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Leadership Development: Summary of ACES Mentorship Experience

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This was absolutely not how I imagined this mentorship experience ending. Before we get to the most obvious change in this academic year (AKA the unfortunate reason I can’t include a cute self-timer picture with my mentee to this post), let’s begin at the beginning.

I was fortunate enough to be given two incredible first-year mentees at the start of first-semester, although, by the end of Spring Semester, I only technically would have one—Jack! In the autumn, however, my two mentees were, not only Jack Curry, but, also, Kaitlyn Tribe. Jack is a biochemistry major from Dublin, Ohio, and Kaitlyn is a fellow Political Science major!

I had a blast first semester connecting with these two, trying new grub in Columbus and bonding over life experiences, dreams and aspirations, relationship drama, and academics. Unfortunately, as the year progressed, Kaitlyn found that ACES wasn’t quite the right fit for her. She was so kind in coming to me with these feelings and her ultimate decision to leave the program and, don’t worry, we’re still following each other on Instagram and she’s still my mentee, whether we’re in ACES or not. However, as my knowledge on her Ohio State journey is a bit incomplete as a result of this choice, I’ll mostly be focusing on my mentorship experience with Jack.

This year and throughout college, in general, I have found myself having, increasingly, more and more male friends with whom I’ve connected and related greatly! These similarities are often, initially, somewhat surprising, as I’d always had primarily female friends throughout high school, especially. Jack was no exception to this new trend of surprising friendships with seemingly different guys! We shared a great deal in common with regard to mental health, in particular. As I expressed in my interview with him for the second-semester, we’ve both had the opportunity to open up about our respective struggles with mental illness and, more importantly, addressing overcoming these struggles. Additionally, he’s a fellow foodie with a love for exploring cities through their best dishes. In general, I think that his experience of being highly influenced by his older brother and his more mature friends, as well as Jack being just about the same age as me, has allowed me to relate to him a lot.

That being said, there are plenty of differences between us, which made getting to know him all the more fun. For starters, Jack is a bit of a Columbus native, so I often found he was able to teach and show me more things around town than I could for him! Additionally, he is a thoroughly STEM boy, studying Biochemistry and looking to do research and internships in that realm. Another marked difference between us is his rather laissez-faire, calm demeanor, whereas I tend to be a very anxious over-planner in many regards. I very much admire his ability to not plan or worry too far ahead into the future, allowing him to make the most of every present moment. He also boxes, which is so cool! Definitely want to learn more from him there!

Watching Jack grow from first to second semester was a fantastic experience. He was already a very intelligent, emotionally competent and self aware person from the first time I’d had the opportunity to talk to him, but I saw so much evolution even from that initial point. As aforementioned, the most prevalent point of growth I saw in my mentee was in his journey tackling mental health. Further, I saw him go through the natural ups-and-downs of exploring interpersonal relationships in college and watched him consistently learning more about himself and making, sometimes hard, decisions in prioritizing his well-being. In serving as listening-ear throughout these experiences, I found myself growing a lot, as well—as both a mentor and a leader throughout the year.

My experience as a mentor for Jack definitely helped me understand the balance to be struck between being someone’s friend and being someone they can uniquely come for for any kind of more serious advice and guidance. I also learned a great bit about flexibility in mentorship and leadership. Even before the previously alluded to “big change” that is the global pandemic of COVID-19 impacting our mentorship experiences, I was quickly made aware of the need to give both Jack and myself grace in handling our chaotic lives and schedules. Communication was absolutely paramount to making sure an openness between us remained, no matter what either of us were going through. This was a the core of how I hoped to have helped my mentee in the areas of mentoring, socialization, and orientation: establishing a mutual understanding that I was always someone he could turn to when he needed anything, no matter how busy either of us got or, in this present instance in particular, if I could not meet with him physically. My expertise as far as mentorship seems to have been in the realms of mental health, study abroad, research, working with faculty, getting involved on campus, and campus life, in general.

