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.

Service Engagement

Out of all the G.O.A.L.S., I have mostly connected to Service Engagement. This semester, I participated in many service events such as creating cards for hospitalized children, clearing out an invasive species to improve the environment, making sandwiches for the homeless, etc. To me, completing a service project is one of the most fulfilling feelings and makes me want to do it more and more often. For ACES, we are required to do 20 hours of community service which at first seemed daunting, but after a while I realized that it’s the least I can do to give back to the Columbus community. Looking back, I am extremely happy I did the service that I did and am proud of my contributions.

G.O.A.L.S

Within the Honors and Scholars programs, there are “G.O.A.L.S” that serve as a strong outline for what I will strive to accomplish during my time at OSU.

Global Awareness– Attending a university as culturally diverse as Ohio State is great for broadening my global awareness. I have already met and interacted with so many others who are very different than me with a different background, but still have so much in common with me. My first semester has already taught me to recognize and truy appreciate diversity and different cultures of the world.

Original Inquiry: Having a pre-health major, original inquiry relating to research could really help me with my studies as well as applying to grad school. I would love to be able to get involved with research and/or meet with prestigious researchers on and around campus that could teach me new information I could use as a springboard for my own original thoughts and questions.

Academic Enrichment: Being in a scholars program has already taught me so much about the importance of academics and how to enrich my studies here at Ohio State. On top of that, my rigorous schedule has taught me valuable time management skills that I will use for the rest of my life. In addition, I have utilized many valuable resources to help me enrich my academic experience such as tutoring, office hours, and the Younkin Success Center. I think it’s important for a student to be resourceful and not afraid of reaching out for help in order to get the most out of his/her education.

Leadership Development: Both academically and non-academically, I have always been one to withhold leadership positions within group settings. Whether I demonstrated my skills in a classroom, an extracurricular, or even at dance class, I learned something new about leadership every time I found myself in the position as a leader. I plan to use those skills I learned and have an open mind about new skills as I continually developing my leadership at OSU.

Service Engagement: Service is a huge part of the ACES Scholars program, and it is undoubtedly my favorite part. I believe it is our right as humans to give back to the community in which we live, so I have always been actively involved in volunteer work and community service. In high school, I volunteered a lot through Student Council and wanted to continue doing so in college. I strongly believe that after my four years at Ohio State, I will have contributed countless hours of service to my new community of Columbus

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]