Harriet and I had an amazing time during the Exploring Columbus assignment for the Spring semester. With our busy schedules, Harriet and I were having a hard time finding an opportunity to get together. Near the end of the semester we finally found a short window of free time for the both of us and decided to go to The Short North Food Hall. The Short North Food Hall is a new collection of restaurants in one building, with a common seating area in The Short North. It is only a 10-minute bus ride from campus and has food options for everyone including barbecue, sushi, Italian, Asian, and Mexican food. Harriet and I chose The Short North Food Hall because it was so close to campus and had options that could cater to both of our hungry stomachs. Also since it was so new, neither of us had been there and were excited to try something new.

Getting to the Food Hall was quite an experience! On Wednesday, April 11^th, Harriet and I met at Smith-Steeb at five o’clock in the afternoon. Harriet had a meeting at six so we were running on a tight schedule. As we were waiting for the bus stop, we caught up on our lives since we had last seen each other in December. I learned that Harriet had moved out of Smith-Steeb and into her home in Worthington, Columbus, just a short 10-minute drive from campus. She is also taking a lot of hard classes which she focuses most of her time on. This semester she also joined the Ohio State dance team. After a short while, the bus picked us up. After we stepped on the bus, I realized I did not have my BuckID with me. The bus driver said I could not ride the bus without it or two dollars in cash, which I did not have. As I was about to get off the bus, a nice woman gave me two dollars so Harriet and I could ride the bus to the Short North Food Hall. I was so thankful that she helped with this. Harriet and I were so consumed in conversation on the bus, we missed the stop we were supposed to get off at! We ended up getting off the bus a couple stops later and walking a bit to the Short North Food Hall, but it was a nice night, so neither of us minded.

Once at the Food Hall, we were greeted at the door and told to sit anywhere we would like. After much debate, Harriet and I decide we both wanted Tortilla, a Mexican restaurant similar to Chipotle. We both got our food and drinks and sat down at a table together. We continued catching up on our lives as we ate our dinners. We talked about Harriet’s experience in ACES the past year. She loved being an ACE and has made many new friends and memories with these friends. She looks forward to being a part of the program next year. She considered being a board member but thought she was too busy to do so. This semester she was taking a lot of hard classes such as Calculus and Chemistry. Harriet also took a theatre class this semester and I took the same course last semester. We were able to bond over this a lot during our explore Columbus experience. Harriet loved her first year at Ohio State and looks forward to returning in the Fall. We talked about how much we enjoyed our mentor/mentee relationship that was made possible through ACES. After a lot of chatting, it was time to head home. Since I forgot my BuckID, I ordered us an Uber home. This was only Harriet’s second time in an Uber, so it was a relatively new experience. On our way home, we talked about her meeting she had afterwards for her dance team. We got dropped off at Smith-Steeb and the meeting was right next door at Baker-East. The Uber dropped us off a few minutes before six, so Harriet rushed next stored to Baker-East for her meeting. We said our goodbyes for the year and promised to keep in touch next year to continue to build our relationship. I am so glad Harriet and I were able to explore Columbus for a second time this year and go to a place that neither of us had been. The overall experience was new and exciting for the both of us and I hope Harriet enjoyed it as much as I did!

Mentor/Mentee Second-Semester Interview

Harriet Osei Twerefour: Biology Major

1. Are you enjoying your major? Why or why not?
2. How have you gotten involved on campus?
3. How was your first semester in ACES? What has surprised you about the program?
4. Have your career plans changed since your first semester? Why or why not?
5. What is your favorite memory from last semester?

Harriet and I met over coffee for our second-semester interview to catch up on each other’s lives for the past couple of months. With first-semester exams, winter break, and the beginning of spring semester, we had plenty to catch up on! Harriet has had no trouble staying busy this year. With classes, extra-curricular activities, and ACES, Harriet always has something going on. In the beginning of the semester, I noticed Harriet had not been attending a lot of the ACES community meetings and events. Upon meeting with her, I realized that she is feeling a little disconnected from ACES because of her busy schedule. I reassured Harriet that I was there to help her reconnect herself with the program in any way that I could. Harriet is also very concentration on her studies. I asked Harriet if she was still enjoying her major. Though her major, Biology, is much harder than she anticipated, she is still enjoying it and is determined to improve in the subject a little bit at a time. Harriet is still working on developing her study habits. This semester she is focusing on learning the material, rather than memorizing it for one exam which she hopes will help her to be the best student she can be. Her main goal for this semester is to pass all of her classes and to apply for a leadership position in ACES for her second-year.

