Auva Zandi ’24 (Dublin, Ohio) loves talking about her experience as a Patient Care Assistant (PCA) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital this past summer.
“I am still continuing to work during the school year, and I am excited to see how much more I will learn,” said Zandi, who is majoring in Biochemistry. “I have already learned how to take vitals, work on a team of health care providers, and understand what a hospital setting looks like.”
Since Zandi wants to become a physician assistant, the experience has helped her learn more about working with patients. The Marietta College community will get an opportunity to learn more from Zandi and dozens of other students during the inaugural Experiential Education Day on Tuesday, November 29th.
“The sole purpose of the day is to highlight the many opportunities available to our students,” said Christy Burke, Director of Education Abroad and Graduate Recruitment. “Current students who have completed an experiential element of their education are now being given a way to showcase what they have learned.”
The full day of events begins with an Internship Showcase from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Court 2 of the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center, and the event concludes with a Networking Reception from 4:00-5:30 p.m. on Courts 2 and 3 of the DBRC. Throughout the day, students can see firsthand what fellow Pioneers research for their capstones, how to become a student leader for orientation, Community Living, or tutoring, and browse departmental opportunities available to complete graduation requirements at the Secondary Concentration Fair.
Racquel Koleszar ’23 (Garrettsville, Ohio) is majoring in Biology and will be presenting her research from a capstone project that is focused on finding and isolating bacteria species that produce antibiotics.
“I am specifically looking for bacteria species that occur in soils, and I have been screening areas near the rivers, areas on campus, and soil from compost piles,” she said. “I chose this project because of my interest in the phenomena known as the ‘post-antibiotic era.’ Pathogenic bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to our current forms of treatment (antibiotics) and, as a result, are more difficult to cure, so infections become more severe, leading to hospitalization and death. One way to combat the effects of this growing resistance is to find new antibiotics that can kill or inhibit the growth of resistant pathogenic bacteria strains.”
Other activities throughout the day include a workshop on how to develop an internship, career exploration information sessions, Study Abroad Fair, and How to Navigate “Adulting.” There is also a PioBiz competition in Thomas 124 and a Poets & Playwrights Fellowship in the Friederich Theater. Both events begin at 3:00 p.m.
“Something we have been mindful of is the fact that current college students nationally want to go to things where they know they can get something out of it,” Burke said. “We believe that is exactly what the Experiential Education Day is designed to do. We put this together to provide a platform for existing students to share their experiences while also offering opportunities for students who haven’t had this type of experience to begin the process and offer ways for exploring future engagement.”