Being a mentor has been rather addicting; with my experience being an ACES mentor, I find myself reaching for any and all mentoring opportunities in all other aspects of my professional and personal life. Having such a role requires more introspection than one may initially imagine; wanting someone to look to you as a mentor naturally makes you want to be someone from whom you would value getting advice, guidance, and mentorship. There are countless benefits I can see in partaking in such a mentorship program. Mentorship is and always will be one of my greatest passions, as I have a deep love for applying personal experience and introspection to strengthening meaningful connections with others. I love learning just as much from a mentee as they love for me, as I also love being the mentee in a relationship. The experience of learning from another person is humbling, and being able to teach or guide others is something that has bolstered my own confidence in a way I could have never imagined! Mentorship reaffirms to me that my experiences and perspectives and thoughts have an intrinsic value in the sense that they can improve the life and experiences of someone else. Of course, in this mentorship experience in particular, the biggest benefit was getting the opportunity to get to know such cool people, like Jack and (for a time) Kaitlyn, better! Whether it was bonding with Kaitlyn over shared Political Science classes, or watching Jack passionately talk about drumming, I had an amazing time getting to learn about these two. I’m filled with such joy whenever I pass them on campus and get to excitedly greet them and have them return the acknowledgment; I can’t wait to continue developing my friendship with these incredible now-rising-sophomores as they take over at OSU!

Mentor/Mentee Second-Semester Interview Assignment

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Jack Curry and I had just decided to postpone our interview till just after Spring Break—we’d both, surely, have more time after that, right? Little did we know, in early March, that, by the end of that month, the entire planet would be engulfed in an unprecedented pandemic. As such, our second-semester interview for Advocates for Communities and Education would be placed on the backburner for a while, as we figured out and managed the states of our physical, academic, and mental health. Finally, however, we would both be able to make a virtual interview happen! Although this, unfortunately, meant that we couldn’t have a truly iconic end-of-semester self-timer selfie together, it was a great way to touch base at an overwhelming time. 

John “Jack” Curry is a rising sophomore, Biochemistry student from Dublin, Ohio. Although I could absolutely never relate to being a STEM major, Jack is someone I found myself relating a great bit, too; this is likely due, in part, to his actually being a bit older than the average first-year and, thus, the same age as me. One point of similarity between us, and an aspect of life where I find that I could learn more from him than vice versa, is with the issue of mental health.

Just like Jack describes to me, I first had to, truly, deal with and address my mental health problems in my first year of college. In our interview, he shared with me that he had to really learn to cope with such issues in a healthy manner, which he hadn’t done before. My first year, I was officially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, although I find that I’d struggled with these mental illnesses for far longer than the time I’ve been diagnosed. Jack confided in me the extent to which he has gained a better understanding of his own, similar yet different, mental health issues and the way in which it has affected his life.

I plan to use this information, in particular, to continue our mentorship-relationship and, more importantly as I graduate from ACES, our friendship-relationship; as someone who has gone through similar experiences, I can offer first-hand empathy and guidance to the various obstacles that come with navigating college with any kind of mental illness. This knowledge better allows me to personalize my mentorship to Jack.

Circling back to the parts of life in which Jack and I could not be more different, a real quote that he actually said to me: “I love chemistry.” Absolute madness! Despite my total confusion at this, I was really happy to find that Jack is absolutely loving his major and will be sticking with it next year. This funnels into his unchanged career plans and aspirations to do further pharmaceutical research. When Jack wasn’t absolutely crushing it in his science and math classes first semester, he was boxing with OSU’s boxing club; unfortunately he didn’t quite have the time for that this semester. Although he’s trying to find that time again for next semester, he’ll be busy with Greek life! He’s pledging a frat! (Madness!)

I loved to hear about his experience in my first-year home of Smith-Steeb! He describes it as feeling quite like a hotel, especially as compared to other dorms! He really enjoyed living with fellow ACES and having that community from the get-go. My thoughts, exactly! He also told me about his favorite OSU memory (so far!) being watching us crush Xichigan (again) in football. Once again, my thoughts, exactly! 

