Leadership Development: ACES Mentorship Program Summary

Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, I mentored both Katie and Hannah! Katie Taray is a Public Affairs major who is interested in pursuing a minor in communications minor or career in education. She is from Canton, Ohio. Outside of the classroom and her involvement in ACES, Katie continued pursuing her interests during her first year at Ohio State. She was interested in staying in shape, so she participated in CHAARG her first semester, went running often and attended group fitness classes.

Katie and I are both from north east Ohio and she lives near a city that my cousins live in. During the first ACES community meeting this past year, we bonded over an alternative music band such as Foster the People. Katie is a very kind and happy person. I admire her ability to always be positive. During her second semester, she joined Boo Radley Society to spread random acts of kindness around campus especially during finals week or before seasonal breaks.

From the first to second semester, Katie has a hang of the campus setting and is confident in her major and interests. I saw her growth in how passionately she spoke about the classes she took and the clubs she was in. She’s enjoying her time at Ohio State and is excited to be back on campus in August as a sophomore.

Hannah is my mentee as well! She is a special education major from Cincinnati, Ohio. As a freshman, she wanted to take classes that excited her as well as volunteer in her free time and join a sorority in the spring. In the spring, she accomplished these goals and rushed Alpha Xi Delta (AXiD), whose philanthropy organization is Autism Speaks. She participated in the FEEP program where she learned strategies to use with special needs individualizes as well as the importance to “adopt their thinking.”

Hannah and I connected through our easy going, energetic personalities. We both enjoy surrounding ourselves with friends and making a social change. Unlike myself, Hannah volunteered with Best Buddies and the Office of Social Change Schoenbaum music explorers. I really admire Hannah’s drive to get out in the community and explore her passions.

Hannah shared with me her goals for her next school year at Ohio State, which include advancing her grade point average and finding a campus job. I saw Hannah’s growth in her ability to achieve the goals she set for herself in her first semester. Hannah is excited to live in her sorority house next year with with one of her friends from Cincinnati. Although she has completed FEEP, Hannah will likely participate in a student teaching program in the future.

I believed I grew as a mentor throughout the year by learning how to cater my advice to both of my mentees. Although they are both freshman girls, they had different question or concerns during their first year at Ohio State. I relayed resources, services and advice that would be applicable to their life, major and interests. I shared stories of all my favorite moments from living in Smith-Steeb freshman year and responded to questions with specific answers in regard to academics, getting involved or personal life.  

I provided my mentees insight to succeed in and outside of the classroom. As a second-year mentor, I had the experiences as a freshman to relieve any stress or worry that my mentees may have communicated. I advanced myself as a leader because I listened to and supported my mentees throughout their journey as a new student at Ohio State.

During my time as a mentor, I loved guiding and encouraging my mentees to pursue their goals and even challenge their comfort zones. By creating a group message, I developed a bond with my mentees and a safe community in which they could come to me during times of stress like finals or when asking cool spots to eat off campus. I enjoyed aiding my mentees in their important transition from high school to college, and they both did awesome in finding a home away from home at OSU!!

The ACES mentoring program is a very beneficial and unique way to expand the community of the scholars program. I enjoyed forming strong relationships with both of my mentees as well as embodying how to exercise the three pillars of ACES. I loved attending events with my mentees and discussing their weekly achievements or hardships. I am really grateful to have been a part of such an awesome program such as ACES these past two years and to have mentored Hannah and Katie throughout this past year!

Final Explore Columbus: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

For my spring semester and final explore Columbus assignment, my goal was to take my two awesome mentees, Hannah and Katie, to experience Jeni’s Ice Creams in the Short North. Throughout the semester, we talked about where we wanted to go for our last assignment together. We were thinking about going to Plato’s Closet in Clintonville, but it would be difficult without a personal car. Katie mentioned that she was interested in getting ice cream and Hannah was down for anything, so we decided on Jeni’s. It was pretty fitting because when I was a mentee, my mentor took me to get ice cream as well.

As a sophomore, I live in a dorm on north campus. With the ACES learning community, Hannah and Katie live in Smith-Steeb. Therefore, I rode a COTA down from north to south campus and met them in the Smith-Steeb lobby. Then, we got on another COTA that took us from Chittenden Avenue to Hubbard Avenue, close to where Jeni’s is located. We had fun chatting about riding the COTA and how it helps us learn the streets of Columbus. With the bus stop a block away from Jeni’s, we passed by some Short North restaurants and retail shops and talked about places we have been to or places we would like to try or visit.

