Summary of Mentorship Experience

This year I have gotten the opportunity to develop a relationship with my mentee. My mentee is named Jillian Bettan. She is majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences and is from Long Island, New York. Her older brother also came to Ohio State University, which influenced her decision in deciding to study here as well. She was able to see how much of a positive experience he had, and she also was looking for a big school experience. Overall, Jillian decided to come to Ohio State because she wanted to be a part of such a lively and fun culture while also getting a great education that would set her up for success in the future. 

Jillian and I have many things in common, which made it really fun to get to know each other. We have the same major, and last semester we were actually in a class together. We both want to be Speech Pathologists and work with kids when we are older. One aspect of our mentorship relationship that has been really helpful is talking about class requirements. Speech and Hearing Sciences is a relatively small major and it is really helpful to know people going through the same classes. We are also in the same club so we are able to remind each other about meetings and talk about the club together. One difference we have is that I am planning on studying abroad and Jillian is not. Since I am studying Spanish, studying abroad will be a great opportunity to practice the skills that I have been learning. Jillian does not have these plans and does not plan to use a foreign language in her career. 

Jillian has definitely grown from the first semester to the second semester. During the first semester, Jillian was still transitioning to life in college and had not had the opportunity to get involved in everything she was interested in. After talking to her second semester, she had joined more clubs and seemed extremely acclimated to her life here. Jillian went through formal recruitment and joined a sorority which has given her great social opportunities. She has been able to make more friends and expand her network in Columbus. Jillian has done such a great job adjusting to such a new environment and has grown so much as a person throughout this year. 

Being a mentor has really allowed me to grow as a leader. I have been able to develop a relationship with my mentee and give her advice on the situations that I also went through as a freshman. I have loved being an older friend to Jillian and talking to her about relevant issues in both of our lives. Building relationships is an extremely valuable skill to have and I have really enjoyed this opportunity. 

As a second-year mentor, I learned the importance of relationship building. During a pandemic, it can be very hard to feel connected to a community. This mentorship experience gave me the opportunity to connect with others with similar interests and feel a part of the community. I also learned the importance of communication and responsibility. It was important to communicate in order to fulfill the requirements of the mentorship and be responsible for deadlines. I learned a lot from this program and am very grateful to be a part of the ACES Scholars program. 

As previously mentioned, this mentorship program helped me with my leadership development in many ways. I am much more comfortable reaching out to others and making plans with people that I do not know very well. I have had to strengthen my organization skills and work on keeping track of deadlines. I was also able to help my mentee in multiple aspects of her life. With mentoring, I was able to guide her on which classes I recommend taking together and some helpful information that I have been told about scheduling. In terms of socialization, we are in the same club and have talked about the importance of finding networks of people that you enjoy being around and the importance of community. 

There are many benefits to the mentorship program. First, the mentor benefits from building leadership skills and developing a relationship with their mentee. Additionally, the mentee benefits from gaining valuable advice from their mentor, which can help them adjunct to a new environment. Even though this program is coming to an end, I am confident that Jillian and I will maintain our relationship and continue being friends. Overall, this program was extremely beneficial and I am so glad to have taken part in both this mentorship and the scholar’s program as a whole.

Second Semester Virtual Explore Columbus

When trying to decide where to pick for our second virtual Columbus event, we were trying to think of unique places in Columbus. We chose the North Market for our first Virtual Columbus and wanted to think of somewhere that was not food-related since we had already explored one of these options. Since Jillian is from New York, we knew that there were a lot of options of places she had not been before. Morgan and I ultimately decided on COSI, since there is so much to do and it is fun for people of all ages. I grew up in Columbus and have such fond memories of going to COSI with my family. Not only does COSI have its regular exhibits, but they also have temporary exhibits that they rotate through so there is always something new to see. They also have live shows that everyone is able to watch and participate in, which is especially fun for kids. 

 

Even though we chose to do this program virtually, we were looking forward to showing Jillian the bike on a tight rope that is very popular at COSI. Morgan and I were both able to tell stories about being too scared to ride the bike while our siblings were more adventurous and tried it. I have included a picture of the bike to give a visual of the experience. Although it is not possible to fall off, it definitely looks like a scary activity. 

