One of my artifacts is my passport, I absolutely love to travel. I think that traveling has had one of the biggest impacts on who I am and what I am passionate about in my life. One of my favorite places I have visited is Tanzania. I was struck by how different it was from where I was from. The Tanzanian culture was very friendly and I was amazed by the joy that seemed to be present everywhere I went. I learned so much from that trip, and I love would go back. However, before I would go back I think that I would take an opportunity to go somewhere that I have not been before because each new place offers more insights and experiences and your passport will help you get there.
My second artifact is my ACES film project. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the documentary we chose for this assignment. It discussed education in the United States which I found very interesting. I also got the opportunity to work with some people in my scholars program that I had not gotten to know very well. Working in the group chosen for me was a good experience as a whole and I was impressed by the insights by group had. I was proud of what my group gathered from the documentary and how we related it to our scholars program so I thought it appropriate to make it one of my artifacts. It was a successful project for the start of my collegiate career.
Waiting for Superman:
ACES film project
My third artifact is my swim suit. As silly as it sounds, I learned a lot from being on the swim team in high school. I learned about what it takes to build your teammates up and encourage them even when you are tired. In a sport that is mostly you competing as an individual the team dynamic is interesting. I learned how to manage my time which was good preparation for college and how to push myself physically. I was never very into sports as a child and so it was very unexpected for me to join the swim team one day. However, I am very grateful for the experience and the lessons I learned. I think that it had a positive impact on me as a person and a student.
ACES Mentee Interview
Jess Stein is my mentee and the major that she plans on applying to is nursing.
How did you decide on the major you have chosen?
Jess has always been interested in medicine, the human body, and helping people. She said that anatomy was one of her favorite classes in high school. Originally becoming a surgeon was on the radar for her so she was studying biology, and her plan was to eventually apply to med school. The schooling necessary to fulfill this dream seemed overwhelming and becoming a surgeon would take many years. She mentioned that she would like a family and wanted to be able to make that a priority. Nursing seemed like a happy medium. She would still be involved in medicine, but it has a flexible schedule and requires fewer years of school. Nursing also allows one to have a very personal relationship with patients which is a quality that she liked about it.
How do you plan to get involved on campus?
Jess is already very involved around Ohio State. Aside from being in ACES, she started rowing for OSU this year which has kept her very busy, but she is enjoying it. She is also in the bioethics society; in which she is applying to be vice president. Jess holds a job off campus in addition to her activities on campus.
What are you most looking forward to in the ACES program?
Jess is excited about the service aspect of ACES. She is excited to get involved in her Columbus community. She mentioned that having the opportunities in front of her made it much easier to pick one that fit her passions and schedule. Sometimes it is hard to organize volunteer work on one’s own, but ACES makes it easier.
What is your dream job and why?
After some time nursing, Jess would like to either serve on an ethical committee in a hospital, or become a medical ethicist. In order to achieve this goal, she is thinking about adding a bioethical minor so that she can learn more about it.
What is one of the most important things you have learned so far at Ohio State?
Because of her busy schedule, Jess has become hyperaware of how to schedule. She has had to work out time conflicts with her job because sometimes the work she has to do takes longer than she expects. The type of work she does makes it hard to predict how long it will take for her to complete her tasks. It has been an adjustment learning to take into account how long it takes to get places or do things at Ohio State.
I am excited for Jess because she seems to have found a great major that fits the goals she has for herself in her life. I told her that I am undecided on what I should major in and it is okay to get a few semesters down the road and decide that a different area is a better fit for her. I will try to help Jess figure out a great spot to volunteer at because she is passionate and excited about it, and I want it to be a great experience for her. Ideally she will get involved in something that she wants to continue for years to come.
I think it is important for Jess to know that lots of college students from all years find scheduling overwhelming. Work, school, extracurricular activities, and social time are all very important and it is difficult to split the time up so that no area suffers. I think another one of the ways that I can be a helpful mentor to Jess this year is to help her find time for herself. She is so busy and very involved, which is awesome, but it is very important to take time to relax and have fun with friends as well. All of things she is involved with will suffer if she is not getting enough sleep and taking care of herself.