When we got inside, we had discussed some flavors in mind, but all three of us ended up sampling a whole bunch of flavors. Hannah got a cone of a strawberry flavored ice cream. Katie got a cup of the gooey butter cake, which is her ultimate favorite she added. And I got a cup of two flavors, one being the gooey butter cake and the Texas sheet cake. We sat down in their indoor seating area, and had a great time.

Hannah recapped on her second semester and told me her highlights about freshman year. She enjoyed the FEAP program, likes her major, and is ready to relax over summer. Over the summer, she has a job set up. Hannah will be a nanny to a family of boys who live near her in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has fun hanging out with the kids while making some nice spending money. When I asked Hannah if she had any regrets or things she hopes to accomplish as a sophomore at Ohio State, she said she didn’t have any regrets and is excited to continue attending Ohio State. She met someone of her best friends here and is excited to live in the Alpha Xi Delta house in the fall. Hannah hopes to get a job on-campus in the fall as well.

Katie enjoyed her first year and benefited from the ACES community. She volunteered with the Smiles with Styles through the Ronald McDonald House and during her spring semester, she joined Boo Radley Society. Katie hopes to get more involved with Boo Radley Society and during finals week she had participated in random acts of kindness. Katie shared with us that she was experiencing some difficulties about discussing her return to her summer camp job. She discovered she would be working in a different department than what she was used to doing in the past. Katie always has a happy outlook on any situation, and I imagine she will use her positivity to withstand any hardships.

Together, we all discussed our final exam schedules. Hannah had a couple finals and would be able to leave on Thursday. Katie felt confident with her final exam schedule. I told my mentees about my final exam schedule and my plans for the summer of a study abroad program and internship to follow. Katie and I bonded over how we are both in economics classes, but with different professors. My economics class was a large lecture twice a week whereas Katie’s incorporated technology such as iPads.

When we left Jeni’s Ice Creams, I had planned for us to get on a COTA. However, the COTA had arrived before we got to the bus stop, so we waited about 10 more minutes for the next bus to arrive. I would definitely go back to Jeni’s Ice Creams as it offers unique and delicious flavors, and it’s a great way to hang out with friends. Although it can be slightly pricey, they put a lot of effort in and even have dairy/peanut free options for those with dietary restrictions. There are several locations and I always look forward to going.

Mentee Katie’s 2nd Semester at tOSU

Katie is enjoying her second semester at the Ohio State University. Because Katie was undecided about her major during her first semester, I asked her what her current major is and if she enjoys it. Katie is a public affairs major with a Spanish minor. She is pursuing different routes and career possibilities, but she is most interested in non-profit work. Rather than working for educational government policy making, Katie would enjoy doing something like public relations. She really wants to help people and do something that doesn’t have much controversy or political debates. Katie has developed some great study habits. For example, she relies heavily on her Google calendar, which helps her stay organized. By breaking her work into steps or spreading work out if there is an overwhelming amount, Katie finds it the easiest to get her work done. In addition, Katie enjoys studying on the sixth floor of Thompson by the library book stacks because she focuses well in that area. If she’s not at Thompson, Katie will also study in the lounge of the floor in Smith-Steeb. Katie does homework from 11-4pm on Mondays or studies at night.

Katie has been a part of some awesome student organizations so far at Ohio State. Last semester, Katie was involved with CHAARG, a female organization that exercises together on and off campus. CHAARG includes working out with a small group of females and attending workouts at gyms and other workout facilities in the Columbus area. However, Katie is not involved with CHAARG anymore because of the fee members had to pay. Also, it was difficult for her to attend the off-campus workouts because they didn’t align well with her class schedule and free time. This semester, Katie joined Boo Radley Society, which promotes random acts of kindness to others. I think this a great organization for Katie and her kind, bubbly personality. In Boo Radley, each member is assigned to a “commily” that combines both family and community aspects. Katie mentioned that on the GroupMe app each commily has a pun-themed group name that incorporates the Boo Radley name. Each commily has to create two events, and each member has to participate in seven events that focus on promoting kindness to students on campus. Lastly, Katie is still involved with Smiles with Style. This organization partners with the Ronald McDonald organization and puts on fun events for the kids such as dress up, spa day, or any other form of self care and play!

