My mentee is Jillian Finkle. She is a first year political science major. When I asked her how and why she decided on her major, she responded so enthusiastically. It was so cool to see how much joy and passion she had talking about her major. One thing she said that really stuck out to me was that she loves helping people. She is very interested in activism, politics, and understanding government and policies. She mentioned how her AP government class had a lot to do with her decision, as she took it the same year as the presidential election and was very involved in it. Also, Jillian was part of at her high school that advocated for women’s rights. They would go around to pharmacies and places and make sure that things for women were easily accessible and not hidden behind counters or in places that were hard to find or retrieve.
Jillian is already very involved on campus. I believe this speaks volumes about the person that she is. She is very caring and is not afraid to step out and make a difference! One of the things that she does, is she mentors 4th and 5th graders. The mentorship program she is involved with focuses on young women and empowering them. Two of the main concepts that are crucial to their program is bridging the leadership gap and raising confidence in young women. When talking about this, she says that she loves volunteering for things that she is passionate about. She is also a part of College Democrats here at Ohio State. For this, she is involved with voter registration and focuses on civic engagement.
When I asked Jillian why she chose to be involved in ACES, she said that she wanted to get involved in the community to humanize the population that she will be serving some day. She plans on working in politics and with civil rights possibly even here in Columbus, so getting to know the community is very important to her.
After graduation, Jillian is planning on going to law school. After that, she would like to focus her career on either, civil rights, women’s rights, or the criminal justice system. She is also considering working on a campaign, non-profit work, or being civil rights attorney.
In order to balance academics and involvement, Jillian organizes everything. She says that she likes to stay ahead to keep leisure time. This also is very beneficial for when things come up last minute or if there is an emergency. She says that she likes to have wiggle room.
Jillian is very passionate about what she is involved in and what she is aspiring to be. You can tell by the way she talks about such things. It is so nice to see someone so overjoyed and committed. Throughout the year, I am planning on using this information to help me mentor Jillian. I am very passionate about education, so one thing that we really connect on is the politics of the education system. I am a very organized person as well. I thought that we could share organization tips and maybe even take some time to organize our planners and things. I also am very involved with other things like she is. I think that I will be able to help her to manage her time and also to encourage her to take time to herself, as these are things that I have had to learn over the years. I believe that Jillian will do great things in this program and beyond. She is enjoyable to be around and always has a smile on her face. She also gives off such a passionate and positive vibe.