My first year ACES mentees were Kate Dunne and Lindsey Bradley. Originally going in to the mentorship program, I only wanted to have one mentee because I wanted to really get to know them. When I was asked to also be Lindsey’s mentor it was an easy yes because of how well we got along together! I first met Kate and found out that she was also from Cincinnati! I was instantly drawn to how passionate Kate was about all of the clubs she wanted to join including He for She and USG. After being her mentor for a year, I am so proud of how involved she got and how she really made Ohio State her own. Kate and I actually found out we had a lot in common, we both liked the same music and shared similar academic interests. Kate’s cousin is actually one of my best friends from high school who I danced with for four years! It was crazy finding that out and I was able to connect to Kate so much more over that. Kate and I don’t have many differences other than the fact that she is a marketing major and I am a human resources major. Kate grew a lot from the first semester to the second. Our conversations changed from what she wanted to do to what she had done during her freshman year. She is enjoying her major and we actually have a class together next fall which I am very excited about!

I was so excited when I found out that I would also be Lindsey’s mentor! Her and Kate are roommates and also best friends which reminded me a lot of me and my roommate our freshman year. It was a lot of fun mentoring these two because we could all three go out to dinner together and know that we all get along and have a lot to talk about. Lindsey is from Cleveland and is a studio art major. Lindsey is so creative and original both in her studies but also her style and personality. There was never a dull moment with Lindsey and we were able to connect on so many things! We talked a lot about sororities because she wanted to join on and I had gone through recruitment my freshman year. I was able to give her advice and ease her mind about the transition into a sorority and help her remember that while she will be making many new friends it is important not to forget your friends before rush. Lindsey had a great freshman year, she was able to make a lot of great art and excel in her classes. She is worried about next semester and her grades but I told her to just stay focused and use her resources and try the best that she can.

Overall, I would recommend the mentorship program to anyone involved in ACES. It really helps you branch out and meet younger members in the Ohio State community. It also teaches you responsibility and time management outside of school to reach out to your mentees and help them with things they need. From first semester to second semester I was able to relate to my mentees more and more. You can see that as they become more adjusted to the campus they grow more confident and you can help them with deeper problems other than surface level ones. I learned that it’s always important to keep an open line of communication and check in on them every once in a while. Being in the mentorship program has taught me a lot about taking initiative and using my own past experiences to help others. I was able to help my mentees by introducing them to my own friends in ACES and outside of ACES and we hung out with other mentorship groups to expand our ACES network. I also told them that they could always ask me anything they needed help with and I would try my best to give them an honest answer. This made me and my mentees be able to rely on each other. I also helped them get more acclimated to the campus by sharing with them some secret study spots that I otherwise wouldn’t have known about unless someone told me. There are many benefits to the mentorship program but I would say the main one is that you gain more friends and can talk to someone on a more personal level about life at Ohio State. I’m very grateful for this program for introducing me to Kate and Lindsey.