In general, Katie said she liked her first semester in ACES. Specifically, she enjoys the flexibility of the commitment. With ACES, you have participation requirements; meanwhile, the commitment enables members to still have the opportunity and time to join other organizations. Katie and I agreed that ACES encourages members to join other organizations to fulfill the service hour requirement, which is a really cool aspect of the program. This low time commitment compared to other scholars programs allowed her to join CHAARG, Smiles with Style, and Boo Radley Society. With the ACES living-learning community, Katie stated she was not only able to meet friends in ACES, but she was also able to branch out and make more friends, those that are not in ACES. Something that surprised Katie about the ACES program was that there was not as much of an education aspect as she anticipated. But, Katie added that she actually enjoyed that because it has made her aware of other topics other than her initial passion of education. Also, Katie said that her survey class was more quiet than she would have liked and would have liked if people were more social. When I asked Katie if she was interested in joining the Leadership Council, she said that she would love to get more involved with the social media portion of ACES and will be applying for a spot on the LC!

As a public affairs major, Katie has become more confident in her career goals. Her main goal is to help people and she would love to participate in a Teach for America program in the future. I mentioned that I am a part of STEP, and Katie said that she would be interested in a possible internship if it aligns with her major or something in non-profit work or public relations.

Katie stated that the Michigan game was her favorite memory from first semester. Like myself, Katie enjoys spending time with her family. So when she had to leave Thanksgiving break early to come back to campus for the game, she was actually a little sad because she wanted to stay with her family and two dogs for a little longer. However, once Katie woke up on gameday, she knew she had made the right decision and was so eager to cheer on the buckeyes! For the remainder of the semester, Katie wants to boost her GPA and increase her ACES involvement as I do too. Lastly, Katie is currently training for a half marathon! I’m really thankful that Katie is one of my mentees because she always exudes a very positive energy and makes me happy. She is continuing to grow as a person and is enjoying her time at Ohio State!

Mentee Hannah’s 2nd Semester at tOSU

Hannah is continuing to grow during her time at Ohio State. We sat down at the new Starbucks in Target on High Street to discuss her transition from first semester to second semester and overall her freshman year experiences. Hannah, a special education major, enjoys her classes and major. During her second semester, she is enrolled in her general education classes, but she finds her math class for education majors most difficult. About three times a week, Hannah visits a school in the Columbus area through her First Education Experience Program (FEEP). Hannah learns first-hand about the special education field by spending time in local K-5th grade school setting. She describes herself as a teaching aid for the assessment/breakout room and student buddy to those students with autism or down syndrome. She spends her time helping students reach goals for their individual education program. At the end of this semester, she will have completed 110 hours with FEEP. When it comes to study habits, Hannah enjoys studying on the 10th and 11th floor of the Thompson Library or the common room tables near the windows of her dorm, Smith-Steeb. Like myself, Hannah is easily distracted by her friends or the comfort of her bed. She finds it difficult to study with her roommate, Rachel, or other friends because they like to socialize a lot. Although Hannah has to apply for her major in the upcoming fall, she is confident about her academic decisions.

Outside of the classroom, Hannah is very passionate about the student organizations she’s involved with. Other than ACES, Hannah has been with Best Buddies since last semester. An organization that creates relationships with those with special needs, Best Buddies allowed Hannah to meet her buddy Kim, a 26 year old with down syndrome. Hannah attends the bimonthly meetings and Holiday parties/events. Hannah and Kim text frequently and have formed a great friendship. Last month, Hannah rushed Alpha Xi Delta (AXiD) sorority and is excited to meet her big on Wednesday. She describes AXiD as being a very diverse and inclusive group of girls. It’s very fitting that AXiD volunteers with the philanthropy organization Autism Speaks, something Hannah is passionate about. Hannah enjoys chapter meetings, the chef’s meals, and will live in the sorority house next year with one of her friends from Cincinnati. Although it was a lot of first to balance, Hannah has been able to control each time commitment and credits her laptop calendar for her way of staying on top of things. Hannah stated that she will continue to be involved in these organizations in the future.

