A Word from the Wise - Shanvanth Arnipalli

February 22, 2021

What is the best piece of advice a mentor or mentor figure has given you? How has this advice impacted your life, decisions, and/or goals?

A faculty mentor that I look up to is my biomedical nutrition lab advisor, Dr. Ouliana Ziouzenkova. I joined Dr. Ziouzenkova’s lab back in April this year and it has been quite the experience. The best piece of advice she has given me was to not back down or be scared away from an opportunity because of the steep learning associated with it. Her lab's focus is mostly outside of what I learn in my major and adapting to thinking outside the box for my work in this lab was not easy. There was a struggle at the beginning, as is with any new experience, however, I admired her patience and all time and effort she invested into my understanding and learning to succeed in this lab. This was a major catalyst for my ventures in academia because it lit a spark of ambition that continues to grow over time. It completely restructured my self-confidence and the way I approach my work both in and out of class. Because of this advice, I challenged myself to explore research solely outside of my field of study. I am majoring in Environmental Science with a specialization in Molecular Science on the pre-med track. My lab research work focuses are in biomedical nutrition and developmental psychology, and I am currently writing my undergraduate thesis on parental metaemotion and practices towards child socialization goals shaped by environmental sociological imagination through my psychology lab. The research in the biomedical nutrition lab focuses on fundamental pathways regulating metabolic responses and examines their relevance for the development of the metabolic syndrome. Whereas my work in the developmental psychology lab focuses on the role of familial context and parental characteristics, in young children’s socioemotional development, more specifically, socialization of children’s emotion regulation. Through my work in the biomedical nutrition lab, I co-authored two publications, one regarding the consequence of antibiotics and the other discussing the osmotic and hemostatic collapses in the human body due to COVID-19.

Because of Dr. Ziouzenkova, I was able to plan the next few years after graduation. Upon finishing my undergraduate degree, I would like to pursue a one-year research program abroad to expand on my thesis work. The expansion would focus on utilizing a biosocial approach to add a human nutrition lens to my thesis work to increase the holistic nature of the study. After, I plan on attending medical school for osteopathic psychiatry. Once I am able to finish my studies, I would like to open a private practice for holistic medicine that takes into account the patient’s mind and body for diagnosis. I continue to look up to Dr. Ziouzenkova and learn from her every day because not only is she a great teacher, but she also helped me see the potential I have. Mentors, like Dr. Ziouzenkova, are not easy to come by and I am truly thankful to have someone like her in my life.

What is one of your biggest lessons learned since becoming a student at OSU? What is one piece of advice you would give incoming buckeyes?

Since becoming a buckeye, I have learned what it means to independent. The Ohio State University offers so many opportunities outside of class, and class is just one of many things that happen every day. We are all in a period of our life to make mistakes, and as cliché as that sounds it is very true. We are given the space to grow, learn, and find areas where can not only survive but thrive. This comes at a cost, and that is putting in the work to finding non-traditional avenues for exploration for non-traditional learning. In university, your overall experience is what you make of it. Interacting with such a vibrant and diverse community, like OSU, truly fosters ambition and enables free will for students who are zealous enough to see the fruitful nature of such a dynamic environment. Personally, this lesson was influential to shaping my ideology for university, as in it enabled me to carve out space to grow and learn. One piece of advice for incoming buckeyes would be, make the most out of the time you spend at OSU. Whether it be exploring new majors, applying for internships outside for field of study, or even building a self-satisfying routine, anything that motivates you to push boundaries and aim for the stars. Networking is a great way to get started on learning about the abundance of experiences available! By doing this you would never have a dull moment at the Ohio State University!