I would be amiss to not include one last Jack quote, to conclude my recap of this iconic interview: “Make sure to describe how handsome and cool I am.”

Explore Columbus Assignment: Autumn 2019

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Visiting the Columbus To-Do List page while thinking of my amazing mentees, Jack and Kaitlyn, I knew immediately that we had to choose a “Local Food Favorites” experience to have a little family dinner! Kaitlyn is a vegan, so we all wanted to try some classic Columbus vegan food. We wanted something in close proximity to campus, as none of us really had an abundance of time to explore for hours this semester due to all of our hectic schedules.

We settled on a trip to Eden Burger where we’d sit down, try a traditional Eden Burger and some mozzarella sticks, and properly get to know one another! Initially, we’d been torn between Portia’s Cafe and Eden Burger, but eventually decided on the latter because we knew we were definitely in a big burger-mood the week we decided. (Maybe we’ll do Portia’s next semester!) We were definitely looking forward to eating somewhere so close to campus, to trying new food together, and to have time to just sit down all together and talk about ourselves outside of the context of ACES, as it was our first time being able to do so since the beginning of the semester!

The exterior of Eden Burger on High Street!

We had a fantastic time! Neither Jack nor I are vegans, so we both learned a lot from Kaitlyn about what she’s found to be the top spots in the vegan eating scene. We all bonded over being big foodies and had a great time being faux-food-critics.

I had us all meet up in the lobby of Smith-Steeb for their convenience and due to Eden Burger’s proximity to South Campus. The walk there was really enjoyable and I learned so much about my mentees. Getting to hear about their familiarity with High Street’s various stores and restaurants was super interesting. Once we arrived and got inside, we previewed the menu together, Jack and I getting Eden burgers and Kaitlyn getting some mozzarella sticks. The food was really, really good!

The best part, however, was definitely the conversation. I knew, as I went into this mentorship program as a mentor this year, that I didn’t want to have surface-level, superficial relationships and conversations with my mentees. We jumped right into the realities of being a college student, genuinely seeing how they were finding themselves and not losing themselves in all the chaos of parties, dating, and challenging academics. By offering up reasonably personal, regular-person things about myself and what’s going on in my personal/social life, they felt comfortable reciprocating back to me! I even ended up getting to hear about Kaitlyn’s relationship with her boyfriend and did my best to give advice and comfort (with Jack’s help) without telling her what actual decisions/choices to make, for example! It didn’t feel forced or awkward or like an over-step on anyone’s end because, by the end of our Eden Burger adventure, I would definitely consider us all new friends, in addition to our mentor-mentees relationship.

It was a super straightforward, positive experience with nothing confusing, really.

Although I personally would not go back by myself, as it’s not exactly anything super special for me (especially since I’m not a vegan), I would definitely recommend it to vegan friends and would absolutely go back with my mentees! I’m a big fan of tradition, so if they wanted to go back at any point, I would be so, so down.

As always whenever I explore a new place or activity in the city, I learned something new about Columbus. In this case, I learned that Columbus has an abundance of vegan options. One of my favorite parts of this assignment was actually just scrolling through the Columbus To-Do List website and seeing all of the amazing things I could take part in that I still haven’t yet as a second year. I’m already looking forward to our Spring Explore Columbus. If I were to give advice to someone with regard to how to similarly experience a new city, show someone around Columbus, or just get to deepen their relationship with Columbus, I’d definitely show them this site. I loved the thematic category breakdowns and it’s given me so many ideas about things to do, not only with my mentees, but with my other friends, in general.

Looking forward, I’m definitely curious to try to explore Columbus in a different way (although I’m definitely anticipating we end up getting food again either before or after, anyhow!). I think, right now, the Art and Music theme has most definitely caught my eye. I also didn’t know that The Columbus Museum of Art was FREE on Sundays! That definitely caught my eye and I hope to take my mentees there, come next semester!