As far as ACES, Hannah liked her first semester and was surprised that there was a diverse group of majors besides education. She loves the learning community aspect. Living in the connector wing of Smith-Steeb floor five, she enjoys having the opportunity to live with both ACES and non-ACES members. I agree with Hannah that ACES is the perfect amount of commitment because it allows to be involved with something while also giving the freedom to get involved in other organizations. She said the service hour requirement was manageable because her and Maddy volunteered through the Office of Social Change Schoenbaum music explorers every Friday for about 30 minutes.

Hannah’s freshman year experiences have strengthened her career plans. She hopes to pursue a special education career with a young children focus because she has always had a “soft spot” of admiration and compassion. Hannah mentioned that through FEEP, she has learned strategies to use with special needs individualizes as well as the importance to “adopt their thinking.” As a junior, Hannah will likely participate in a student teaching program.

Hannah’s favorite memories of freshman year have been meeting new friends, which loves dearly, as well as joining her amazing sorority. Hannah plans to maintain the same GPA or reach for a higher one. I’m really proud of Hannah’s growth and I sense her comfortability with her major, organizations, and OSU in general. I’m excited to see the great things Hannah will do in the future with her passion, drive, and incredible personality.

Mentee Katie’s 1st Semester at tOSU

Katie and I went to lunch at the Union Market, and it was awesome to sit down with Katie! Katie Taray is a first year student with a Public Affairs major. She is from Canton, Ohio and she has a close family including an older brother with special needs. Originally, Katie and I connected because some of my cousins live in North Canton, which is the rival city to Canton. We know some of the same people, and we both love the alternative band Foster the People! I had never heard about the major public affairs until I came to school, so I’m always curious as to what exactly it is. So, how did she decide on the major she has chosen? Katie has always wanted to be a teacher, and her family had a little influence as well. Her dad and one of her cousins are teachers, yet they persuaded Katie to look outside of teaching as a career to try something else. She believed public affairs could let her go into education policy or non-profit work such as administrative public relations. However, Katie expressed to me that she’s really uncertain about her major, and wants to continue exploring her majors. I told Katie to look into the exploration major program on campus, so she can use her resources to really find the best major for her whether that be something pertaining to education or something outside that field. I felt undecided as well when I came to school, so I think it helped Katie to hear from my experiences.

Currently, Katie is taking mostly general education courses, like myself, but she considers her Spanish class to be her most difficult class. It’s called Spanish pronunciations, and it focuses on vowels and linguistics of the language. I totally understand how this can be challenging when this isn’t even her native language. Other than that, Katie is taking one major course called introduction to public affairs. This course brought up a great discussion for Katie and I. Introduction to public affairs is very political-based she said, and we agreed that it can be hard to contribute to discussions in class if you don’t agree or disagree strongly to the arguments or issues. We discussed how there is almost a privilege that surrounds those that aren’t completely affected by results after people vote on an issue, and we admitted that we can relate to this. It’s hard to understand the weight of issues when we aren’t personally impacted. Although Katie may not like that she is feeling unconfident about her major, I think in the future she’ll be glad that this course has helped her to identify her uncertainty about public affairs.

When it comes to involvement, I asked Katie what kind of involvement she sees herself becoming passionate about. Already, Katie is in three student organizations actually. She joined CHAARG, which is an organization that ignites health and fitness within college-aged women. I think this organization is awesome for creating a positive environment for women to feel comfortable to exercise and surround themselves with others that are motivated to expand their formats of exercise in a fun way. In addition, Katie joined the after school tutoring program for young kids that is at Thompson library, which was mentioned during one of our ACES presentations by the Office of Social Change. Lastly, Katie enjoys Smiles with Style, a program through Ronald McDonald that gives kids with chronic diseases makeovers with eyeshadow, temporary tattoos, or dress up outfits like tutus and tiaras. I really was intrigued by this organization because I’m involved in A Kid Again, which is very similar in giving families and their children with life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to attend social, seasonal events to give illnesses a timeout. Katie admitted that she has attended only one or two meetings for these organizations. I encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone to attend a meeting or event even if it’s by yourself because she might really enjoy it and surprise herself.

During the interview, I asked Katie what she is most looking forward to in the ACES program. To begin, Katie told me she chose ACES because she feels that she has grown up in the education world and loves it. As I said earlier, her family includes a couple of teachers, and they like making an impact on the lives of others. She talked about how in high school she taught Spanish to elementary school kids, and as a kid she loved playing with dolls as I did too. In general, she’s excited to participate in service events, and I told Katie how ACES helped me to first learn about the city of Columbus and the non-profits that are founded and thrive here. Lastly, Katie is eager to learn about ACES and how it can be integrated into her life and her love for education.

