My first-year ACES mentee was Sydni Porter. She started out as a student studying Biology on the pre-med track, then swapped to English while still on the track for pre-med, and eventually switched her major to Environmental Policy and Decision Making. Since our interview at the beginning of her first semester, I could tell how passionate Sydni was about her education here at Ohio State. It was a great experience watching Sydni find what her true calling is, and I appreciated her drive to follow wherever her heart led her. I have witnessed Sydni grow exponentially from the first semester to her second semester of college. It has been an exciting time to see her break out of her shell and watch her make her mark on this campus. As she finished her second semester, I could tell Sydni was focused on what makes her happy!

I am ecstatic that Sydni will be a member of the Leadership Council for ACES next year because I know that she has a lot of great ideas to offer to the ACES Program.  Sydni is great at teamwork and communication, so I think she will fit right in with her fellow ACES LC.  Her dedication and positivity shines through in everything she does. I am so happy to know that my place on the Leadership Council as Academic Co-Chair will be taken over by my mentee, Sydni – someone who works hard and cares deeply about helping others! I feel so honored to know she is following in my footsteps as I graduate from ACES and move on in my college career, and I cannot wait to see what she brings to the table to keep improving ACES.

The ACES Mentorship Program helped me learn and grow while improving my leadership qualities as a sophomore in college. Assisting another student throughout their first year at The Ohio State University was a responsibility I did not take lightly, especially since I truly appreciated my own mentorship experience when I was a first-year student. Being Sydni’s mentor helped me learn more about myself while also getting to know even more about Sydni. It reminded me to always put others first and to be a good listener! Additionally, it helped me stay ahead, on-task, and organized.  I worked diligently to coordinate around both of our busy schedules in order to complete ACES requirements, like attending events together, conducting interviews, and exploring Columbus (North Market and Kafe Kerouac).  I also sent Sydni regular reminders for ACES about any upcoming academic, social, and service events as well as monthly community meetings which, thankfully, kept me on track too.

I tried very hard to be the best mentor that I could be for Sydni by providing her with as much help and guidance as needed for her to succeed. I made myself available as a resource for her to utilize throughout this past year, and I hope that she knows that just because the school year is over, our relationship is not! With that being said, I wholeheartedly believe that both Sydni and I benefitted from the mentoring program ACES had to offer. As a mentor, this opportunity let me share the knowledge I accumulated from my own mentor and my own experiences as a freshman in college. I was able to share my triumphs as well as my failures with Sydni, and we both learned from those to become better people. Likewise, I learned so much from Sydni as she was my mentee. Since Sydni struggled with finding the right fit for her major, I observed that while change is scary, it can be so rewarding.  Sydni also taught me to be true to myself, to make time for people that make me happy, and to never give up – and sometimes, in some ways, it really did feel like Sydni was my mentor!

I believe that becoming a mentor is one of the best decisions I have made while attending Ohio State.  The ACES Program provided so many chances for me to step out of my comfort zone and make a difference in the lives of others – and this is especially accurate for the Mentorship Program that I completed as my capstone.  I was blessed to have a mentee as open-minded and fun as Sydni, and I could not imagine going through my second year without her! Sydni made my second-year a year to remember, and I am so thankful that we grew closer than mentor and mentee: we became friends.

AH ENG 2202 Paper 1-up5p5g The Sea View, Charlotte Smith-1bc2ckl

For my British Literature class, we were instructed to create a paper entailing a close-reading of a given passage.  Our options were passages from Mary Wollstonecraft’s Frankenstein or the poem The Sea View by Charlotte Smith.  My paper goes in-depth on the poem provided by analyzing the point of view, the precise language, and the imagery used by Smith.

During my sophomore year as a student at The Ohio State University, I used my college experiences to help others.  I applied for and served as a Peer Mentor for the College of Education and Human Ecology.  Peer Mentors actively engage with freshman students and transfer students by aiding their Survey class with an Academic Advisor as the instructor.  Peer Mentors provide support for students as they transition and adjust to the Columbus Campus here at OSU.  This experience helped me reflect on my own experiences as a student, and through doing that I have been able to assist other students with their questions and concerns effectively.

Over the summer before my freshman year at OSU, I received an email about early move-in programs for college. I was skeptical at first, thinking that maybe it would cost too much. I decided to look into the programs anyway, and I came across a program called R-Lead. This program focused on leadership building for only incoming freshmen while also providing an opportunity to move in before actual move in day. I applied and got accepted, and it was not too expensive. Through this program, I learned how to better address my character strengths and how to apply them in my every day life. I got better situated on campus. R-Lead was also connected to the Ohio Welcome Leaders, so I got the opportunity to meet new people and help students move in. All in all, this leadership development program helped me come out of my shell when transitioning from high school to college, and I am happy I participated in it.

Service to my community is influential to my drive to give back to the people who have helped me. I always feel that the most effective way to be grateful is to pay it forward and help someone else. Because community service is so important in my life, I have chosen to volunteer for the Suicide Hotline. This is a large commitment, and in my eyes it is definitely worth it. I am currently in training. After completing my training, I will be volunteering a minimum of six hours per week for the next six months or longer. I am very excited to start this journey of assisting those in desperate need of help. My goal from this opportunity is to make a difference by saving lives because I personally feel that suicide is preventable. Sometimes people really just need someone to talk to that is open-minded with no judgement. Through this service opportunity, I will gain learning experiences that I will continue to carry with me for the rest of my life.