file:///Users/caitlyngibbs/Downloads/Diversity%20Paper%20(1).pdf

This is a PDF of a paper I wrote for my Psychology Perspective on Education 2309 class. This paper challenged me as a future educator because I had to create examples of three diverse students with different backgrounds, families, abilities, disabilities, and identities. After I created these descriptions, I had to decide what classroom activities would be beneficial for each student. I selected this as one of my artifacts because I learned a lot through this assignment. One main takeaway was that an effective teacher has to have an understanding of their students in order to figure out how to best support them. There are a plethora of factors that affect how well or poorly a student performs in school. As a teacher, it will be my job to be aware of these factors and use this knowledge to foster a classroom that each student can thrive in. This is why this paper is so important to me. I want to be a teacher who is able to recognize what my students need and how to accommodate lessons for them. My analysis of each example in my paper gave me a good idea of how this support will shape up in my classroom.

file:///Users/caitlyngibbs/Downloads/Pluralistic%20Identity%20Essay%20(1).pdf

This is a PDF of a paper I wrote for my School and Society 3206 class. The paper required me to take a look at my own identity and how various aspects of my identity intersect one another. At first, I had a difficult time seeing what parts of my personality overlapped with one another. However, after much thought, I was able to see that many parts of my identity are influenced by other facets. This paper helped me to gain a better understanding of myself, but also challenged me to put this into the perspective of how intersectionality affects education. The various facets of my identity affect me as a person and a student. When it comes to my students, there will be different parts of their identity that they are unable to control that might impact how they are as learners in my classroom. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to look at the intersectionality of all my students and take this into account when I interact with the classroom. I must make sure to recognize the various challenges my students face and ensure that they feel comfortable learning in my classroom. I loved this essay because I was able to gain a better understanding of what intersectionality means to me as a person and as a teacher.

Explore Columbus AU ’21

Hello! For our Explore Columbus expedition, I decided to take my mentee, Sofia Rahal, to Kafe Kerouac. When I was a mentee in the ACES program last year, my mentor took me here for our first Explore Columbus mission. I immediately fell in love with Kafe Kerouac when my mentor took me, so I thought I would share this place with Sofia. Kafe Kerouac is on High Street and is about a 10-minute walk from north campus at OSU. When I first went there, I really loved the relaxed atmosphere and good vibes of this coffee place. It is a really great place to catch up with friends, study, or get a good cup of coffee. Something I was most looking forward to for my visit to Kafe Kerouac with Sofia was being able to get to know her more while enjoying a nice latte (my favorite is the Mark Twain Latte, by the way). Because Sofia had never been to Kafe Kerouac before, we decided to meet up at Smith-Steeb and walk over together. The walk from Smith-Steeb to Kafe Kerouac is about 25 minutes long, and it was nice to be able to talk with Sofia on the way over. Once we arrived at Kafe Kerouac, we took a couple of minutes to look over the menu and decide what we wanted to order. I ordered the Mark Twain Latte (of course) and Sofia ordered hot chocolate. Then, we decided to sit at a table and talk. The inside of Kafe Kerouac is very cool because there are books on shelves almost everywhere you look. Sofia and I bonded over enjoying reading and poetry. We sat and talked for a while, and I also had the opportunity to ask Sofia some of the mentee interview questions. These questions helped to spark a lot of conversation between us and I got to know her a lot better through this. Anyway, I love Kafe Kerouac and I would definitely go back and recommend this place to a friend. Since going to Kafe Kerouac with Sofia, I have returned to Kafe Kerouac twice to study with my roommate and meet a teacher from a class I took last semester to catch up. I have gone back simply because as I said early, Kafe Kerouac is a great environment. I do not like studying in silence, and Kafe Kerouac is a great mix of background noise and light music (in other words, it is not as silent or scary as Thompson Library during finals week). Overall, Kafe Kerouac is quiet enough to where you can get a lot of productive studying done, but loud enough to where you can have a conversation with friends. I would recommend this place to a friend for all the reasons I have listed above! To finish off my post, I would love to talk about what I have learned about Columbus through this experience. I have learned that Columbus has a lot to offer and many places to explore. I have loved getting to know Columbus over the past year and a half, and I am always appreciative of what this city has to offer. And at the same time, I have recognized that I still have even more to explore! It is always fun to learn about a new city because you get to know your new favorite spots. Also, learning about a new city helps you to form a larger sense of community and connect with people who also love the same places that you do. Something I would recommend for someone who is endeavoring to complete the same experience is to keep an open mind and go in with a positive mindset. Experiencing new things or places can be scary, but if you dive in head first, it will be a more enjoyable experience. A way to really immerse yourself into new experiences or if you are starting to explore a new city, commit to it fully. For example, if you are going to Kafe Kerouac for the first time, I would encourage you to be bold and try one of their specialty lattes. This is a great way to introduce yourself to Kafe Kerouac, and it allows you to experience the place to the best of your abilities. So far, I have ordered the Toni Morrison, Mark Twain (multiple times), and Anne Rice lattes. I have loved trying different lattes here because it allows me to have a greater experience at Kafe Kerouac and become an informed customer. If you ever have some free time, go to Kafe Kerouac!