Honestly, I think ACES was the best decision Katie could have made in her first semester at the Ohio State University. I know for myself it helped me socially as I almost felt I lived in a learning community as I was so close with my floor mates because most of us were in ACES, and we could discuss events and walk to meetings. As a sophomore, some of the friends I met in ACES are my best friends here at OSU, and I’m glad I decided to complete the Honors & Scholars essay application. I asked Katie, what is your back up plan? Katie believes if something in public affairs or public relations doesn’t work out, she will likely become an elementary school teacher, which I think is a great path if she was to take it. Katie has a love for children, societal change, and is such a positive, awesome person to be around.

College can be stressful, so I asked Katie how she will balance her time especially now that she is in ACES and three student organizations. Katie said she breathes her Google Calendar to prioritize things to do and to see the layout of each day. In addition, Katie showed me her planner, which she writes her due-dates in, and fun fact it’s written in cursive. Lastly, I love to hear about an individual’s freshman year experience, so I asked Katie what has surprised her about campus? Both Katie and I were above average and in the top of our classes, and we were motivated to attend an university that challenged us. However once being here, Katie noticed that everyone was as smart or smarter than her, and she feels as though that it can be difficult to stand out as the leader or the smarter person in the room while being surrounded by such intelligent groups of people. But, Katie and I are both glad we are here because we are motivated to getting out of our comfort zone, meet new people, and have a great four years at the Ohio State University!

I was really happy to meet with Katie, one of my two awesome mentees. I’m excited to see how she determines her course of action for deciding her major decision, how she grows as a person, and how she becomes more comfortable within her first semester. As her mentor I’m committed to checking in with her as a mentor, advice guide, and friend.

Mentee Hannah’s 1st Semester at tOSU

Hannah and I met for dinner at Scott Traditions, and we had a great time chatting! Hannah Vondohre is a first year student with a Special Education major. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio and she is the oldest of three siblings. So, how did she decide on the major she has chosen? Since she was younger, she has developed this older sibling, role model character. She has always loved people and especially little children. When it comes to her career aspirations, it was a personal experience that prompted her to consider her current major. She has two friends with younger siblings with special needs, and they all had a very inclusive relationship beyond their disabilities. When Hannah went to high school, however, she was dismayed by the fact that her high school’s special needs program lacked the inclusion for the special needs community she was used to. She is a strong believer that each individual, although different, should be treated with the same respect no matter their disabilities. She enjoys all her classes, yet she described her math class to be most challenging. She is enrolled in math for elementary teachers and asserts that it’s difficult because we take our elementary math skills for granted.

When it comes to involvement, I asked Hannah what kind of involvement she is interested in on campus? Already, Hannah has loved her time at the Ohio State University. Only being at school for over a month, Hannah is involved with Best Buddies and Students Supporting People with Down Syndrome. With the non-profit organization Best Buddies, Hannah will have the opportunity to enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. She will participate in an one-on-one friendship, and is excited to meet her buddy pair this weekend! In addition to Best Buddies, Hannah joined Supporting People with Down Syndrome. She is excited to not only fulfill her ACES service requirement with their service activities at the Union, but also raise awareness and educate students on behalf of individuals with down syndrome. Overall, Hannah is extremely motivated to join organizations that cater to her major and help her develop an idea of what she might like to do with her career, and I believe she has taken a great step toward this goal by joining two clubs.  I’m really excited for Hannah, and I’m eager to see how her involvement grows throughout the semester, school year, and the rest of her time at Ohio State.

I asked Hannah what she is most looking forward to in the ACES program. In general, Hannah was extremely happy to be accepted into Ohio State’s Scholars program in addition to the fact that ACES specifically is a great fit for her major. As the year progresses, Hannah hopes to get involved on and off campus, volunteer, and she is most excited to get acquainted with different causes and nonprofits. Not from Columbus, Hannah and I both agreed that ACES is a great way to get acquainted not only with great organizations, but also the city of Columbus.

