Leadership Development

My first-year ACES mentee was Molly Ridge. Molly is an Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (EEDS) major from Cleveland, Ohio. She loves music, has a knack for photography, and participates in modeling as a fun hobby. Molly and I have many similarities that allowed us to form a friendship beyond just being a mentorship pair. For instance, we both participate in the same tutoring program that helps Ohio State students who have Autism Spectrum Disorder organize and complete their schoolwork. Through this program, Molly and I were able to see each other at least once a week and consequently formed a closer bond than if we were to just carry out the mentorship program requirements. We also both really care about the environment and sustainability.  Molly is on the executive board of an OSU student organization called Best Food Forward that provides healthy, bulk-bought food for students. She helped me purchase food through this organization and further enlightened me about the organization’s goals and events. She has even inspired me to possibly join the organization next semester. Molly and I also have a very similar music and movie/TV show taste, so we always have something to talk about. On the other hand, Molly and I do have our differences. She participates in modeling and has a high sense of fashion, whereas I am more laid back with my style and do not hold interest in modeling. I truly respect and admire Molly’s self expressions through fashion and modeling. We also vary in how we spend our free time. Molly enjoys going to concerts, taking pictures, and is highly sociable. Contrarily, I am more leisurely and enjoy spending my time just hanging out with friends or reading a good book. However, despite our differences, Molly and I were still able to form a close bond throughout this year and I know that we will keep in contact throughout our remaining years at Ohio State.

It was exciting to watch Molly grow as a student and as an individual. From first semester to second, Molly gained a better sense of time management and independence. At the beginning of the school year, she told me how she was struggling with balancing her school life with her social life and was always calling home for help with things like laundry or finances. However, as the year went on, Molly fell into a routine and learned many skills to help her manage her time. She planned out blocks of time to finish her schoolwork before she had to work in the evening or hang out with friends. Gradually, she also became much more independent than she was at the beginning of the year. She learned valuable skills and tips that helped her complete daily activities more easily, and I was able to give her advice whenever she asked for it. Being a mentor has allowed me to truly grow as an individual throughout the year. At first, I was slightly hesitant to reach out to my mentee out of fear that she would think I was being too pushy and would end up not liking me. However, with time I learned that she truly appreciated me reaching out, so I did so more often as the year went on. Eventually, we were able to talk about things completely unrelated to ACES and formed a great friendship.

The mentorship program has taught me how to analyze my own past experiences in a way that allows me to relay advice and information to someone who is new to those experiences. Having gone through much of what Molly went through, I was able to come up with advice to suggest things to Molly that she should or should not do to help aid in her success. It also taught me the importance of communication in terms of getting to know a previous stranger. I now feel confident that I can hold meaningful and insightful conversations with those who I have previously not known at all. I often gave my mentee advice on how to manage her school work with her social life and her job. I also gave her tips on how to study and find good spots on campus to study. Additionally, I helped my mentee learn the bus system so she could more  easily navigate through campus and Columbus with confidence. There were many benefits to participating in the ACES mentoring program. I learned a lot about myself in terms of how I am as both a leader and a friend. I also learned a lot from my mentee about what information is valuable to relay to her. Overall, the mentorship program not only strengthened me as a leader, but it also gave me a new friend which I am very grateful for.

Explore Columbus

This semester, my ACES mentee Molly and I once again set out to explore a fun, new place in Columbus. After comparing our schedules and figuring out a time that worked best for both of us, Molly and I decided to get brunch together. Because there are dozens of excellent places in Columbus to get breakfast or brunch, it was fairly difficult for us to decide where to go. However, we finally decided to spend our morning at. Blunch. Blunch is a new restaurant in Clintonville that a married couple recently opened to share their love of food with the Columbus community. Molly and I had both heard great things about the food, so we thought we should go explore it ourselves. Considering that my dorm is on the way to the restaurant from where Molly lives, she first met me at my dorm. We then decided we would catch a bus to save and walked over to the bus stop together. Upon waiting for the bus to pick us up and take us to our destination, Molly and I had a nice conversation and were able to catch up with each others’ lives. She enlightened me about how the end of her semester will play out, and I did the same. After asking how she has liked her first year at Ohio State, I was excited to hear that she absolutely loves it and can not wait for next semester to start. Going to college in a new town with so many new people and opportunities is not always the easiest thing, yet I am glad that Molly has acclimated herself well and is able to enjoy everything that Ohio State has to offer. She also told me about her end-of-the-year photography class project and how she planned to go home for the weekend to capture photos in a special place. I really admire her love for photography and think she has such a creative mind.

When the bus finally came, we eagerly hopped on and rode for several stops until we approached where we needed to get off. We ended up in an old-fashioned area with brick buildings and locally run businesses. After finally making it to the restaurant, we were ecstatic by the warm welcome that we received. The inviting yellows and blues of the restaurant really created a happy atmosphere, and each employee seemed equivalently happy to be there. Thankfully the restaurant was not too crowded, so we were seated right away. The biggest challenge for Molly and I during our excursion was choosing what to order off of the extensive, brunch-filled menu. Blunch offered such a wide variety of enticing foods that it was extremely hard to pick a meal. However, we finally decided on our meals and were able to place our orders. Upon waiting for our food to arrive, Molly and I continued to have a great conversation. We talked about our plans for the summer, our jobs, and other random topics like movies we enjoy watching. I was very intrigued by Molly’s aspiration to study abroad for an entire semester in Kenya where she would be doing field work related to environmental sciences. I truly hope that she is able to partake in that trip, as I know it would be life-changing for her. Additionally, we found out that we actually participate in the same tutoring organization on campus. It was coincidental that we share this position, and I am happy that we both plan to continue tutoring in the years to come. I know this will be a way for Molly and I to keep in touch after the end of this year.

When the food arrived, our eyes lit up at the sight of our delicious brunches. We both thoroughly enjoyed the food we chose and agreed that we would definitely be coming back to the restaurant. We concluded that it would be a great place to take our parents when they are in town. After we finished our food, we left quickly to ensure Molly would get to her class in time. We again waited at the bus stop where we continued our conversation about movies, TV shows, and music. Molly and I have a lot in common and I thoroughly enjoy spending time with her. I am thankful that the ACES Mentorship Program has not only provided me with leadership and mentoring skills, but also with a new friend. I know Molly and I will keep in touch, and I am excited to see how her future at OSU turns out. Overall, going to brunch with Molly was a great time and I will definitely be recommending Blunch to all of my friends.