Explore Columbus SP ’22

For this semester’s Explore Columbus assignment Sofia and I choose to go to Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea cafe. We both really enjoyed our coffee trip from the first semester, so naturally, we wanted to pick another coffee shop to go to for our second Explore Columbus. Sweetwaters is a fairly new cafe located right off of High Street, and we had heard great reviews about it from friends. Because of this, we decided that Sweetwaters was where we should go. The thing we were looking forward to most upon this choice was to see whether or not Sweetwaters would live up to the hype that it has been receiving from all of our friends. We were not sure if the coffee would be good or not, so we were very excited to create our own opinions about this cafe. We decided to go to Sweetwaters on a Saturday at 2:00pm. We also decided to walk to Sweetwaters together, and so we met up at Smith Steeb Residence Hall. On that particular day the weather was not cooperating, but it ended up being a good day for hot coffee (even though both of us ended up ordering iced coffees). At first, it was really rainy, and then it started snowing out of nowhere. The weather was frustrating to deal with and it became incredibly cold on our walk over, however, we still were able to enjoy our walk and pretend like the weather was not as bad as we thought it was. To keep our minds off the terrible weather we discussed warm vacation spots and pretended that we were on the beach. When we got there, the cafe was not too busy. There were a couple of people studying or chatting with friends, but other than that it was not too busy. We decided to order our coffee first and then find a table to sit at since it was not too busy. My friend has recommended that I get the Dreamy Cold Brew, and after looking at the menu I decided to take her advice and get this coffee. Sofia also was unsure of what to get, so she decided to order the same thing as me. The people working at Sweetwaters were really nice and they helped us both sign up for their rewards program that provides a 10% discount at checkout every time you pay for their products with your BuckID. I thought that this sounded like a good rewards program (plus it was free), so I decided to sign up and get the 10% off on my coffee. After this, Sofia and I sat down at a table. The inside of Sweetwaters is very nice, and we took a few minutes to admire the artwork hanging on the walls around us. A few minutes later our coffees were ready, and we tried our drinks at the same time. We both really liked the Dreamy Cold Brew, but we agreed that it was not the best coffee we had ever had. I think we both enjoyed the coffee we got at Kafe Kerouac for our last Explore Columbus assignment more than we enjoyed the coffee at Sweetwaters. However, the cold brew coffee was still really good. While we were at Sweetwaters, I also conducted the second-semester interview assignment. We ended up having such a great conversation that we stayed at Sweetwaters for 2-3 hours just talking and having a good time. We talked about everything from the interview questions to concerts we have both attended. I also learned that we were both going to go to the Oliva Rodrigo concert that was coming up within the next couple of weeks, and we planned to drive down together. I thought that was such a fun coincidence, and I was excited to go to the concert with her. She ended up finding out a couple of weeks later that she was not going to be able to go to the Olivia Rodrigo concert anymore, so I ended up sending her pictures from the concert so she could pretend that she was there. I would recommend Sweetwaters to a friend because it was a nice space and the coffee was good, but I would probably never go back there myself. This is simply because I am a bigger fan of other coffee shops in the Columbus area that I would rather go to. In doing the Explore Columbus assignment, we learned that Columbus has a lot to offer. If you are ever bored, you can always find a coffee shop, a mall, a park, or somewhere to go that will keep you entertained. We also learned how much fun it is to explore a big city like Columbus. There are always new shops to discover, or old shops that are more like hidden treasures. It is easy to find ways to destress or have fun in a big city like this because there is always something new to explore. To someone who is endeavoring to complete the same experience, I would recommend having an open mind and making the most out of your experience!

