ACES Mentee

My freshman mentee is Ashtyn Ley. She went to a small high school in Ohio, so she really likes the change of pace in the campus here at Ohio State. She loves how it can feel giant, but when you really look, the campus can be very small and homey feeling if you want it to be; this has helped her adjust to life on campus since she runs into familiar faces all the time, which is comforting.

She is a psychology major, but not quite sure what direction she wants to head in with it. She is fascinated by clinical and adolescent psychology, and is thinking of a possible career as a guidance counselor. The two things that influenced her the most to go in this direction was having some psychology classes in high school that she found to be very interesting, as well as having a strong relationship with her guidance counselor. In this way, we are similar. I was also influenced by high school activities to choose the path I want to go down, with is psychology and then grad school for occupational therapy.

Originally she had selected Mount as her first choice in scholars options, but was placed in ACES instead. She is very happy with this turn out! ACES seems to be more in line with what she visualizes as her potential future career, and really likes how there is a focus on giving back to the community around us. She is slightly concerned about the amount of commitment needed for ACES since she is involved with the Ohio State rowing team and wants to be involved with Block O and Buckeyethon boards as well. Although this might not prove to be too challenging to her; she is very used to this feeling as she was extremely involved in a team leadership core class in high school that would require her to volunteer at the Humane Society as well as a mini Buckeyethon-type event for elementary schools.

I think I will be a good mentor. Ashtyn seems to be getting the hang of campus, and has become very busy with rowing and their many practices that consume their schedules. She has been able to make good friends on her floor thanks to the help of ACES. I will be able to provide support for Ashtyn, including helping her explore psychology paths and finding volunteer opportunities to participate in. Many of my friends are involved in College Mentors for Kids or The Boys and Girls Club, so I will be able to ask around if she needs to find anything about those organizations. I have an interview at COSI in two days for a volunteer position there, as well as having a phone interview with one of the BCEC students in charge to figure out which service area will work best with me. I think it is important to be involved with at least one volunteer organization you are really passionate about, since you will be able to make connections, friends, and most importantly: a lasting impact on those around you.

 

Questions asked

-How did you decide on the major you have chosen?

-What kind of involvement are you interested in on campus?

-What type of volunteering and involvement were you involved with in high school?

-Why did you choose ACES?

-What is your dream job and why?

-What has surprised you about Ohio State since arriving on campus?

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness: To fulfill parts of my global understanding, I am planning on studying abroad at some point in my college career. Ideally, I would choose to study abroad somewhere in Europe, but I am certainly open to other options. I have been to Italy, India, and Canada for short vacations and I yearn to be more immersed in a different culture for a longer amount of time. I am also interested in volunteering for organizations that travel abroad to serve others.

Original Inquiry: I would love to be involved in psychology research work once I complete basic classes and gain knowledge that will help me. I have also talked to my psychology advisor about upper division psychology courses I will be able to take later on where I will be able to work directly with children.

Academic Enrichment: I recently switched to being a psychology major, and I am thinking of a human development and family sciences minor with possibly completing a second undecided minor. The major and minor(s) will fit together nicely, as well as give me a foundation of understanding people in my future career as being an occupational therapist.

Leadership Development: I plan on being involved in organizations which will allow me to grow personally through experiences and helping with others. Volunteering has allowed me to be more comfortable with being able to take charge and be more outgoing around strangers than what I was in high school, which will be good for me when I am put in serious OT shadowing or other working environments.

Service Engagement: Throughout this semester, I have had various volunteer opportunities such as helping with Run the Race and Fisher Impact Day. Spring semester I will be volunteering as part of BuckeyeREACH, where I will be spending time at a juvenile detention center somewhere around Columbus getting to know the kids there. I am looking forward to discovering even more volunteer organizations in the future that I can be involved in. I want to be able to give back to the Columbus community in any way possible.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

 

Acrylic paint on canvas

Acrylic paint on canvas

This was the first official painting I did in a high school art class. I had been in drawing classes up until the second semester of my junior year when I switched to painting. This is one of the physical things I am most proud of accomplishing. Even though it is very small, it took me a dedicated amount of time to complete it. It shows my perseverance to complete things to the best of my ability to where I will only stop until I am satisfied with the outcome. It also demonstrates the patience and attention to small, time consuming details which translates into my hard work with relationships and school.

Tassel from first week of school

Tassel from first week of school

This tassel was given out to my peers and me during the first week of school here at OSU. This embodies the hard work and dedication we as students must put forth to create a better future for ourselves. It symbolizes everything that we must do here, and the connections and relationships we make along the way. It unites us all as special individuals who chose to spend the next four or more years of our lives here. This is significant because it truly gave a glimpse of what the future can be, and how we will be able to flourish and strive for excellence.

ACES film project

ACES film project

This was a group project for ACES I completed with some of my classmates. We had to watch the documentary called Kids for Cash which centered around children and teenagers who were sentenced to longer and unnecessary time in juvenile detention centers as a result of judges taking kickback money from people who benefited from having full detention centers. This fits in with the ACES themes because it has to do with children and communities, and it brings to light the unfairness that still happens in the justice system.

About Me: Maya Bose

Me, Mallory, and Pravi

Me, Mallory, and Pravi

I grew up in a Chicago suburb called Naperville, which has a very diverse population of around 150,000 people. I attended Metea Valley High School in Aurora from 2011 to 2015, which has a student body of almost 3,000. Since I grew up in these large diverse environments, I knew I wanted to go to a college in a bigger urban area with lots of opportunities. Throughout my high school career, I was extremely involved in Metea’s Best Buddies and Special Olympics chapters, as well as being in the adapted gym class.

At first, I always thought I would end up being some sort of an artist. That’s what I dreamed of. I loved drawing and painting growing up–in fact, I still do. But from my Best Buddies, Special Olympics, and gym class involvement, I learned that my true passion is working with kids who have special needs. That is what I want to do with my life, but I definitely am not giving up art.

I want to go to grad school and earn my degree in occupational therapy. I mainly want to work with kids who have special needs, but I am open to helping others as well. I loved being able to help the kids master movements and skills needed to succeed in sports and activities; it made me so proud to know that I helped them accomplish something so big that they couldn’t do before. Having a career where I am able to help people around me is a must. I want to know I am making a difference in someone’s life. I want to leave an impact on society, even if it is on just a small local scale. I will not feel fulfilled unless I know I am directly helping others.