Kristian Alvaran
Ralph Scholar Award Essay
To demonstrate a sincere commitment to learning is a trait that sets individuals apart from
others. I have displayed initiative in taking advantage of learning during my time here at Mount
Saint Mary College. In every class I have taken at this college, I always make sure to consult with
my professor should I ever run into any sort of confusion in a lecture or assignment. I have noticed
that every professor I have had the opportunity to learn under, has been open to feedback and
questions. I specifically took advantage of this with my anatomy and physiology 2 professor, Dr.
Sarro in the spring semester of my freshman year. Dr. Sarro had a policy of allowing us students
to come visit him during his office hours to look over our exams to see what we got wrong and I
utilized that policy every single time after an exam. Of course, when running into a question that
I got wrong on the exam that I did not understand, I brought the question up to him so he could
explain it to me. Practicing this ability in his class easily posed the greatest advantage for me to
succeed in it. It allowed me to understand concepts clearer and piece different functions of the
body systems together and understand the synergism of them, considering no system in the body
functions independently. My current Nursing Skills class also has this same policy and just as
expected, I take advantage of it and visit my professor, Mrs. Rubeo to look over my exam and ask
her any questions I may have regarding the answers I got incorrect on the exams. I credit this
practice for much of my academic success here at the Mount and this on top of my other scholastic
skills allowed me to make the school’s dean list for Fall 2018 semester.
My position here at the college as a peer tutor has allowed me to continue learning outside
of the classroom. I was first exposed to the school’s tutoring program my freshman year when I
felt the need to get extra help in my anatomy and physiology 1 class. I had a B in the class so and
did not want my grades slipping so I would attend the group drop in tutoring weekly until I felt I
had a handle on the class. I began tutoring last semester as a general psychology tutor due to my
excellent performance in the class the prior semester. When tutoring the students, I often would
run into topics I may not have been exposed to during my time in the class, and this problem
created the opportunity for me to research the topic so I may understand it better and be able to
assist my students in getting a clearer picture of the topic. I recall having a student that was
struggling to understand the topic of classical conditioning and I myself was somewhat familiar
with the topic but went back to my old psychology textbook to familiarize myself with it again.
With this, I was able to successfully able to explain the concept to my student. This resulted in
both the student and I learning. I knew this was a possible occurrence when considering the
position and felt that it would be a fantastic opportunity for me to solidify my knowledge of
psychology more as it is an important study for my career. This semester, I began tutoring in
Elementary Statistics on top of psychology to further solidify my understanding of the topic
because knowledge in statistics is an essential skill in research which I will certainly utilize more
often in the future.
As of recently, I have also been in the process of seeking a summer internship opportunity
as a nursing assistant so I may hone the skills that I have been learning in my nursing skills lab
and clinicals. I also see this internship as an opportunity to possibly learn new skills that will be
pertinent in the future as well as becoming more acclimated to working in a healthcare setting.
While working on attaining an internship, I also saw this situation as an opportunity to improve on
my interview skills, so I decided to partake in the college’s career center hosted mock interview
week and scheduled an interview with a talent acquisition manager from Crystal Run Healthcare.
The experience was exceptional in that I was able to be exposed to questions a future employer
could ask and I found out that my interviewing skills were much better than anticipated because I
prepared for the interview a week in advance.
Aside from my academics, I decided to broaden my horizons and join some clubs on
campus I felt would be beneficial for both me and others. I first joined the school’s Nursing Student
Union. I typically always attend the blood drives that the club hosts as well as volunteer during the
drive after donating. The club also ran several review sessions for our competency exams last
semester which I attended to make sure I was prepared for the exams. We were able to practice
our assessment skills on each other as well as on the manikins in the lab. I also joined Aging
United, a club that volunteers at Montgomery Nursing home to make arts and crafts with the
elderly residents where the students can also socialize and interact with them. This club has
exposed me more with working with the elderly population which is certainly a benefit with my
career goals as a nurse because that will be the most predominant population I will be working
with.
My experience here at Mount Saint Mary College truly has been one of much growth and
countless opportunity to foster my love for learning. I certainly look forward to my next two years
here and the more opportunities to come to continue to expand my knowledge base.