COSI: The Science of Fun – Columbus Family Adventures

We used a couple of different resources when showing Jillian COSI. Since we did not actually go to COSI, we thought it was important to give Jillian a detailed description and visual of what is it like. First, we looked at their website (https://cosi.org/) to see some pictures and get more information about what exhibits they have and specific attractions that they offer. We noticed that they even had some virtual exhibits listed which were 3D tours of some of their in-person exhibits. We took a closer look at the gadgets tour so Jillian could at least see what the inside of an exhibit looked like. Another resource we used was google maps so Jillian could see where COSI is located in regards to the campus. It is only a 12-minute drive and it is possible to take the COTA bus there as well. 

 

I would definitely go back to COSI because it is such a fun environment. It is super interactive and even though many of the exhibits are targeted towards children, the museum is fun for all ages and a great attraction in Columbus. Another specific exhibit that I recommended to Jillian and I would recommend to friends is called progress. It takes a look at different decades throughout history and has different play areas themed as different time periods. For example, kids can pretend to work in an old-fashioned diner and pretend to be in a different historical time period. I have always been fascinated with this exhibit because COSI does a great job portraying the different eras and gives real-life examples of how life has changed throughout time. 

 

Although COVID has made it difficult for Morgan, Jillian, and I to actually go anywhere to explore Columbus, we have really enjoyed being able to talk about different places to go and plan for trips after the pandemic. It has still been really fun to talk about fun places around the city and appreciate all that Columbus has to offer. Even though this has not been a normal year, I really appreciated that we were still able to capture the essence of this project and learn about fun new places to go in Columbus. 

 

Even though I have lived in Columbus for my whole life, going to college here has taught me even more about the city. There is a great combination of kid-friendly activities, as well as activities that appeal to college students and young adults. Ohio State’s campus is conveniently very close to the city and it is so easy to get to the Short North area. It is great because students are able to feel like they are both secluded on a college campus as well as close to a big city for urban attractions. People that come to Ohio State from out of state are able to explore a totally new city with a lively culture and amazing food and entertainment attractions. I have had such a positive experience being able to such a large school that is also located near a city.

Mentor/Mentee Second-Semester Interview

This semester, I met back up with my mentee Jillian to learn a little bit more about how her experience at Ohio State has changed in her second semester at college. Morgan Mayer and I are both her mentors, so we spent time chatting about all of our semesters and what we have learned throughout the last couple of months. 

 

What kind of study habits have you developed?  Did they work successfully in the fall?

 

One habit that Jillian has been working on creating is studying outside of her dorm room. It can be difficult to be in one small room for a large portion of the day with so many online classes, so Jillian has been utilizing the study rooms in Smith Steeb so she can have designated workspaces and be more focused while doing schoolwork. She started implementing this habit this semester and has found it much easier to do schoolwork. Another study habit that Jillian has been working on is forming study groups. Jillian has been working with classmates so they can collaborate on group assignments and quiz each other for upcoming exams. Overall, Jillian has been working hard to find effective study habits so she can excel in her courses. 

 

How do you manage your time between your involvement and your academics?

 

This semester has been very busy for Jillian. She has been balancing all of her schoolwork, her extracurricular clubs, and her sorority involvement. In order to be more organized, Jillian makes a schedule and plans out her week. By having a set schedule, she can manage her involvement and avoid becoming overwhelmed by letting her assignments pile up. She also estimates how long specific assignments will take and tries to stay on track with the allotted time, which helps her stay more focused during work time. 

 

How was your first semester in ACES?  What has surprised you about the program?

 

Overall, Jillian has had a great two semesters in ACES. She has really enjoyed getting closer to everyone in the program. One thing that surprised Jillian about ACES was how involved the program is with so many different organizations. She found it surprising that there are so many ways to get involved with service around campus. 

 

Have your career plans changed since your first semester? Why or why not?

 

Unlike many college students, Jillian came into college with a pretty clear idea of what she wanted to do. Like Morgan and I, Jillian is majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences and wants to be a Speech Pathologist. She told Morgan and me last semester that she wants to work in a school as a Speech Pathologist, and this is still what she wants to do. She is open to changing her mind but still thinks that this sounds the most appealing. 

 

What is your favorite memory from last semester?

 

Jillian’s favorite memory from the past semester was going to the North Market with her friends. This made Morgan and me very happy because that was our first explore Columbus location last semester. We did the program virtually due to COVID, so we were really happy that Jillian was able to visit the North Market with her friends and try the different vendors. She got a donut and was excited to support local businesses. 

 

I was so happy to hear that Jillian has had such a good semester and has still been able to have fun despite the COVID restrictions. It can be hard to adjust to such a large school, and Jillian has had a positive experience throughout her first year. I am so glad that we have been able to get closer throughout this year and I hope to keep growing our relationship throughout college.

