Artifact 4

For me, this semester has been about focusing on my relationships and growing closer to the people that are important to me. One of the people I’ve gotten to know better is Zanna Leciejewski. We lived on the same floor our freshman year and we took Chem 1210 together, but with conflicting schedules we never had a lot of time to spend with each other. This year, we’ve had a lot of time to get to know more about each other since we are Mount wives. This “marriage” represents our commitment not only to each other, but to our minis who we mentor together as a family unit. One of the dates we’ve recently been on was going to see Broadway’s Aladdin musical performance at the Ohio Theatre. This production of a Disney classic reminded me of the importance of remaining optimistic in times of trouble, and it reminded me of how powerful and moving art can be. Zanna has also been a great friend to me as I struggled with deciding on a career path and while dealing with other issues. I’m lucky to have her as my friend and Mount wife. Later this semester, we plan on attending more theatre performances including the BalletMet Nutcracker and the Hip Hop Nutcracker. I’ve always considered myself a fan of the arts and finding the time to go to the theatre had not been a priority to me since starting college, but I’m glad that I’ve started to go again. It always amazes me how the artists are able to put everything they have into such emotionally charged performances and they can raise so many emotions in the audience. I’m looking forward to all the theatre productions I’ll be able to go to next semester as well.

Artifact 3

 

For the past several months, I have been working with a team of peers to plan and implement multiple service projects with local agencies for Legacy Week through the Mount Leadership Society Scholars Program. For Legacy Week, we chose what we wanted to focus on and joined a team. I chose Team Environment. Our first service project was working with the Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) to pickup litter at Tuttle Park near campus. Despite the cold weather, my friends and I had a lot of fun cleaning up the environment and making a difference in our local community. Our second service project consisted of staining benches and picking up litter in the snow for the Scioto Audubon Columbus Metro Parks. Unfortunately, our third and last service project had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather, but we were supposed to remove honeysuckle for FLOW because it is an invasive species. Legacy Week definitely taught me a lot about leadership and I grew very close to my teammates over the course of the months we worked together. I’m excited to complete our last service project when the weather improves and I can’t wait to see what next year’s class of Mount will choose to work on.

Artifact 2

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to participate in the annual first-year Mount Retreat. After interviewing Mount alums and talking to second-year Mounties and post-Mounts, I was excited to see what the retreat would hold for me. I heard many stories about how the retreat was everyone’s favorite memory from their first year in Mount and how they made some of their best and closest friends while on the retreat. Well, I can now say that the stories I’ve hear don’t do the retreat justice. Over the course of the two days, we did team bonding activities, nature hikes, and developed our leadership skills more. One of my favorite parts was when we went star gazing at night. I’ve never seen so many stars before. It was truly breathtaking. After the very first group activity, I already felt closer to everyone there. Secrets were shared and bonds were formed. I never realized how much relationships could develop in less than twenty-four hours, but now I know that Mount’s motto of “together for good” really means for good. We all made memories–and friendships–to last a lifetime. The entire experience was truly eye opening. I can’t wait to continue nurturing these relationships throughout the next four years and go on the second-year Mount retreat next year!

Artifacts

This past Saturday, September 30, a large group of Mount Scholars spent the day volunteering at the Fall Harvest Jamboree. The event offered many activities for kids and their families such as apple archery, corn mazes, a tractor ride, etc. I was lucky enough to help with parking and horseback riding. While I had never helped park cars for such a large event before, I quickly learned that organization and spatial awareness were necessary skills because there was no parking lot with defined lines. The cars had to park in a grass field. It took some time, but with the help of others, we were able to figure out how to efficiently park all the families who visited. Horseback riding was a different challenge altogether. I had never worked closely with children before so I had to adapt to figure out how to talk to them to make sure they understood me and make them feel comfortable. The parents were trusting me to make sure their kids were safe while on the horses, and I couldn’t let them down. Whether it was making sure each child put on a helmet that fit correctly or making sure everyone knew how to mount and dismount a horse, communication was key in effectively helping people. Overall, the Fall Harvest Jamboree served as a great place to spend time in nature and develop new skills I never knew I needed. It’s been one of my favorite service events so far and I hope I can help out again next year!