Mentor/Mentee First-Semester Interview Assignment

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I have the privilege of being a mentor to not just one first-year and fellow ACE Scholar, but to two! As such, I decided to conduct my in-person, first-semester interview with each of them separately, to really allow myself the chance to get to know them as individuals.

My first interview was with Jack Curry! We decided to chat about the five questions I selected from their respective categories over dinner at the Buffalo Wild Wings on High Street. With regards to academics, we discussed his Biochemistry major which he chose due to a general interest in Pharmacy, although he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself into anything in particular at the moment (“How did you decide on the major you have chosen?”). Already, just as a first-year, he’s already thinking about doing pharmaceutical research as an undergraduate. A common theme seen throughout my conversations with Jack, however, is that he doesn’t like to plan or worry too far ahead. He is the embodiment of living in and enjoying the moment. Outside of the classroom, his primary extracurricular, on-campus involvements consist of just his participation in ACES and in the Boxing Club (“How do you plan to get involved on campus?”)! With regard to ACES, we discussed how this Scholars group was actually not his first choice at all! He has since come to immensely appreciate ACES, however; his mother was a teacher and, in his youth, he would help her out in the classroom, volunteering in these classroom spaces in high school, as well (“Why did you choose ACES?”). Passion lit up in his eyes when I asked him about his dream job (“What is your dream job and why?”). Having already talked about his interest in pharmacy and practical biochemistry career paths, he allowed himself to indulge in his truest passion: drumming! He told me that he would love to be a professional drummer in a band. Even though he very much prioritizes his academics, he still pursues drumming as a way to channel his creativity. The final proper question we discussed was in regard to what has surprised him most about Ohio State since his arrival on campus. He discussed his shock at how negative, wound up, and anxious the culture of campus can sometimes be—a direct antithesis to everything his laissez-faire philosophy on life (“What has surprised you about Ohio State since arriving on campus?”).

Beyond the questions, I’ve always had horribly fulfilling conversations with Jack and have, as a result, learned a great deal about him beyond the basics of academics, ACES, and involvement—the same could be said about Kaitlyn, whose interview I’ll get into next. Jack is a very mature person; he speaks eloquently, expresses a degree of emotional intelligence in the way he discusses just about everything, and carries himself in a way not very traditional of nervous freshmen. This is largely because Jack is actual 19—the same age as I am! He was also, he told me, very much influenced by his older brother and constantly being around his friends. This has a really interesting impact on the way we interact, as he often seems to be able to give me just as much advice and wisdom (and restaurant recommendations) as I do for him! He’s still very appreciative of my pizza recommendations and my offer to lend him textbooks, of course. In general, with this interview, I got to really understand the little things that are playing into his life (and the big things! Like, he has an amazingly beautiful and cool girlfriend named Cassandra!) and, as a result, can give him more personal, down-to-Earth mentorship. I’m also better able to meet him where he’s at; for example, as a Columbus native, he doesn’t exactly need me to show him how to use the COTA or get around High Street. I definitely come in more with discussions about research, getting involved on campus, and taking advantage of very OSU/college-specific things, like studying abroad and what not.

Moving on to my second interview with my other mentee, Kaitlyn Tribe! We opted to meet up in the Ohio Union, just outside of Espress-OH. I was extremely excited to chat with her, as a fellow Political Science major, about her experiences with her one Poli Sci class this semester and what not! We jumped into that right away and, although she didn’t mention a class she necessarily found challenging, we discussed one of her classes that I also took the first semester of my first year—”Voters and Elections,” all about political socialization and voter behavior. Super interesting stuff that we geeked out about (“What has been your most challenging class?”). We discussed how Political Science became a part of her four-year-plan as a result and in the aftermath of her failing Biology; a combination of this realization that science was probably not for her and her keen interest in a future dream career in inner-city politics definitely led her to knowing that Political Science was right for her. It all comes down to a genuine desire of hers to help others, particularly those who come from backgrounds like her own, through the fascinating world of politics (“How did you decide on the major you have chosen?” and “What is your dream job and why?”). It’s super easy for me to see how to use this information about her to help mentor her throughout the year—I have an abundance of class recommendations and can actually help her with this coursework, unlike with Jack (he would need to teach me when it comes to Biochemistry!). With regard to her extracurricular involvement, I think I’ll also be able to offer some help, as we discussed how she’s literally been starting on creating a career development program called RISE—how amazing is that? It is in a very similar vein as my own nonprofit with which I’m involved, 1girl (“How do you plan to get involved on campus?”). With regard to ACES, it was also not her first choice, either! She’s still thoroughly enjoying the program, however, and has been especially drawn in by the people on the ACES floor (“Why did you choose ACES?”). Finally, she was most surprised by the general culture shock of college life in Columbus (“What has surprised you about Ohio State since arriving on campus?”).