As a college freshman, I was honestly really impressed with how driven, positive, and passionate Hannah is as a person and with her studies. During our interview I asked Hannah what she plans to do with her major after graduation, I learned that Hannah aspires to become a special education teacher or intervention specialist. When I was a freshman, I was pretty undecided about my major; however, Hannah is very tenacious in her major decision. Overall, Hannah dreams to work with people and especially a younger audience with her role model background. I’m certainly interested to see Hannah’s growth academically, and I think this career industry is a great choice for her.

Lastly, Hannah and I discussed freshman year, the transition from high school to college, and life at the Ohio State University. Hannah and I, although she is from Cincinnati and I’m from Cleveland, both attended small high schools with graduating classes of less than one hundred people. We both considered Ohio State to be one of our top and reach colleges when applying. Both excited to challenge ourselves at a large school environment, I was curious to learn what has surprised Hannah about Ohio State since arriving on campus. Certainly, Hannah knew that as much as she could prepare herself for it, the huge campus and student body size would overwhelm her. She underestimated small things like walks to classes, walks to dorms on the other side of campus, or travels there and back from workout classes. We both agreed how different it is to transition from going to being dependent on your parents to being completely independent. Although it can be difficult and uncomfortable at times, there are many things you have to learn to do on your own like remembering to do laundry each week, planning out your day with travel time, or going to a professor’s office hours.

I really enjoyed interviewing Hannah and I feel like I know her personal, academic, and career-intended life more deeply. I’m really pumped to form a closer relationship with her through this program. As her mentor, I’m making it my responsible to check on her periodically about her classes, how she is, and the college transition. And my hope at the end of this is that Hannah can come to me whenever to chat about life, stress, or our new friendship.

Explore Columbus: Condados Con Mis Amigas

For my autumn semester Explore Columbus event, my goal was to take my two awesome mentees, Hannah and Katie, to experience Condado Tacos restaurant in the Short North. Condado Tacos is a build-your-own taco restaurant in an energetic environment. Being from Cleveland, there is a similar restaurant called Barrio Tacos. Interestingly enough, when I did some research I discovered that Barrio has recently sued Condado for misappropriation of trade secrets such as the identical “Day of the Dead” theme, food, and checklist menu style. Beyond these legal differences, I enjoy going to both restaurants because their food is delicious and the atmosphere is great with a group of friends, so I knew it would be a perfect destination for this event.

Prior to going, I asked if Hannah and Katie had ever gone to Condado. Hannah had been to both the Columbus and Cincinnati location of Condado whereas Katie had never been to Condado’s but had gone to Barrio’s before. We began by taking a central Ohio transit authority (COTA) down High Street. COTA is a great way to get around and explore Columbus at all times of the year. If you have the Google Maps application on your phone, you can actually track the estimated arrival times of each of the COTA buses at each bus stop. In an eco-friendly sense, public transportation like COTA is a great way to reduce emissions that lead to climate change, a pressing issue that we face as society.

Another ACES mentor and my friend, Emily, joined us as she was also doing her Explore Columbus. We took the 2 COTA from the Bowen House stop to the bus stop location outside of the Moritz College of Law. We met our mentees in the lobby of Smith Steeb, and we hopped back onto the COTA and got off the stop near Condado. Surprisingly, both of mentees had never ridden the COTA, so I was really happy that I could introduce them to a resource that they can utilize throughout the next four years.

When we arrived at Condado, the six of us got a table and we all split queso, guac, and chips. Both Katie and I got tacos while Hannah got a taco bowl. I’m getting hungry as I write. We had a lot of great discussion specifically I followed up with my mentees on a lot of topics we discussed in our interview and what their life is like later in the semester.

Both Hannah and Katie are enjoying their first semester. Hannah is involved in two specific organizations, enjoys her classes, and loves living on south campus. With Best Buddies, Hannah participates in an one-on-one friendship with an individual with an intellectual or developmental disability, and loves her buddy pair! I asked what her class schedule be like next semester. She will be participating in the FEEP education program that will further her Special Education major, but she is not looking forward to waking up at seven am for four of the five class days. She is also considering a minor in something in Health Sciences (but not certain) to help pursue her career.

Katie, my cute mentee, has learned a lot about herself in her first semester in college. She is involved in Smiles with Style, a program through Ronald McDonald that gives kids with chronic diseases makeovers with eyeshadow, temporary tattoos, and dress up outfits like tutus and tiaras. She enjoys talking to the kids and adding a positive outlook to their day. Also, Katie is super in shape because she works out with CHAARG, an organization that ignites health and fitness within college-aged women. Each week she meets with her small group to do cardio style workouts, and she has the opportunity to attend a specialty event at a local studio to exercise in a kickbox, yoga, or other fitness format.