Interview Assignment AU ’21

My mentee is Sofia Rahal. Sofia is majoring in Actuarial Science, and is earning a minor in Computer Science. For the interview, I decided to ask her questions during our Explore Columbus at Kafe Kerouac. The first question I asked was from the academics category, and this is where I learned how Sofia ended up choosing her major. Her parents told her about the Actuarial Science major and encouraged her to look into it. After much research, Sofia ended up really liking the major. Not only does Sofia love math, but she also loves the paycheck she will be earning after she graduates with this degree. I thought that part was pretty funny, but I commend her for knowing her worth and finding a job that will give her a salary that will give her a lot of spending money and allow for her to support herself after graduation. The next question I asked her was from the involvement section. I learned that Sofia has not been as involved as she would have liked to be her first semester at OSU, but she plans on being more involved next semester. Sofia loves service and misses being involved in her community. In high school, Sofia was a part of a bilingual reading program for K-5th graders where she played games with students that combined English and Spanish. The next question I asked her was from the ACES section. I learned that Sofia chose ACES because after reading through all the different scholar’s programs that OSU has to offer, Sofia thought that this program best aligned with her values. As I already mentioned, Sofia loves to do service, and she also loves to advocate for things she believes in, so this program seemed to be a perfect fit for her! One challenge she has experienced this semester with ACES is getting her service hours because she was extremely busy and found that many of the service opportunities this year were difficult for her to get to or did not align with the types of service that she is interested in. The next question I asked was from the careers category. I learned that Sofia’s goals during college are to get internships during her sophomore year of college, pass certification tests for her major. Apparently, the certification tests are extremely difficult, so she is a little nervous about the upcoming tests. Her more long-term goals are to live in New York City after graduating and to get a job right after graduation. The last question I asked her was from the Miscellaneous category. I learned that this semester, Sofia has learned the importance of a good nap. Before college, Sofia did not take naps. However, she realized that college students do not get enough sleep while at school, and that napping helps her to get more sleep. I also learned that Sofia did not tour OSU before attending college. Because of this, Sofia was surprised by a few things when she got here. One thing she was surprised by was how long her walks to classes are. She does not mind the walk, but she was not expecting to have a 20-minute long walk to most of her classes. She also learned that it floods a lot at OSU whenever it rains. She was really surprised by this simply because she was not expecting it. Lastly, I learned that Sofia is an out-of-state student, but she has family that lives in Columbus and are alumni of OSU. I really enjoyed getting to interview Sofia because I got to know her more and learn a lot about her. Sofia is really funny, kind, and smart, and it was great to see her personality shine through in each of the interview questions.

Interview Assignment SP ’22

My mentee is Sofia Rahal, and her major is Communication Analysis and Engagement. For the interview, I decided to ask her questions during our Explore Columbus at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea Cafe. The first question I asked was whether or not she was enjoying her major and why. Last semester her major was Actuarial Science with a minor in Computer Science, and this semester she had changed her major to Communication Analysis and Engagement. She had disliked her previous major because it was difficult, too much work, and involved more math than she was anticipating. She simply did not enjoy her major or minor, which is why she switched to being a Communications major. While she has not started any major classes for her new major, she is excited about the change and thinks that this will be more interesting for her. Sofia has friends that are Communications majors, and they all really enjoy their classes and think Sofia would like them too. The next question I asked was how she got involved on campus this year. Sofia told me that she has yet to be that involved on campus, and that her participation in ACES events has been the extent of her involvement at Ohio State University. However, she is a part of the Morrill Scholars Program, and hopes to become more involved in that during her sophomore year. The next question I asked her is about how her first year in ACES was. She said that her first semester of ACES was a lot of fun because she thought we offered a lot more events that she was interested in and available to go to. She also enjoyed her second semester in ACES, but did not go to as many events because of her busy schedule. However, she did attend the Tie Dye and Donuts event and reported that this was her favorite event of the year! I also asked her if anything surprised her about the program, to which she responded no. The program was everything she was expecting, and she loved being a part of it. She also loved the perk of being able to live in Smith Steeb Residence Hall with all of the other first-year ACES members. The next question I asked her was whether or not her career plans have changed since her first semester and how. She said that they had changed mainly because she switched her major. Now that she is a Communications major, she has been thinking of new career paths that she would be interested in. Sofia told me that she has been thinking about doing something in the music industry, specifically something related to music business. She would love to organize big music festivals or venues, and is hoping to use her Communications major to help her achieve this dream job. Sofia has a love for listening to music and going to concerts, which inspired her to choose this as a career path. When she was talking about this career path she seemed a lot more interested in the possibilities that her new major has opened up for her, and it seems like she will be a lot happier earning her Communication Analysis and Engagement degree than the Actuarial Science and Computer Science degrees. The last question I asked her was about her favorite memory from last semester. She said that her favorite memory was when she went to the Lorde concert. The concert was on a Saturday, and she ended up skipping her classes on Friday so she could make the drive down and be well-rested for the concert the next day. She said it was a very fun experience and one of the best concerts she has ever been to! I had a lot of fun asking her all of these questions, and it helped us to bond and learn more about one another. After learning that her Actuarial Science classes were extremely difficult, I made sure to check up on her for the rest of the semester and wish her good luck on her exams. Knowing this helped me to be a better mentor as I was able to provide her with support. Sofia was the best mentee I could have asked for, and I really enjoyed getting to know her over the course of the year!