I’m so grateful for the amazing conversations I was able to have with both of my mentees!

Global Awareness: Gigs for Guatemala

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I believe the G.O.A.L.S. pillar “Global Awareness” is perfectly embodied by an organization I’ve been engaged in this semester called Advocates for Women of the World (AWOW). As implied directly in the name, AWOW is a feminist and human rights organization with a focus on advocating for women internationally and educating ourselves/others about the circumstances, struggles, and triumphs of women and girls internationally.

This is epitomized in the latest project I’m working on with the organization: Gigs for Guatemala! I’m presently a member of the Sexual Assault Awareness committee, which is currently heading the event depicted to the left, Gigs for Guatemala, in which OSU talent groups/performers will be coming together to raise money for a Guatemalan organization called Champions in Action. We will be helping this group specifically by providing funds for their girls’ soccer team and mentor program. This is relevant to my passions for ending the cycle of poverty, empowering girls and youth generally, as they have a boys’ team, and keeping kids safe and cared for. This also fits into the Sexual Assault Awareness committee’s goals, as the girls on the team are often from significantly dangerous areas; if it were not for the protection and empowerment offered by mentorship programs like these, they would be at an even higher risk of victimization. I’ve taken on leadership in this particular global project as a Marketing Lead, so I implore anyone reading this to get the word out if the event on November 29th has yet to happen!

My experience working with this group and project fits into the G.O.A.L.S. category of global awareness because it centers the experiences of diverse women from around the world and strives to educate on/advocate for these unique, international individuals, as well as women more locally.

Service Engagement: 1girl Mentoring

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As a part of my G.O.A.L.S. reflections, I simply must reflect on one of the most significant parts of my first semester of college: my experience with the organization 1girl, through which I mentor and deeply connect with 4th and 5th grade girls at United Prep! I joined this group at the beginning of the semester and have been mentoring on site regularly, every Monday, since October.

My experience working with these girls fits into the G.O.A.L.S. category of Service Engagement, as mentoring is one of many form of service that can be performed to benefit to a community. The goal of 1girl is to have college women, like myself, visit typically middle school girls or girls of similar age and act as mentors for them throughout the year. Particularly, the 1girl curriculum, which I love and follow closely every week, is focused on empowerment and closing the leadership gap between boys and girls/men and women. We work on the girls political efficacy, public speaking skills, and self confidence through a variety of activities and discussions!

Sharifa Jama, pictured to the right, is one of my 5th graders and is probably the girl I have bonded most with already. She’s gifted me a great deal of trust that I will never break; she has entrusted me with part of her personal story and is simply a delightful, intelligent young lady who will undoubtedly change the world with the power of her voice and story. I can’t wait to see her become a lawyer to give voice to others, as she wishes to. One of the most emotional moments of mentoring so far, other than hearing her story, has been the moment in which she gave me a note expressing her gratitude for me, as I have so, so, so much care, gratitude, and respect for her, as I do with all of my girls. They all genuinely mean so much to me, so I, naturally, scheduled around the time slot I see them in for next semester. It will be the hardest day when I need to say goodbye! These girls are the future and if I can have even the smallest role in empowering them and growing along with them, I have done something so deeply meaningful.

