My first-year mentees for the ACES mentorship program are Molly Ridge and Kylie Volak. Molly is an Environment, Development, Economy and Sustainability (EDES) major, and Kylie is majoring in Biology on a pre-med track. I sat down with each of them to inquire about themselves and their time here at Ohio State. Specifically, I asked them:
- How did you decide on your major?
- Have you found a favorite study spot on campus?
- Have you joined any student organizations?
- What is your favorite part about ACES?
- What do you plan on doing after graduation?
- Do you have a backup plan?
It was interesting to hear the girls’ answers to these questions and learn more about their interests and personalities. Molly decided on her EDES major because environmental behavior has always seemed to pique her interest, and she is passionate about sustainability. She is hoping to incorporate a business minor to further broaden her job opportunities after her undergraduate career. In fact, a huge factor in choosing OSU for Molly was the fact that it offered this major, as most schools don’t focus on the sustainability aspect. Kylie chose to major in Biology as a sort of default option because she felt it was the best route to take for medical school. As for their favorite study spot, both girls said they tend to study either at Thompson or in their rooms. I suggested the idea of the library in Orton Hall to them because I discovered it my freshman year and it truly helped me so much. Because not too many people know about this option, it does not get as crowded around the time midterms or finals and is easier to find a study spot. My mentees seemed appreciative of this suggestion, and I hope they take it into consideration. My favorite part about each girl’s interview was learning what student organizations they have joined here at OSU. Molly is really involved in Best Food Forward which is a student org dedicated to increasing the accessibility of healthy produce for students through the act of buying in bulk. Molly plans on getting even more involved in this club by acquiring an executive position. This club aligns with her love of sustainability and helping the community. Kylie has joined some fun clubs that I have never heard of. She is in Bread Club and Casual Sports Club where she bakes and eats different types of bread and participates in casual pick-up games of sports like soccer, basketball, tag, etc., respectively. Being Molly’s mentor, I was excited to hear that her favorite part about ACES is the mentorship program. She said it’s a nice, informal way of getting to know things about campus, ACES, and other general information, which I full-heartedly agree with. Kylie’s favorite part about ACES is getting to know and become friends with other ACES members. After graduation, Molly is not entirely sure which path she wants to do career-wise but would like to do something regarding the implementation of policies to make sustainability accessible to communities. She’d like to be involved in working with businesses or consulting firms or even government programs in order to achieve her goals. Kylie plans on attending medical school after graduating in order to partake in optometry or medical research. If things take a turn, Molly’s backup plan is to either do something in the business world or become a teacher. Kylie’s backup plan is to pursue data analytics. Overall, it was nice to get to know both my mentees a little bit better by conducting their interviews, and I am glad I had the chance to converse with each of them. With the information they provided in mind, I will be able to be a better mentor for both Molly and Kylie.