Virtual Explore Columbus Experience

Earlier in the semester, Jillian, Morgan, and I were talking about cool places around Columbus that we have been wanting to visit. Being that I have grown up in Columbus, there were so many places I wanted to recommend to Jillian. She had not spent much time in Columbus before coming to college, so she has not been to some of the great landmarks around the city. Morgan and I were very eager to tell Jillian about The North Market. It is a public market in the downtown area and houses 30 independent small businesses. It is always important to support small businesses, but now more than ever, Morgan, Jillian, and I want to be able to support the merchants at the North Market. Although they primarily sell internationally prepared food, they also sell fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood, flowers, specialty food items, and unique gifts. We really enjoyed looking through the different menus and seeing the layout of the market. We noticed that the market also holds different events, and there is a holiday event coming up that looks like it will be fun!

Growing up, my family loved going to the North Market since there are so many different places to eat and we could all pick out something different that sounded good. During my freshman year, my friends and I would all take the COTA bus to the North Market since it is so close to campus. Not only is the North Market great for its variety, but it is unique because they have merchants that sell food from all around the world. They celebrate diversity and help introduce the citizens of Ohio to international food.

We used a couple of different resources to virtually explore the North Market. Since we were not able to go to the market together, Morgan and I wanted to make sure Jillian could get a good picture of what it is like. We visited the North Market website (https://northmarket.org/) where we could see what the inside of the market looks like and see each merchant and what they sell. From the main website, we were able to access the website of each merchant so we could get a better idea of all of the different types of food the North Market offers. We also looked at the map to see just how close it is to campus so that in the future we could hopefully all go together. After looking at all of the merchants, Jillian is most looking forward to trying the pasta stand and the donut stand. Since there were so many options that all looked so good, it was definitely hard to narrow down what we all wanted to try.

This semester has presented itself with a unique set of challenges that have affected the traditional ACES experience as well as the traditional college experience as a whole. From my previous mentorship experience last year, I know firsthand how fun it was to be able to explore Columbus with my mentor. Unfortunately, COVID-19 made this very difficult and we ultimately decided the safest decision would be to participate in the virtual experience. Jillian told us that it was definitely an adjustment trying to navigate her first semester during a pandemic. She was not really able to explore campus completely due to the fact that many buildings are closed or have a limited capacity. She was contact traced in the middle of the semester, so she and her friends chose to quarantine at an air BnB in the Short North. Although this was a stressful experience, Jillian was happy that she was able to see a little bit of the city and get out of her dorm room for a little bit. She has found it very difficult to do all of her schoolwork in her dorm since there are many distractions and all of her classes are online. Although we have not been able to meet in person this semester very often, we have been able to connect about NSSLHA, the club that we are all apart of, and the similar classes that we are all taking. The pandemic has definitely affected our relationship but we have worked hard to make sure we are able to communicate virtually. Jillian is really looking forward to semesters in the future where ACES will be able to have more in-person events but has enjoyed what was able to be offered this semester. Even though we were not able to actually go to the North Market, Morgan, Jillian, and I really enjoyed our virtual meeting and being able to learn more about the North Market.

Mentee First-Semester Interview

As apart of the second-year ACES Scholars program, I was given a mentee. Her name is Jillian Bettan and she is from New York. Jillian is a first-year student majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences. We are a group of three, meaning that another second-year student named Morgan Mayer is also her mentor, and all three of us have been building a relationship throughout the semester. Morgan and I asked Jillian a series of questions to better get to know her and how her semester went. 

 

How did you decide on the major you have chosen?

As a child, Jillian wanted to be an elementary school teacher like her mom. After looking into other professions that work in schools, Jillian shadowed one of her mom’s friends that was a speech-pathologist. She instantly loved the idea of being a speech pathologist in an elementary school and helping kids with speech difficulties. Morgan and I actually had similar experiences that lead us to decide to major in Speech and Hearing Sciences. All three of our mom’s work as teachers in an elementary school, which we all agreed helped us decide we wanted to work with kids. 

 

Was what kind of involvement are you interested in on campus?

Jillian tried to join the virtual involvement fair at the beginning of the semester, but due to the high amount of people on the zoom, the website crashed and she was not able to explore all of the options that OSU has to offer. She did join the club NSSLHA, which stands for The National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association. OSU has a chapter of this club where many students interested in Speech and hearing sciences can come together to network and do fun activities together. Morgan and I are also both members of the association, which is something fun we can all have in common. Jillian is interested in getting involved in other clubs and organizations but has not had a chance to find more that she is interested in joining. 