Artifact #2: ACES Pillars Film Project

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This Google Slides, attached in the link below, is an artifact of my ACES (Advocates for Communities and Education) seminar’s most recent project and my most recent presentation this semester: the Pillars Film Project.

ACES Pillars Film Project Slides

I completed the attached twelve slides with three other group members: Safia Hersi, Dominic Polemeni-McGovern, & Damon Jordan. We watched the documentary The Hunting Ground, the trailer for which can be found below. Tasked with relating the film’s social issue and social justice themes with ACES values and goals, we created a brief Google Slides presentation to be presented in front of the class two weeks ago.

The Hunting Ground, as seen in the trailer and presentation, follows two former UNC Chapel Hill students as they expose the realities of sexual assault on college campuses and universities’ attempts to cover up or dismiss such allegations and reports from being made and reflecting poorly on their institutions. The film investigates college partying, fraternity, and sports cultures as they intersect with the issues of sexual assault and victim blaming/shaming.

As always, doing a project on something you are passionate about—as I am about the topic of sexual assault awareness and combating rape culture—makes the entire process more fulfilling; this was helped even more by having such an excellent group to work with. Although a difficult movie to watch, I appreciated it thoroughly and it will surely impact my activism and experience as a female college student in the years to come. I always grow from watching documentaries like this, as I do from public speaking and working in a group setting, so this project was very impactful for these reasons.

Another highlight of working on this project was the unexpected praise I received from my group members pertaining to my work ethic and skill with crafting aesthetically appealing Google Slide presentations, funnily enough! Moving forward, I will take with me the knowledge I gained from this film and the other groups’ presentations, as well as the public presenting and teamwork skills acquired in the process.

Artifact #1: Senior Year Sex Education Research Paper

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Below I’ve included a link to one of my favorite papers I’ve ever written!

Comprehensivity in Sex Education: Redefining “The Talk”

Weeks of brainstorming, researching, and critically thinking about the present sex education system in the United States and the world would eventually culminate into the thirteen pages of content linked above, serving as a representation of some of my greatest passions: reproductive justice and sex education reform. As one of the first proper research papers I had ever composed, I was elated when my combining of my social justice passion and my academic interest in writing were able to come together in such an achievement, as I was rewarded by a good grade and an immense sense of satisfaction in my work. This artifact, the entire essay, is important to me for these aforementioned reasons. One of my inspirations for researching the topic is linked below.

I learned a great deal about sex education during this assignment for high school English IV, of course, but I also learned so much about myself as a student/researcher/policy maker/advocate. I knew I had passions regarding this topic and that I was generally competent in writing, but I truly surprised myself as I developed so much skill throughout working on this and I am still so genuinely proud of this work. Moving forward, I hope to replicate my success in term of technical quality in writing, grammar, and syntax, but also continue pursuing work in research in topics that genuinely inspire and interest me; it seems as though my best work is produced when my passions are able to be channeled into the project. Sex education reform remains a vitally important issue to me and I hope to continue such advocacy for reproductive justice through promoting policy that encourages access to comprehensive education and resources.

Below is the introduction and conclusion paragraph I wrote in the essay artifact linked above, reflecting my ideas of the invaluable difference sex education can make:

“Autumn in a high school. The room is silent, a classroom of shifting eyes and blushing faces. It’s the first time the students are receiving sex education. Boys snicker, pointing at anatomical diagrams in a health class textbook. Girls look at their hands, which are awkwardly fidgeting on their desks. In the front corner of the room, one particularly troublemaking freshman snaps a bra strap of the girl sitting in front of him. He likes her. From the front of the room, a female teacher drones on about abstinence and suggests to the children, “Imagine you’re a stick of gum. When you engage in sex, that’s like getting chewed. And if you do that lots of times, you’re going to become an old piece of gum, and who is going to want you after that?” Sat in front of her is Elizabeth Smart, a young woman who, at the age of 14, was abducted and raped repeatedly for nine months. Her mind echos destructive thoughts of “I’m that chewed-piece of gum” (Hess).

