Year in Review

My first year at The Ohio State University has been full of experiences I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Coming to Ohio State, I was nervous but excited at all the opportunities yet to come. I am so grateful that I was accepted into the Mount Leadership Society Scholars program, as it has taught me so much. Through Mount, I have had the opportunity to make connections with so many new, amazing people. Mount has also allowed me to take advantage of events to develop my leadership skills, through seminars and breakout rooms as well as roles within the organization. Mount has also allowed me to continue my passion for service, through monthly service projects and our main Legacy Week project. For Legacy Week, we split into teams focused on varying social issues and work together to plan two service projects to benefit the community. This task was a large endeavor to accomplish, but I am so proud of what our team was able to accomplish. Some of the leadership positions I took on in the organization were Co-Financial Coordinator for our Legacy Week team as well as being a member of the Service Committee. Both of these roles helped me strengthen and develop my leadership roles and allowed me to continue my passion for service. I also was able to be involved in extracurricular organizations like University Band and the Glenn College Policy Visualization Team. I loved having the opportunity to get more involved in my interests at Ohio State this year, and can’t wait to get involved in more organizations next year. Overall, my first year as a student at The Ohio State University was filled with many opportunities for growth in leadership, service, and to continue expanding upon my interests.

G.O.A.L.S.

G – Global Awareness

I am currently taking ESHESA 2577, Diversity and Social Justice in Leadership, in which we learn about engage in discussions about differing perspectives and how to be inclusive as a leader. I am also involved with Students for Diversity in Education through Service (SDES) at Ohio State, a student group promoting social diversity in education through acts of service. In addition, I plan to study abroad in either Costa Rica or Spain in Summer of 2022 to enhance my Spanish abilities and learn new cultural perspectives.

O – Original Inquiry

I am currently involved in planning a project with the Neighborhood Design Center, which is my internship site through Ohio State’s Nonprofit Immersion Program (NPIP). Although I am unsure what it will be, I am excited to explore possibilities of the NDC’s needs might be. The Neighborhood Design Center is a nonprofit that provides design consulting services to revitalize under-served communities in Columbus.

A- Academic Enrichment

I am currently enrolled in challenging curriculum to help me grow my knowledge of Public Affairs. Furthermore, I am involved in an internship through the Nonprofit Immersion Program (NPIP) to grow my experiencial academic learning. Additionally, I am planning on studying abroad in Costa Rica or Spain in Summer of 2022 to enrich my Spanish language skills and cultural understanding.

L – Leadership Development

This year, I took on the role of a Service Committee Co-Chair of the Mount Leadership Society to further my leadership development. As a Co-Chair, my responsibilities include planning committee meanings, planning first-year service projects, reaching out to agencies, and more. Although this role pushes me outside of my comfort zone, I have enjoyed every moment of the experience thus far and feel that I have grown my leadership skills as a result.

S – Service Engagement

As a Mount Leadership Society Scholar, I am currently doing service with NNEMAP Food Pantry this year. The experience has been rewarding so far, learning about the needs of our Columbus neighbors and how NNEMAP is able to serve them. Combating food insecurity is something I am passionate about, and I have loved serving at the pantry and meeting all of the wonderful people who have been serving at the nonprofit for years. I am excited to continue this project throughout the year!

Career

As a professional goal, I have aspired to pursue a career in nonprofit management since high school to help solve social problems rural communities like mine face, such as food insecurity, environmental issues, and social inequity. To advance this goal in my academic curriculum, I have taken courses on nonprofits and nonprofit management including Introduction to Nonprofits, Nonprofit Management, and Public Management. In future semesters I plan to take more coursework regarding the nonprofit sector management to help advance my goals, such as Fundraising, Philanthropy, and Accounting.

Regarding extra-curricular organizations, I currently am a member of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars, the Nonprofit Immersion Program, and Students for Diversity in Education Through Service here at Ohio State. These organizations help develop both my leadership experience, as well as inform me in topics such as inclusivity, nonprofit management, and give me hands-on experience with service and volunteering in the nonprofit sector.

In line with my professional goals, I have been connecting and receiving advice from a variety of sources. Last year I was involved in the John Glenn College’s Friendship 7 mentoring program and am planning to join again this year to connect me with resources, peers, and faculty in the school. Additionally, I feel that the student coordinator advising the Mount Scholars Committee I co-chair has been an excellent mentor regarding Public Affairs. Veronica has always answered my questions regarding Public Affairs curriculum and has facilitated my further growth in leadership and service as a part of the committee.

Artifacts

Artifact 1: #DHSSolidarityDay

For my first artifact, I want to share my experience with the #DHSSolidarityDay event my friends and I organized for our school and what that day taught me. After the horrific mass shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, my classmates and I wanted to do something to make change and raise awareness for gun violence, as well as remember the victims. We decided to try to plan a school event, that would focus on coming together and honoring those who lost their lives. With the help of our English teacher, we set up a meeting with our district’s superintendent and pitched our idea of having a Danbury High School Solidarity Day with Parkland, Florida. Our superintendent agreed, and my friends, Nikki, Maddie, and I, met every day during our free period to plan the event. We decided to invite local officials, law enforcement, religious leaders, and other community members to join the school, with the focus on unity. We held the event the following month to give us adequate time to prepare. We met with our superintendent once a week, but he allowed us to do the majority of the planning, so long as we made it non-mandatory and non-divisive. When it came time for the day of the event, we were nervous but ready to finally share what we had been working on with the rest of our community. We had a rewarding turnout for the event, with almost the entire school and many from our community participating. The three of us led the event after our superintendent introduced us, and we took turns speaking about the facts of gun violence in American schools. We then had everyone hold hands for a moment of silence to honor and remember the victims. Our tribute to Parkland was a #DHSSolidarityDay poster we made, had everyone who attended sign, and had sent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.