 

Why did you choose ACES?

Since Jillian is from New York, she wanted to come into college with a sense of community and a way to make friends. Jillian met Kim on Buckeye Bound day when she came to visit OSU and learned about the ACES scholars program. She loved the community service aspect of the group because she did a lot of community service in high school and wanted to find ways to volunteer in college. She has really enjoyed living in the same dorm as her ACES friends and thinks that it really helped build a community at such a large school. 

 

What do you plan to do with your major after graduation? Graduate or Professional school? 

Since Jillian wants to be a speech-pathologist, she needs to go to graduate school. She plans to apply for graduate school while still in college and hopefully go directly after graduating from undergraduate school at OSU. Being from New York, Jillian hopes to get admitted to a graduate program in New York so she can pay in-state tuition. 

 

What is your dream job and why?

As mentioned before, Jillian really wants to be a speech-pathologist. One of the great aspects of this occupation is that there are many different environments that she could work in. Her dream would be to work in an elementary school and help kids. She has always loved kids and wants to have a career where she can help them. 

 

I really enjoyed getting to know Jillian better throughout this semester and during this interview. I think that since we have such similar career goals and interests, I can give her relevant advice since I am going through very similar situations with classes and extra-curricular activities. I am really looking forward to continue to get to know Jillian next semester!

Service Engagement

Community service has always been extremely important to me and I am so excited to continue my involvement through the ACES scholars program. During my junior and senior year of high school, I participated in a Jewish community service group. I went on two service trips to Pittsburgh and Houston, and I participated in monthly community service projects around Columbus, Ohio. We went to Houston following Hurricane Harvey and worked with an organization called SBP to rebuild some of the homes that were damaged from the hurricane. Being able to directly impact the lives of so many people is an inexplicable feeling and I am so excited to find ways to continue my passion in college. I have made it a goal to find a campus organization that does acts of service in the Columbus community. The ACES scholars program has a 20-hour community service requirement per semester but allows students the flexibility to find service opportunities meaningful to them. Although I have yet to find a continuous service opportunity, I am hopeful that I will be able to connect with an organization like I was previously able to do.

Global Awareness

Global awareness is an extremely important aspect of society. Understanding and appreciating other cultures helps to eliminate prejudice. People that do not understand the way other people live are much more likely to think negatively towards other cultures. I love learning about different cultures and understanding how people around the world live. Because of this, I have made a goal to study abroad during my junior year of college. I have always loved learning the Spanish language and Spanish culture. I have decided to minor in Spanish, and I plan to spend a semester in Spain to immerse myself in the culture. I think that it is important to step outside of your comfort zone and living in a new place is a great way to do this. Ohio State is an amazing place to learn about other cultures. There are so many courses that teach about all different cultures and students are even required to take a global studies GE class. I am so excited to continue learning a new language that I am passionate about and use my skills while gaining first-hand experience studying in a new country.

DECA North Market Project

When I was a senior in high school I participated in a program called DECA. This is a program that helps develop new leaders in the field of business and marketing. At my school, this was a 2-hour class every day for seniors to work on an independent project. Each set of partners researched a business, came up with a problem, and found a solution for that problem. My partner and I picked to work with the North Market, which is a public market in Columbus. We met with the executive director of the North Market and did a lot of research. After writing a 20 page paper about our findings, we competed at a district, state, and international level. We won first place in our category at district and state competitions and finished in fifth place at the international conference. I learned so much from this project. I got experience talking to business executives and learned how to present a sales pitch in front of an audience. Although I do not want to go into business, I loved this experience and plan to take the skills that I learned into my future career.

About Me

My name is Mindy Agranoff and I am a first-year student at The Ohio State University. I am from a suburb in Columbus, Ohio called Gahanna. I am currently undecided but am considering Psychology and Speech and Hearing Sciences. Some of my interests include Spanish, traveling, and spending time outside. I plan to minor in Spanish and hopefully study abroad in Spain! I am involved in the scholar’s program called Advocates for Communities and Education. I have also recently gotten involved in a foundation for Jewish campus life called Hillel. I am excited to get involved in more clubs and organizations as I learn about more of them! This past summer I was a camp counselor where I was a lifeguard for nine weeks. I learned many valuable skills such as patience, organization, and problem-solving. I would eventually like to work with kids and make a positive impact in their lives. So far I have loved my freshman year and am so excited for my future at OSU!