In her first-semester here at Ohio State, Harriet was involved in several clubs such as African Youth League and Program for Advancing in Scholarships and Service. She also attends weekly mass at a church very close to campus. This semester, Harriet has continued to stay involved with these activities and has also joined a club dance team here at Ohio State. She is always looking to get involved with more and finds balancing all these extra-curricular activities challenging, but exciting.

Along with all these activities Harriet is a part of, she also loves being an ACE. She loves the how it helps her stay on top of her responsibilities. One thing that surprises Harriet is the lack of diversity in the program. Although she feels there is a lack of diversity, she appreciates the fact that the program talks a lot about diversity. She thinks the program could improve the community meetings. Even though the community meetings are mandatory, Harriet feels that most of the topics discussed in the meetings could have been said over an email. She thinks the topics of the meetings could be improved which would make them easier to go to.

Harriet still plans to pursue a career in the medical field. She would love to be a pediatrician in a children’s hospital. Working at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus would be the job for Harriet. These career plans have remained the same since our meeting first-semester. Though being a biology major is challenging, she believes the hard work will pay off in the end. She has not considered any internships or field experience yet, but plans to look into these things over the summer and in the beginning of next semester.

Harriet’s experience here at The Ohio State University has been unforgettable. She is making new memories and meeting new people each day. One of her favorite memories from last semester was attending and performing in OSU African Night 2017 presented by African Youth League. She has enjoyed being a part of the ACES community and making memories with the fellow ACES. Harriet looks forward to continuing to make more unforgettable memories during her time here at Ohio State.

On November 14^th, my mentee Harriet Osei Twerefour and I went to Condado Tacos in The Short North. Harriet and I both decided we wanted to head off campus somewhere. Since Harriet had never been to The Short North, which is one of my favorite places in Columbus, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to introduce her to area. Harriet also agreed to allow me to introduce her to my favorite place in The Short North, Condado Tacos! On a Tuesday night, we met in the lobby of Smith-Steeb with another mentor, Ashley and her mentee, Erin. All four of us headed out to High Street to catch a COTA bus to The Short North. Once at Condado, we were quickly seated and ordered guacamole and queso with chips. Harriet had never tried queso. She asked what it was, a little hesitant to try it at first, but ended up loving it! When it was time to order dinner, I also learned that Harriet had never had a taco before. As I was talking Harriet through the menu, helping her to make the best taco possible, I learned that she had recently became a vegetarian as well. I could not believe how much I was learning about Harriet while exploring Columbus! After making some tough decisions, we both created the perfect taco for ourselves. While waiting for our tacos, Harriet, Ashley, Erin, and I all talked amongst ourselves. Harriet and Erin told us they had seen each other earlier in the day and talked about how excited they were to explore Columbus with us later. The two girls mentioned that they do not see each other often, but they were glad this assignment could bring them together for the night. We also talked about final exams, our plans for Christmas break, and our schedules for next semester. Both mentees were nervous about their first final exams which are approaching quick. Ashley and I were able to offer some helpful tips since we were in the same position a year ago. Both mentees plan to spend Christmas break catching up with their family and friends from home while taking a much-needed break from school. When discussing plans for next semester, I learned Harriet is taking Theatre 2100, a general education course which I am currently enrolled in. I was able to offer her insight on the course and answer questions she had about what the course entailed. When I told her it was required to see three live performances throughout the semester, she got excited, as going to see performances is an activity which she enjoys but does not get the opportunity to do often. Harriet also told me she was thinking about moving back to her house in Worthington, Columbus in the spring semester. Harriet, a Biology major on the pre-med track, is very focused on her school and living in a dorm can get pretty distracting at times. She thinks living at home will help her to be more focused on her work and help her save money. During our conversation about next semester, our food finally arrived and everyone was too busy enjoying their food to talk too much. We all helped give Harriet a tutorial on the best way to eat a taco. When she was finished, I asked her how her first taco was. Harriet had nothing but good things to say about her meal! As we waited for our checks, we checked the schedule for the COTA buses. The next one was coming in less than ten minutes. We were all nervous we would not catch the bus in time. Finally, our checks came and we quickly handed them back to the waitress. The bus was scheduled to arrive in four minutes and we were still waiting to get our change back. When the waitress finally handed us our change, we ran out of the restaurant, almost forgetting to take a picture of our experience. We quickly stopped outside of Condado and took a picture under the Condado sign. We could now see the bus, waiting at the stop light right before the bus stop. All four of us ran across the street, catching the bus just as it arrived at the bus stop. We laughed most of the way home about our experience. Upon arriving back to campus, Ashley and I walked Harriet and Erin back to Smith-Steeb and said our goodbyes. Exploring Columbus with Harriet was a great opportunity to get to know her better. I learned so many new facts about her in only an hour’s worth of time. I would definitely return to Condado and recommend it to a friend, especially someone who has never had tacos before like Harriet! Condado is a great atmosphere close to campus to have dinner with friends. I am excited to see where Harriet and I will take ourselves to explore Columbus next semester!

