taking the class once. Retaking Organic Chemistry taught me that everything happens for a reason, and if you make the most of a situation the results will likely be much better than expected.
A benefit of challenging experiences is that the lessons you learn are emotional and practical. I would definitely not be the same person I am today without my officer position or my grade forgiveness, for which I am very grateful. It is amazing how your body mounts defenses against disease and protects you physically through immunity and how vaccines and their biological effects mirror life experience. Experiences are tools used for a lifetime and help you to conquer increasingly dificult tasks. As you learn more about yourself and the world around you, you begin to realize that bad experiences are just as rewarding as good ones. Graduation with Leadership Distinction and the Professional & Civic Engagement Pathway have allowed me to reflect on my experiences, both good and bad, and have given me an immunity of its own; to learn for the future you can always look to your past for guidance.
Alpha Gamma Delta
International Reunion Day
Group Photo & IRD T-Shirt Design