At the beginning of the semester Katie was unconfident in her major, and she questioned if she was going down the right career pathway. However, she visited an advisor and Katie is now confident in her Public Affairs major. She mentioned she hopes to declare a Communications minor, which excites me as Communications major. I believe her level of confidence in her decisions will allow her to enjoy her classes more and not worry as much. Lately, Katie worked at the Calling Center where she would call alumni for donations. She worked there for two weeks before quitting. We joked about the matter because her coworkers were a little boring and it was a demanding job to make sales. Lastly, Katie is excited about her semester in the spring.

They have both had wonderful semesters, and I can tell they have grown a lot with all of their experiences since the first day here at Ohio State. We said next semester we would go thrift shopping in the Short North or go back to awesome Condado, and overall I’m extremely happy to have this opportunity to show them aspects and resources of Columbus. With all of us not from Columbus, it’s great to explore a new city and home together. I’m excited to follow up with them after break and throughout next semester to continue to witness their growth as people and strengthen our new friendships!

About Lauren Taras

Community leader. Healthy foodie. Scholars student. Lauren Taras is a Communications major at the Ohio State University. She loves engaging with others, and dedicates her time to bettering herself as well as her peers whether that be in school or in other environments like lifeguarding and being a youth summer camp counselor during the summer. She enjoys promoting a healthy lifestyle through smart eating habits and positive decision making, and she expects to share this passion to organizations in Columbus. As a first year undergraduate student, she hopes to explore her passions of youth encouragement, lifestyle advocacy, and leadership in not only the Advocates for Communities and Education scholars program, but also through student organizations like Undergraduate Student Government and Ohio Union Activities Board.

During her first semester of her first year at the Ohio State University, she has already accomplished some of her personal goals. In addition to ACES Scholars, she has become involved with some student organizations that revolve around either academic or personal interests such as Public Relations Student Society of America, A Kid Again, and Exercise is Medicine. Outside of the classroom, you can find her running on the Olentangy trail, making delicious smoothies and acai bowls at the RPAC’s Juice 2 dining service, or cheering on her buckeyes!

Leadership Development

The “L” in G.O.A.L.S. represents Leadership Development. As a Scholars students, I “will develop leadership skills in the classroom, in the community, and in my co-curricular activities, which prepares me for my future roles in society.” Currently, I am a member of Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars, Public Relations Student Society of America, A Kid Again, Exercise is Medicine as well as working at the RPAC Juice 2 Smoothie and Coffee Shop. In PRSSA, I create a network and connect with local and national professionals in the fields of public relations, digital media, and technology. As an A Kid Again volunteer, I spread positivity to families with children with life threatening illnesses through social events. In Exercise is Medicine, I promote healthy lifestyle habits and inspire individuals to get active in attempts to prevent diseases.

Through ACES and Juice 2, I have especially developed some qualities that a good leader portrays. At work, I focus on always being on top of things, making sure everything is done correctly by asking for confirmations, and being a very quick learner; I have been recognized of this work ethic. I’m a hard worker, and I would define my learning style as people-oriented. I believe it’s essential to create good connections and treat your peers with respect. In the future, I aspire to become a member of the ACES Leadership Council, a student manager at Juice 2, a fitness instructor at the RPAC, and plan on applying as a PRSSA executive board member in the spring in hopes of giving back to the people and experiences that have taught me to become a good leader.

Global Awareness

The “G” in G.O.A.L.S. represents Global Awareness. As a Scholars students, I “will cultivate and develop my appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences.” This semester I am taking a course called Introduction to Cultures of Science and Technology Studies, a comparative studies course that has certainly increased my cultural intelligence and awareness. I have learned about the political, social, and scientific aspects of different cultures outside of the U.S. I have become a more educated global citizen through understanding science as culture and a social construct, studying the connection between science, politics, and power, and exploring activism for responding to environmental problems. Before this course, I didn’t evaluate or consider the outlook of sciences among other cultures other than the U.S., and it has given me a more global perspective with aspirations to participate in a study abroad in either Africa or Europe.