Kyle Bentley, a freshman at The Ohio State University, is a member of the Advocates for Community and Education Scholars. Kyle is an out-of-state student from Suffolk, Virginia majoring in Health Rehabilitation Sciences. During our interview, I got to learn more about Kyle’s reasoning for OSU as well as some personal information about his interests! We have a shared love for video games and poetry, and we seem to have the same outgoing personality!

How did Kyle decide on the major he chose?
Kyle has had a deep passion for helping others for a very long time. He has an interested focus on health care and related areas of health. Overall, Kyle Bentley has chosen to pursue Physical Therapy through the Health Rehabilitation Sciences department at The Ohio State University because he wants to be able to help people in the near future.

What types of volunteering opportunities did Kyle participate in as a student in high school?
Throughout his time as a high school student, Kyle devoted a lot of time into the organization called 4H. He volunteered at a horse barn and loved every moment of it. Kyle and a group of students from his school also started a program called Veggies for Veterans where they grew a garden full of vegetables to be donated to United States’ veterans.

Why did Kyle choose ACES? What is Kyle most looking forward to in the ACES program?
Kyle had a desire to continue volunteering as a college student, which is why he applied for Advocates for Community and Education Scholars. He wanted to live in a cohort and meet new people with similar interests in community service, so he chose ACES! Kyle is most excited for the various volunteering opportunities that the ACES program has to offer.

What is Kyle’s dream job, and why?
The end goal for Kyle Bentley is a profession in physical therapy! Being a physical therapist is Kyle’s dream job because he wants to help people in a health care setting. He specifically wants to work in physical therapy because it allows for an opportunity to have direct contact with patients. He also likes that it provides a great opportunity to talk to people and meet others.

What has surprised Kyle most since arriving on campus at The Ohio State University?
Kyle, as many freshmen here are, was most surprised about the size of Ohio State’s campus. At first, the campus seems really huge, but Kyle was fascinated by how quickly he can get around, especially to his classes. He has found a sense of community here at OSU despite how seemingly large the campus is.

Knowing more in depth the life of Kyle Bentley will better help me mentor him throughout his freshman year, which I am thrilled to do! Our shared interests of helping others, playing video games, and writing poetry has the potential to allow a strong mentorship (and friendship!) to grow. I also learned more about Kyle’s family life. Kyle is from Virginia, but he has family from Ohio, thus he chose to go to college at The Ohio State University. I learned that Kyle’s mother is in the United State’s Navy. By learning more information about Kyle, I feel that he will be more comfortable to come to me if he has any need for support or encouragement. Because he is far from home, I know to be a little more empathetic and helpful to Kyle so he feels like Ohio State is his home away from home! I plan to reach out and make meaningful connections with Kyle as I continue to mentor him for the upcoming year.

Sydni Porter, a freshman in the Advocates for Community and Education Scholar’s cohort, started out at The Ohio State University with a major in Biology on the Pre-Med track. Her story of how she got to OSU is quite interesting, since she decided so late in the year! Ohio State was her original choice; however, it felt like just a dream because of financial restrictions. Sydni settled on Toledo University and had everything settled, she even had her room picked out! It wasn’t until Ohio State called and offered her the scholarship of a lifetime that she accepted the calling to be a buckeye!

How did Sydni decide on the major she chose?
Initially, Sydni focused on Biology. Fairly early, she switched her major to English while holding onto Pre-Med because she recognized her passion for writing and literature. She decided to continue with Pre-Med because of her ambitious drive to help others. Some medical issues in her family’s past has inspired her to reach out and help people in the future.

What kind of volunteering and involvements was Sydni involved with throughout high school? What do you hope to get involved with on campus?
Sydni was a high school student that had a love for running. She was greatly involved in Cross Country and Track and Field in high school. Because of an injury, she had to sit out during some of her seasons. Instead of giving up, she took this opportunity to volunteer as a timer during meets. Sydni was engaged in National Honors Society as a student in high school, and she performed community service throughout different NHS events. She also volunteered at a local men’s homeless shelter in her hometown by serving meals. As a freshman at Ohio State, Sydni has already volunteered through OSU Democrats! She aspires to make a difference by joining Undergraduate Student Government’s sustainability!

Why ACES? What is Sydni most looking forward to in the ACES program?
Since Sydni’s decision to attend The Ohio State University was made late in the game, she was desperate to join any Scholar’s group she possibly could! After some lengthy phone calls, she found out that Advocates for Community and Education Scholars was still available for students to apply to! She is so excited that things fell into place the way that they did, and she is thankful for the ACES program. Ms. Porter is most looking forward to helping the world with ACES through advocacy. Sydni is a born advocate, and she plans on advocating for anyone and everyone that cannot advocate for themselves.

What is Sydni’s dream job and why?
With plenty of time to make a choice career-wise, Sydni is uncertain of what her dream job is. Although she is unsure, Sydni hopes to do “something in medicine.” She is particularly interested in neurological science. She is considering being a doctor, but who knows, she thinks she could also be an author some day! I jokingly added that she could write a book about neurology, which would be the perfect blend of her interests.

What has surprised Sydni the most since arriving at Ohio State’s campus?
Sydni has been most surprised by the ease of building community on such a large campus! She was slightly intimidated by the size of OSU. She feels that despite the initial fears, she has been able to familiarize herself well with many people.

What is one of the most important things Sydni has learned so far at The Ohio State University?
During the second week of classes, Sydni learned a very important lesson! While playing board games with some friends in Bradley Hall, she easily lost track of time and realized how late it had gotten. Traveling back home alone is something Sydni is uncomfortable with, and she took this chance to learn the importance of coming back home early and watching the time.

After learning more about my mentee, Sydni Porter, I want to better help her build her strengths throughout this year. She is full of passion and inspiration, and I hope to help her grow and learn more about herself. Knowing more of Sydni’s interests will allow me to better cater to her needs and wants as her mentor. I plan on furthering my relationship with the amazing Sydni Porter. I plan on learning just as much from her as she plans on learning from me!