Overall, our #DHSSolidarityDay event was impactful in many ways. It led to community discussion and unity over a contentious political issue like gun reform. It was also powerful to be able to honor the victims that lost their lives during the shooting as one united school and community in the moment. The event also taught my friends and I a lot as well, as we were able to organize and host an event as three sophomores in high school. Although planning the event was hard work and took weeks of planning, in the end, it was worth every minute. We were able to make a difference in a meaningful way and bring people together in solidarity with those in Parkland. Furthermore, we elevated a discourse on gun violence in America, and it is through these discussions that we hope we will find a solution and prevent future tragedies from occurring. Even though the event seemed like a daunting task at first, I realized that through hard work and determination, my friends and I were able to accomplish it. I am proud of my involvement as an organizer of this event and of everything it taught me and that we were able to share with our community.

Artifact 2: Portage Resale Center Youth Council

For my second artifact, I want to share my experience on the Portage Resale Center Youth Council. The Portage Resale Center is a local nonprofit agency that takes donations, sanitizes, and resells the items for profits. The owners created the center so that the profits raised could go back into the community, in the form of donations to local nonprofit agencies in need. Last year, the center raised over $175,000 that was distributed at their annual Giving Presentation. The board of directors decided to create a local youth council of one junior and senior representative from each high school in my county. I was chosen for and asked to join the council, and although I was unsure of what to expect, I said yes. I am so glad that I did. My experiences on the council have opened my eyes in so many ways and inspired me to want to pursue a career in nonprofit management.

The council meets once a month during the school day and we had the opportunity to tour and learn about two local nonprofit agencies at each meeting. Sometimes we even helped these agencies with their needs during our visits as well. Well over half of the agencies we visited I had never heard of before, as I had never experienced the needs they provide their clients. Additionally, touring the agencies exposed me to so many problems my community faced that I was unaware of. With each meeting, I learned about real issues our community was facing and how community members were leading these nonprofit organizations to help drive change. Additionally, our council was awarded a $2500 grant from the Portage Resale Center that we applied for annually for our council to distribute. We accepted wishlist applications from each of the organizations we visited and reviewed them collectively to make decisions on how best to distribute the money, based on need and use. Then, at the end of April, the council organized and led its annual Gifting Ceremony, where we invite representatives from the agencies and community members to hear our experiences on the council and to award the funds to the applicants. The whole experience was so beneficial to me, as I was able to learn about the nonprofit sector, local community issues, and gain leadership and service experience. Therefore, I am so glad that I joined the Portage Resale Center Youth Council

Artifact 3: Marblehead Marathon

For my third artifact, I wanted to reflect on my experiences running my first-ever marathon in 2020. It all started with New Year’s Eve 2019, when I made the resolution to run a marathon in 2020, as I had always wanted to but never had. In January, I reached out to my high school Cross Country Coach, who had run numerous marathons before. I wanted her advice on how to train, and asked if she would want to run the marathon with me, as she had always been a huge role model for me. She agreed and I began training for the Toledo Glass City Marathon in May 2020. Training took dedication, as I had to run 5-6 days a week and build up my long-distance endurance, running up to 20 miles on Sundays. However, I was ecstatic at the prospect of running my first marathon and that drive kept me inspired throughout the training process.

However, in March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic cancelled any hopes of running in the Toledo Glass City Marathon. I was devastated, as I had trained so hard for it already and was so excited about running. Not wanting my training to be for nothing, I had an idea: we could run the marathon in my hometown of Marblehead. My coach agreed and started laying out a 26.2 mile route for us that circumnavigated my town. Although the experience was not what I had in mind, I was still overflowing with excitement about our adaptation. Sooner than later, May 2020 came around and I was overwhelmed by the support of my community. My coach had surprised me by posting about our marathon on Facebook pages and so many people came to watch us run the 4+ hour race. The marathon wasn’t easy but all of my training allowed me to be driven to complete the race. I was simply blessed to have had my coach and community support me in making my dream a reality, and in the long run it was the coolest first-marathon I could have ever asked for. The experience taught me a lot about myself, as it took incredible willpower and drive to do something I once thought was impossible. Setting high goals for yourself isn’t impossible, it just takes time and hard work to achieve them. The Marblehead Marathon inspired me to have more confidence in myself, wanting to continue to set high goals for myself and teaching me that the impossible isn’t as impossible as it seems.

About Me

Hello, my name is John Holzaepfel and I am a first-year student at The Ohio State University majoring in Public Affairs. I am originally from Marblehead, Ohio, and attended Danbury High School. I was involved in many extracurricular activities in high school, including Cross Country, Track, Band, Choir, and Academic Challenge. I held leadership roles throughout high school as well, including President of Key Club and Secretary of National Honor Society. It was my involvement in Key Club, NHS, and on the Portage Resale Center Youth Council that led me to want to continue my passion for service in college and beyond.

At Ohio State, I am involved with the Mount Leadership Society Scholars program and am on the Mount Service Committee. I am also a member of the University Band and plan to get involved with more service and music organizations on campus. I hope to take advantage of all the opportunities that Ohio State offers while I am here, and cannot wait to see what the next four years will bring! After graduation, I aspire to pursue a career in nonprofit management to be able to help others in my community.