Exploring Columbus
My mentee Jess and I decided to explore the Old North for our exploring Columbus task. We met at my dorm and walked to the Old North from north campus. We went with fellow ACES members Rachel Rayborn, Maya Bose, and Cat Bouldry. Jess does not live in Smith-Steeb like most of the other first year ACES, so it was nice that we got to bond with Cat who is also a first year in ACES. It was rainy and cold so we were not able to enjoy walking around as much as we might have on another day, but it was nice to be able to see that area of the city and all it had to offer. The Old North was not as exciting as downtown is, but there were a few shops and convenient stores that I did not know were there. Regardless, it was nice to be able to walk and talk.
We talked about finals week and the classes we were both stressed about. We are in the same online class so we discussed how we were on the border of an A and wanted to do well on the last exam. She has to apply to the nursing major soon so that is a stressor in her life. Rachel and Cat have to apply to their education majors so this led into a conversation about majors and what happens if one is not accepted into their first choice. Jess has to balance her time on the rowing team with her other responsibilities.
We compared high schools; we discussed the differences in the amount of diversity we had and the way grades were weighted in our high schools. Some of us shared some interesting and influential people that came through our high schools. We all had different experiences before coming to OSU, and even in our OSU community we are all involved in different things. Jess is from Cincinnati; I am from Fort Wayne, Indiana; Cat is from Maryland, and Maya and Rachel are both from Chicago suburbs. It is so interesting how we all came from such different backgrounds and areas of the country, but we all ended up in the same scholar’s program at Ohio State.
After walking around, we all admitted that we were getting quite hungry. Our options were not limited in the Old North. There are pizza places, Italian restaurants, little cafes, and I even saw a Japanese restaurant that sounded very good. We ended up settling on Chop Shop for dinner. We all got burgers and they provided generous portions of fries which we could all share. Their milkshakes were delicious (I got a chocolate one with brownie bits) and I would definitely go back sometime for another. Besides hanging out with these lovely ACES women, I would say my favorite part of the evening was the milkshake. The atmosphere in the atmosphere was modern but relaxed. The food was tasty and did not take very long. It was not too expensive, and I would recommend checking it out to anyone that has not been there. I would also recommend that people give the Old North a chance when looking for something to do. Although it is not the same exciting scene as downtown, it is worth checking out.
In my hometown, people mostly drive everywhere. When picking a university to attend, I really wanted to go somewhere that was in a city that would have lots of different places I could go explore. I love being able to walk to different restaurants and parts of the city. This assignment sort of forced us to step off of campus for a few hours and I appreciated that. I hope that I can spend more time exploring Columbus in the future. I would really enjoy going with Jess to German village or just to downtown because there are so many fun things to do there. If the weather was warm, we could go to the river walk and walk alongside the city.
This mentorship has been a good experience for me. Jess is very sweet and easy to get along with. I think she has done an excellent job adjusting to college life. She has made friends and seems to be doing well in her classes. I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get to know her and I hope she feels like she can reach out to me if she ever needs anyone to talk to. I had a fun time talking with her and the other ACES members we were with on our little adventure.
Mentee Check – In
Jess Stein – Pre-Nursing
Are you enjoying your major? Why or why not?
My mentee, Jess, and I decided to get dinner together in the union marketplace after the ACES service event we had making door decks. I asked her if she was enjoying her major and she said that she was, but her classes are proving to be very difficult. As a pre-nursing major, there are a few difficult classes that she must do very well in in order to be accepted into the major which is very competitive. Her stress is very understandable.
Have you gotten involved on campus? How do you manage your time between your involvement and your academics?
Jess is very involved on campus; she is on the rowing team which is very time consuming. Jess also has a job that involves making calls and dealing with people which requires great interpersonal skills. She is also involved in a ACES and a couple other clubs on campus. She expressed to me how getting enough sleep is very challenging at times for her because she is so busy. She said that her roommates comment on how little she seems to sleep. It can be very difficult managing one’s time while being involved in this many things. I hope that she is able to find a way to fit it all in and get plenty of rest and time for herself.
Have you enjoyed the ACES living-learning community in Smith-Steeb? Why or why not?
Unfortunately, Jess’s housing got a little messed up and she is living in the towers on west campus instead of in Smith-Steeb. I think she feels that has put her at a disadvantage when it comes to bonding with fellow ACES. She said she does not know a lot of other ACES in the program. I am glad that she and I can go to events together. I know when I was a freshman, I loved living with my fellow ACES. I met almost all of my friends through the program and am still friends with them to this day. I think the living together aspect of ACES is invaluable.
