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.