Second Semester Mentee Interview

I met with my mentee, Kara McClain, on February 18th, 2017 at Sloopy’s Diner located in the Ohio Union. I was excited to interview her and talk about her semester so far because with both of our busy work loads we have not had much time to catch up. Kara and I are both psychology majors, so what I wanted to know first was if she was enjoying her major and why or why not. Kara replied that she was enjoying her major because every since she was young she loved working with children and she used to want to be teacher, but once she took a psychology course in high school she realized she enjoyed it more and that she could still hlp children directly. She has loved the psychology department at Ohio State and looks forward to taking classes that are more specific to her interests. She has also gotten involved in the department by attending events and joining the psychology club. She has been able to meet numerous students and faculty in the department and her favorite class this semester is Psychology of Childhood because she wants to pursue Child Developmental Psychology, so the class allows her to learn the fundamental basics of that topic. The second question I asked was how has she been able to get involved on campus and she said that she has been trying different clubs and activities on campus to see what she enjoys. She has joined the Girls Circle Project, which is a group that visits an elementary school to facilitate a discussion with female students to give advice and mental support on what it means to be a woman in our society. Another amazing accomplishment Kara has completed is being selected to be an Honors and Scholars Ambassador, where she can help with recruitment and giving tours to new students for the honors and scholars program. The other clubs she has joined are the Arts and Sciences Student Council, where she helped with the Graduate and Professional School Fair and interviewed professors for the annual Outstanding Teaching Award, and Recipe 4 Good, where she volunteers to help with food insecurity in the Columbus area. The next question I asked Kara was how was her first semester in ACES and if anything surprised her about the program. Kara responded stating that she enjoyed her first semester in ACES and found that it makes OSU feel smaller. The program has enhanced her experience at OSU by allowing her to form connections with people on campus and learn about and work with the Columbus community, as well. ACES has allowed Kara to continue her volunteer work in a city that was unfamiliar to her, and it has made it easy and fun. Then, I asked Kara if her career plans have changed since her first semester and why or why not. Kara said that her career plans have changed a little bit due to her second major in Speech and Hearing Science. She has been exploring the idea of becoming a Speech Language Pathologist, so that she could work with kids and help those with communication disorders. She knows for sure that she wants to continue to graduate school after completing her undergraduate degree, but she does not know if she is going to pursue her Masters or PhD. She wants to begin searching for research opportunities to determine if she wants to conduct research in graduate school or focus more on clinical psychology. The last question I asked her was what kind of goals has she set for herself for this semester and she said she wants to improve her study habits by studying earlier before exams instead of cramming. Also, she wants to do her homework in advance before the week starts to allow more time in the evenings for groups and clubs. Her last goal was to volunteer with more organizations  and get more involved in the Psychology department. My mentee has inspired me by her resilience to achieve and improve herself with each new semester, and I think we compliment each other nicely with both of our drives and goals.

First-Semester Explore Columbus

On October 21st, 2017, I went to The Book Loft in German Village and Winans Chocolates and Coffees with my mentee, Kara McClain. Kara and I met up at the bust stop and rode the bus near German Village before walking the rest of the way there. The bus ride was nice because the city looked beautiful, especially on the way back when the sun was setting. Our first stop was The Book Loft and it was actually the place I went to with my mentor the year before, so I was excited to show her a new place. As soon as we walked in she was excited because of the fact there are 32 rooms of discounted books, so we made sure to go to each room and find some steals. Kara bought Glass Castles by Jeanette Walls and I bought Doctor Sleep by Stephen King and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, however, we both have not been able to read the books due to our busy schedules and school. Being at The Book Loft was a blast, but due to their being numerous options it was difficult to choose and we spent a ton of time narrowing down our options.

After leaving The Book Loft, Kara and I walked down the street to Winans Chocolates and Coffees. Our first impression of the exterior of the store was that it was a cute little, boutique style cafe, but we thought it was packed with people due to their being about a dozen people sitting outside the shop. However, the store was quite empty and the interior was even more beautiful than the exterior in both of our opinions. There was a glass case full of chocolate, shelves filled with goodies, chalk menus, and wooden, rustic furniture and the ceilings were high and beautiful. Also, there were plants and wooden designs which gave the shop an at-home feeling. We both ordered four chocolates a piece and I ordered a coffee. I unfortunately do not recall which chocolates we ordered, but we both only liked one of our four choices. The chocolates were all good and edible, but not as good as we were expecting and had a weird taste. The coffee I got was delicious and a fall flavor, but it tasted as if there was a lot of milk and not enough espresso. Despite our opinions, Winans was still a beautiful shop and tasted well, so I recommend it to any individual looking to try a new place.