Have your career plans changed since your first semester? Why or why not?
Jess is still planning on going into nursing and still taking her pre-nursing classes. She did, however, add on a bioethics minor. She hopes to serve on a committee that makes ethical determinations regarding how hospitals handle various situations. This sounds extremely interesting. Since the nursing major is very difficult to get into, Jess has a backup plan of majoring in environmental policy (she referred to herself as a bit of a “tree hugger” and law with a focus on ethics. All of her options sound very interesting and exciting. I am impressed by how she knows what she wants to do and it so interested in ethics as an area of study.
What is your favorite memory from last semester? What has surprised you about Ohio State since arriving on campus?
Jess’ favorite memory was running out to the field after the game that OSU won against Michigan. It was a very close and exciting game; she is glad that she got to be there. Jess is still surprised about how big Ohio State feels to her. There are so many fellow buckeyes walking around at any given time. It feels like a city. Perhaps, the longer she is here, the more it will start to feel smaller and homier. I have really enjoyed getting to know Jess. She is very sweet and funny and she will make be fantastic in whatever area of study she chooses.
Explore Columbus Second Semester
For our second adventure exploring Columbus, I decided to ask Jess if she wanted to head north of campus a little bit. We wanted to begin our adventure with a snack of some sort but could not decide between ice cream and smoothies. Eventually we decided on smoothies because we felt it might be a slightly healthier alternative. We went along with Rachel Rayborn and Cat Bouldry. Because we had so much fun with them during last semester’s explore Columbus assignment. Jess and I met at the union and we picked up Cat and Rachel at Smith-Steeb to begin our outing. While we were at Berry Blendz, we also happened to run into Brittany and Maddie who are also in ACES
The weather was perfect on the evening we went out and it was very nice to be able to get a springy beverage without it making us feel chilly. Since it was close to the end of the semester, stress levels were high and it was a treat to be able to get off of campus for a spell. We had planned on doing more shopping and walking north of campus, but we got to talking and before we knew it, we lost track of time. We all had homework and obligations that we had to attend to or else we might have spent the whole evening talking.
Jess and I talked about our plans for this summer and our expectations for next fall. Most everyone plans on getting a job this coming summer, but us second year ACES are starting to pay more attention to internships and research opportunities. The first year ACES discussed their plans for their housing plans and roomies in the future. They agreed that while Smith-Steeb was a great freshmen year dorm, it seems like it would be fun to try out north campus.
Jess talked about her classes and her upcoming finals. She said that she is most nervous about her physiology final and that she has been frustrated with the course and instructor throughout the semester. I will most likely have to take the class at some point this semester and was discouraged to hear that she was not enjoying it very much. She said that she liked the material and that it was not very difficult to learn, but she did not like the way that the class was set up. She felt that she could not get the assistance that she needed when faced with a difficult problem and that the tests were unreasonable. I feel her pain; it is so frustrating when you try very hard in a class and still feel like you cannot keep up.
Since I will probably have to take the class at some point, Jess said that she would led me a hand if I needed it since she will have already made it through the class. I appreciated that gesture very much and it gives me hope that we will maintain contact in the future. At the very least, I can text her with all of the physiology questions that I have. I am hoping that we can also get dinner or coffee from time to time to catch up. I could probably benefit from a study party or two with her. Maybe we can even plan a bigger get together such as a trip to a museum or the zoo.
When I met up with Jess, I noticed that she had gotten bangs. They looked very cute on her. I was very surprised and impressed when I learned that she had cut them herself. I have a lot of trouble making changes like this and would never trust myself enough to do the chop by myself. I think the fact that Jess switched up her hair and did it herself says a lot about her personality. It paid off for her and it looks great! It is always nice to spend time with Jess. She is really great. She is very easy to talk to so I am trying to encourage her to be a mentor next year because I think that she would be very good at it. She said that she was planning on staying in the ACES program for her second year and was definitely considering being a mentor next year. I enjoyed having an excuse to get off a campus and hang out with fellow ACES. Since everything I need is on campus, I don’t leave it very often.