[…]

Autumn in an elementary school. The room is alive, a classroom of kindergarteners chattering, giggling. It’s the first time the students are receiving sex education. Boys sit next to girls, pointing at children’s book depictions of kids their age hugging and talking politely. Girls look up at their teacher, bringing the students to attention to begin the lesson. The boy in the front corner of the classroom taps the girl in front of him on the shoulder and tells her she looks pretty today. She likes him. The teacher sits down now, in the front of the room amongst the children, asking the audience what it feels like when you hug someone you love: your dad, your grandmother, your mom, your other mom, maybe? Your best friend? Children participate comfortably. In a few years time these students will gradually be continuing these confident, comfortable, and comprehensive conversations on every issue from different kinds of families to reproductive health and justice, anatomy and consent to sexuality and gender issues. For this sex-positive, educated, and scientific future, comprehensive sex education should be mandated in the United States, with the federal government establishing key principles that must be covered in public kindergarten through 12th grade classes in some manner, the Dutch model serving as a sparkling model; ineffective, abstinence-only curriculum—or the abolition of sex education in public schools completely—has been proven toxic and wholly unhelpful in the goal of raising healthy and well students, prepared to take on their relationships for their entire lives and should be disregarded accordingly. Legislation must be promoted at the local, state, and national level to move towards comprehensive sex education for all public schools, from kindergarten classrooms to senior year. Like many movements, although the goal is widespread change immediately, the reality of grassroots movements in individual districts is equally as inspiring. Advocating for change will require the collaboration of all levels of school districts, from student cooperation to administrative open-mindedness, a common passion for the health and wellness of students moving forward is essential to this conversation. Having seen the negative repercussions of a sex-negative, emotionally-repressed culture, perpetuated by an ever-awkward, ineffective sex education norm seen across the country, it is time for students, parents, and schools to take a united stand in the United States to change the dreaded ‘The Talk’ into a lifelong, positive series of conversations and learning about the intricacies of human relationships. ”

About Me

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Hello! I’m Jillian Finkel, a first-year Political Science major with a passion for progressive activism and four years of social justice advocacy under my belt! My experience with my mixed heritage and with having a first-generation immigrant mother has inspired me to be constantly exploring and questioning issues of race, ethnicity, and immigration. Additionally, my passions lay in criminal justice reform, comprehensive sex education, and the general liberation of marginalized people across the globe.
 

In high school, I participated in reproductive justice advocacy and education through the Female Leadership Academy in Visalia, California. While attending my freshman and sophomore years at Redwood High School in the same town, I served as president of the school’s feminist club, also participating service organizations and the school newspaper! My family then moved across the country to Mason, Ohio, placing me in William Mason High School, where I partook in the Mason Inclusion Club, a social justice group, and, again, in other service groups. I saw an uptick in my political participation, even serving as one of nine head coordinators for the Mason High School chapter of the Women’s March Youth Empower’s National School Walkout movement, helping to plan, organize, set up, and facilitate the event of ~800 students; over 100 eligible high school students were registered to vote as a result of these efforts. The summer after my senior year I would partake in my first internship with a political campaign, helping Aftab Pureval’s run for a month before beginning classes at The Ohio State University.

A proponent for diversity and inclusion, I am currently attending OSU on a full-tuition scholarship from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion—the Morrill Scholarship Program—and am a member of the program’s Recruitment and Looking Forward division. I presently mentor 4th and 5th grade girls with weekly curriculum centered around leadership development and political efficacy; the organization through which I work with these girls, 1girl, aims to bridge the leadership gap between men and women. I’m also active in the OSU College Democrats and the human rights, feminist organization Advocates for Women of the World. Moving forward, I hope to continue this inspiring, empowering work that has affected every aspect of my life; by amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, I find myself discovering more and more of my own voice. There is so much more for me to do and I know I’ve only just begun!