Upon leaving Winans, Kara and I walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus to pick us up. Once we were on the bus we were a little paranoid because we got confused about the bus routes and it was getting dark, but we figured it out before our stop. As I said before, the sun was setting and it looked beautiful against the skyscrapers that we had to take pictures and on the bus we began to talk about our personalities in depth and opened up about our lives. The conversation got so interesting we decided to prolong our outing and get dinner. Once we got off of the bus, we made our way to The Ohio Union and got food. At this point it was about 8:00 and after eating we talked for almost two hours about life. I gave her advice on school and she told me about her first year experience and I would not trade this day with my mentee for anything. My favorite takeaway from that day was growing a forever bond with Kara and see that there are still amazing people in the world despite all of the hate.

I would one hundred percent recommend that people go to The Book Loft, especially if they love to read. There are so many rooms filled of thousands of books in different genres, so everyone can find something they like. Also, one thing that is amazing about The Book Loft is that the rooms are all specific and organized so anything from Harry Potter to a recipe book can be found. I have gone to The Book Loft twice now and both times I was able to find numerous books I wanted and made four successful purchases there, and they were worth it. Winans Chocolates and Coffees is a beautiful shop and I would recommend it to people wanting to broaden their horizons away from their routine coffee shops and who love chocolate and want to try something new. My overall experience this day was so fun!

First-Semester Interview with my Mentee

My mentee’s name is Kara McClain and she is a freshman majoring in psychology at The Ohio State University. I met up with Kara to ask her a few questions so that I can get to know her and better understand how I should mentor her throughout the year. I first asked Kara how she likes to study and if she has found a good place on campus to study. The way she studies is through memorization, so she reads through her notes, studies key terms on Quizlet, and makes flashcards. Also, Kara enjoys studying in Thompson library or the study rooms in her dorm. The second question I asked her was what kind of involvement would she be interested in on campus and her response was that she would like to volunteer. She has already began attending meeting for Recipe for Good, which is a club whose members volunteer at soup kitchens or make food for different organizations, Arts and Sciences Student council, A&SSC, and her ACES meetings. I wanted to know why Kara chose ACES for her scholars and she said she chose ACES because she loves volunteering and had done a ton of volunteering throughout her high school career. She was worried that she would not be able to find volunteering opportunities, but ACES seemed as if it would provide a way for her to continue her service work, as well as a community to belong to as soon as you are entering OSU. Next, I asked her what she plans on doing with her major after graduation and she told me that she sees herself attending grad school to obtain her master’s degree, and she wants to find a job helping children and possibly be a development psychologist. The final question I asked Kara was what surprised her when she first arrived on campus and she said that she was shocked at the size of Ohio State. Kara was intimidated initially, but now since she has gotten familiar with her routine and the campus, it seems much smaller.

G.O.A.L.S.

I have volunteered for activists in my hometown to work towards each of the G.O.A.L.S. by working with organizations for community service, forming rallies to bring attention to issues, forming rallies to promote voting, campaigning to raise money for charities, and throwing events to strengthen the community and make it whole. In the future I want to continue to do the things listed above, but instead of volunteering for the activists I want to be leading as an activist. Also, I want to broaden the help from my hometown to the whole globe.

Artifacts

aces-film-project

In my ACES Honors Class, I had to create a presentation alongside four of my classmates reflecting on the four pillars of the ACES program, which include positive social change, advocacy, community, and service, and we had to apply them to a documentary. The documentary we had to reflect on was Living On One Dollar which is about four young college students who travel to Pena Blanca and have to live in extreme poverty by living on at least one dollar a day for two months. The movie showcased all four of the pillars and with our presentation we were able to shed light on another community to our classmates. I am proud of the presentation and it helped me empathize with other individuals.

 

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

What do each of the G.O.A.L.S mean to me?

G – Global Awareness is when all nations are aware of an issue and working towards it.

O – Original Inquiry is when individuals seek the truth or knowledge about a new concept or idea.

A – Academic Enrollment is when individuals pursue more knowledge and schooling all their lives.

L – Leadership Development is when people constantly work towards bettering themselves as leaders.

S – Service Engagement is when individuals engage in service as a way to help the community.

To work toward the goals I plan on advancing my knowledge, wok alongside an organization to advocate for a social issue that is important to me and bring awareness, and leading people in community service.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

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On Saturday, November 12th, 2016, I went on an outing with my mentor, Kate, to the Eat Purr Love Cat Cafe and the Book Loft. My mentor is from Columbus, Ohio and she knew that I wanted to see more of Columbus since I am not from the city. I have been anxious during my time in Columbus so far because it is a really big city and I come from a more suburban area. Going on this outing with my mentor showed me that despite Columbus being different from where I come from, I can still find small places that bring me a sense of home. Spending time with Kate, playing with the cats, and looking at the numerous books in the Book Loft allowed me to stop being so stressed out and open my mind to new possibilities. I learned it is a good thing to leave your mind open to new things and places.