Artifacts

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.

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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!

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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!

This year I had the amazing opportunity to serve as a mentor for one of the First-Years in ACES. After the speed dating session, I was paired with Dante Le, who is one of the brightest and warmest individuals I have ever met! He is currently majoring in Psychology which is such a great fit for him. He has such a beautiful heart and is passionate about mental health and self-empowerment/advocacy. A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with him over FaceTime and conducted his First-Year Interview. Listed below are the questions and responses from the interview.

1.) How did you decide on the major you have chosen?

“I took an AP Psych course in high school and quickly fell in love with the topics that were discussed in that class. Mental health has always been very important to me and to have it be taught about in school was amazing. Ever since I took that class, I have found a new passion for trying to be there for people in whatever capacity they might need. I am very excited to dive deeper into my major!”

2.) What kind of involvements are you interested in on-campus?/What have involvements have you already joined?

“Aside from finding a family in ACES, I have joined the APIDA Cohort and applied for their mentorship program there too! I have a “big” in APIDA that helps guide me when I need her too. It’s really great to have all of these resources to help me if I need it. Although it’s been a little difficult to find other involvements to join on campus due to COVID, I have been looking into the Vietnamese Student Association and your org, Pen Pals in North Korea. I have been looking for more philanthropy based orgs and that one really piqued my interest.”

3.) Why did you choose ACES?

“For me, ACES really seemed like it was a place where I could grow. As soon as I got onto campus I wanted to take the initiative to immerse myself in opportunities where I felt like I could grow the most. ACES really appealed to me because of the advocacy aspect. After being in it for a couple of months and meeting my floormates, I have never been happier with my decision.”

4.) What is your dream job and why?

“I really want to be a clinical psychologist. I mentioned it in one of my previous answers but mental health is something I really hold close to my heart. Growing up, it was something that was never really provided to me so I want to ensure that it’s ingrained in other peoples lives. I cannot stress how important having a strong foundation of mental health is. Also, I would like to think that I’m very welcoming and relative so I can help people open up!”

5.) What is one of the most important things you have learned so far at Ohio State?

“Something that I really learned is that this is a new chapter of your life and you’re going to grow in so many different ways. But, the only way to get the most growth out of this experience is go out of your comfort zone – try something you would have never done at home, pick up a new hobby, talk about random topics with your floormates late at night. My friend once said to me, “You know, when your parents pick you up at the end of the semester, they aren’t picking up their son or daughter. They are picking up someone completely different.” And I want my change to be a good one. I want to feel like I grew a lot so I can look back at my college experience and say, “Man, that was so good.””

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This interview that I had with Dante was truly eye-opening. He’s only a first year, but he’s so well-spoken, introspective, and positive about his COVID plagued first semester. These responses were just a small cut of the great conversation that we had and I am very thankful to say that I have such an amazing mentee! The pic below is from our scavenger hunt – SO CUTE!

On November 16th, I took part in one of the biggest events J2K (the organization I am the treasurer of) holds called Dancing with J2K. The event placed multiple cultural student organizations in a dance competition. Each team was comprised of 3 J2K members (1 leader, veteran helper, and 1 newbie helper) and 4 members from an organization that had no dance experience. Over the course of 10 weeks, each group would have to learn the choreography to a song of their choice based on the artist they picked, and incorporate the challenge they randomly had to draw. 

As a first-year, I was fortunate enough to be a leader for the Chinese American Student Association. This was my first time leading a dance with a group of people I had met before, which was a daunting task. But unbeknownst to me, those ten weeks flew by within the blink of an eye as I grew extremely close with the group I had worked with. It was fulfilling to see their smiles grow brighter with each laugh we had, their confidence grow stronger with each move they honed, and their pride grow bigger with each compliment we gave. Sunday nights, our allotted practice times, started to become something we all looked forward to – something we all knew would always put us in good spirits no matter how tired we were. 

As the day of the event rolled around, I saw that this kind of bond wasn’t just unique to my group. Each team had formed their own special friendships and shared the same heartwarming experiences as me. I took a step back and realized that this is what Dancing with J2K was about. Although it was a competition, it was more so about bringing together multiple student organizations for a night filled with encouragement, positivity, and laughter. 

I doubted myself at the beginning of the practices, but I would never trade this experience for anything. I gained some valuable skills on how to lead a task that one has never done before, how to communicate effectively, and how to promote others to believe in themselves. These are all skills that I will carry onto my future endeavors. However, the most important thing I gained was the friendships. I met some truly amazing people through this event and could not be more thankful.

During the end of my senior year, I was awarded the Baron Award of Excellence. This honor was the highest level of achievement a student at Buckeye Valley High School could be presented with. It is given to an individual who made a profound difference in the lives of the students within the Buckeye Valley community and signified an appreciation for the work one has done for the school. I qualified for such a distinction through my work as Student Council President and a founder of a peer mentorship program for struggling freshmen. Although my efforts through both positions filled me with enough pride to fuel my future endeavors, this award presented me with an immense amount of gratitude. It reminded me that hard work does not go unnoticed by the collective public. One who works in silence allows their success to make the noise, but my noise what the flourishing community that I left behind after I had graduated.