This semester was filled with a lot of turmoil and conflicting circumstances that everyone had to learn how to navigate around. Unfortunately, the Explore Columbus Experience that is typically done in person in the ACES mentorship program had to be moved to a virtual option. Nevertheless, my mentee and I, Dante, made the most of the “experience” as I tried my best to describe one of the places we would have gone to for this section of the ACES Mentorship Program. A picture of Dante and I on FaceTime is below!
Location: Otherworld
Brief Description: “Otherworld is a 32,000 square foot immersive art installation in Columbus. Explore over 40 scenes filled with large-scale art and mixed reality playgrounds. It’s an all-new kind of art experience where visitors are encouraged to freely explore and interact with a surreal world of science fiction and fantasy.” This description is taking directly from the website (linked below).
What Resources Were Used to Showcase this Location: I have actually been to this museum pre-COVID era and so I had a couple of videos and pictures of me exploring the place! I sent those over to Dante to check out and we also took a look at their Instagram (@otherworldohio) and their website. I tried my best to describe what it was like, but it is truly an experience that you have to see for yourself. I don’t think my words could do the artists of the museum any justice.
This portion of our virtual Explore Columbus Experience revolved around Dante’s experience in a new city/campus and his experience in the Mentorship Program.
1.) What challenges have you faced while exploring a new city/campus during the pandemic?
“I would say that it has definitely been a struggle trying to meet new people and join different clubs. At the beginning of the semester is was hard to see how I could make the most out of the year. I thought we would all locked in our dorms and unable to see each other in person, but I was slowly able to get more and more human interaction as the year went on. It’s still really unfortunate though because I don’t think I know the campus or Columbus nearly as well as I could have if we weren’t in a pandemic. I feel like I’m missing out on all these “OSU niches” that most freshmen experience or that upperclassmen can relate to. But, I will say that it will be cool to look back at this time and say that I lived through it!”
2.) Describe the challenges you and your mentee have experienced due to only being able to meet virtually (i.e. feeling disconnected from your mentee, not getting to experience a commonality between the two of you) and how it has affected your relationship with them.
“I think I’m very lucky to have the mentor that I have now because we do share a lot in common and we did get to meet up for the scavenger hunt. We also text pretty frequently and you check in on how I’ve been doing too. Despite the pandemic, I am very thankful for the bond that we have.”
I also agree with Dante. I was actually fortunate enough have a good talk with him during the scavenger hunt that allowed me to really get to know who he was behind the amazing Psychology major/mental health advocate he is. We talked about similar upbringing experiences, interests, and hobbies and our bond just naturally formed. Since then, like he said, we have been texting and giving each other updates on our lives. I’ve assumed a role of mentor that isn’t too overbearing but always there for him which I take pride in. The one thing that is very sad is that Dante won’t be here next semester as he has made the decision to stay home for the rest of the year. It’s really unfortunate because we were planning on my safe, in person meet ups, but I support his decision! After talking to Dante, one thing that we did mention has been a challenge is that planning these calls for our ACES mentorship requirements just makes the relationship feel a little inorganic. However, we still enjoy talking to each other!
Overall, I would say that my first semester experience being a mentor within the ACES program has been really enjoyable. It’s definitely not what I expected, but I commend the leadership council and Kim for being able to come up with a great alternative to such a vital part of ACES. I couldn’t be happier with my mentee – he truly inspires me to work harder towards my goals. I want to close this post by saying, this program is really what you make of it. Everything during this pandemic is truly what you make of it. It’s okay to feel discouraged or defeated during these times, but there has to be a point where you take charge of your life again and shed some light during this dim time. I’m happy to say that I’ve been working on this diligently this semester and it’s amazing that I got a mentee that reciprocates that!