ACES Mentor/Mentee Interview

Harriet Osei Twerefour: Biology Major

1. How did you decide on the major you have chosen?
2. How do you plan to get involved on campus?
3. Why did you choose ACES?
4. What is your dream job and why?
5. What is one of the most important things that you have learned so far at Ohio State?

Over the past couple of months, I have had the pleasure of meeting my mentee, Harriet, and getting to know her more each time we’ve met. Each time we meet, I get to see more of Harriet’s personality and understand the aspects of her life that make her who she is. Over coffee, Harriet and I discussed many of these aspects of her life. Harriet, a biology major, aspires to be a pediatrician in a hospital. She would love to work at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in downtown Columbus. I found it very interesting that Harriet was so set on being a pediatrician. Her answer to why she had chosen this path, was even more interesting. Harriet grew up in Ghana, Africa. As a child, she can remember her grandmother always making home medicine for her family. Her grandmother, was therefore, her greatest inspiration to pursue a career in medicine.

Harriet and I also got to talk about the involvement opportunities on campus. I learned that Harriet is involved in a social organization on campus, called African Youth League. This organization allows her to meet new people and do a lot of fun social activities, such as canvas painting. Another organization Harriet is involved with is Program for Advancing in Scholarships and Service. She had heard about this organization while in high school and applied before beginning her first semester here at Ohio State. The program provides many opportunities for service and has tons of food at every meeting, which is Harriet’s favorite thing about the program! Along with these organizations, Harriet also has found a church that she attends Mass at each week.

Harriet also loves being an Advocate for Community and Education Scholar. Originally, Harriet had hoped to be in the Health Science Scholars program. She now, however, is glad to be a part of ACES. Her favorite part about the program is getting to meet students with a variety of interests. She also enjoys how laid back the program is, as her school work can be very stressful. Though community service was one of Harriet’s favorite things to do in high school, she feels that getting involved in service opportunities may be more difficult at Ohio State. As Harriet’s mentor, I will help her find ways to get involved in the community. During our meeting, I gave her ideas on where to volunteer based on my experience last year as a first-year member of ACES.

Coming to Ohio State has been a big change for Harriet, as it is for most students. She loves the diversity on campus, which is one of the main reasons she chose a big university like Ohio State. Throughout her time at Ohio State she hopes to meet many new people, study abroad, and get an “A” in Calculus, which has proven to be her hardest class thus far! The most important thing that she has learned so far at Ohio State is to be true to who she is. Harriet knows when it is time to study and when it is time to hang out with friends. Harriet does not fall into peer pressure and knows when to draw the line if she is stepping too far out of her comfort zone. I truly value this aspect of Harriet and admire her for her ability to stay true to who she is!

Throughout the year, I hope to continue to build a relationship with Harriet as both her mentor and friend. As we both have a strong interest in the health field, I hope to be able to give Harriet advice on this path since I have been through many of the same things she will be going through her first year. I will serve as her mentor to help her get involved in the community and accomplish the service component that the Advocates for Community and Education Scholars program greatly values.

This past semester I completed the Film Project within the ACES Seminar. Three other students and I decided upon the film, Children Underground. We watched this film and create a presentation discussing the positive change, advocacy, community, and service that was found within the film. Through this project I was able to meet and work with new classmates and gain a better understanding of the issues within the film. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of projects such as these at Ohio State.

My greatest academic achievement is a project I completed at the end of my senior year in high school. This project took place over the course of the entire year and was incredibly rewarding once it was completed in May. For this project I researched the effects that a child suffers from as a result of learning in English, while English is not their primary language. After my research I began tutoring Spanish children at a local school to help them perform better in a primarily English based school. As my final product of the project, I raised money through fundraising, and purchased nearly 150 books to donate to an orphanage in Guatemala to help improve their literacy rates. I then had to present the entire project in front of a panel of five judges. From this project I learned many skills such as communication, leadership, and responsibility. These skills have continued to benefit me as I make the transition to Ohio State.