For May, Men’s Aspirations adventured to Quarry Trails Metro Park in Columbus, Ohio. We hiked nearly 4 miles, cooled off under a waterfall, and relaxed on a group hammock.
Coming up in June–We’re heading to The Garden of Roses, followed by ice cream.
Ace! student Meera Nadathur graduated in December of 2023 with her Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife degree from The Ohio State University.
TOPS staff interviewed Meera asking her a series of questions.
Q: Who had the greatest impact on your academic success and why?
A: The math tutors did a lot to help me get through calculus, the hardest class I’ve taken at OSU.
Q: What was your favorite part about college?
A: I enjoyed learning a lot about several different subjects , including wildlife which interests me the most. I also enjoyed getting to know many different great people.
Q: What are your plans post graduation?
A: I am working on obtaining a career that involves helping endangered species.
Q: How would you rate your overall college experience? (1 being the worst and 5 being the best).
A: 3.5/5
Great work Meera!
Ace! wants to congratulate its three winter graduates: Hunter Mastin, Meera Nadatur, and Ben Pearlstein as well as its two spring graduates: Hunter Mastin (again!) and Ashvini Rulshrestha.
Hunter Mastin graduated in December with his psychology degree and then again in May with his computer software engineering degree.
Meera Nadatur graduated in December with her computer science degree.
Ben Pearlstein graduated in December with his wildlife degree.
Ashvini Kulshrestha graduated in May with his Masters degree.
Stay tuned for one-on-one interviews with each of these graduates! To be posted soon…
Great work everyone!
Congratulations to Elizabeth Griffin, John Wood, Jillian Turner, Casey Carnegie, Mallory Rice, and Erik Heathcock for graduating from OSU with their work certificate.
Here are some pictures from Ohio State’s graduation with TOPS students and staff!
Colin Batten is the recipient of the 2024 Clancy Isaac Award that Block O gives out at the end of each school year!
Here is what those who nominated him had to say, “This award is given to the Block O member that shows the most leadership, dedication, and spirit…It is because of members like you that our organization is able to thrive, and we thank you deeply for the commitment you have given Block O.”
Great work Colin!
TOPS has had the privilege of creating a partnership with SHARE (Sexual Health and Reproductive Education) to teach students comprehensive sexual education.
For more information about SHARE, check out their website with the following link.
TOPS hired two new staff within the past six months and we wanted to introduce you to them!
1st off, welcome our new Academic Success and Enrichment Specialist, Sydney Rondeau!
If you need to get ahold of her, your best bet is through email at: sydney.rondeau@osumc.edu. She has been working within the field of disability for seven years and has been with TOPS for about six months. Sydney strives to, “coordinate inclusive academic experiences for TOPS students”, and when asked what the best part about working with TOPS is, she said, “The students!” She likes to read in her free time, and her current favorite food is falafel.
Next, is our new Career Services Coordinator, Taylor Breehl-Yugovich!
If you need to reach her, please email her at: taylor.breehl@osumc.edu. She has only been working in the field of disability for a little over a year and has been with TOPS for about three months. Taylor said that when she is not working with students, she does “a little bit of everything”, but is mainly at a job site assisting a student to meet the expectations of that work environment. She wants her students, “to feel independent and confident in themselves to accomplish the work before them.” She also agrees with Sydney that the best part about working with TOPS is getting to know the students. Taylor also likes to read in her free time, as well as hangout with friends, including her husband, explore different coffee shops, nap, and go hiking!
What is it? IPSE, Inclusive Postsecondary Education Day, is a day when we encourage anyone who has any connection to a higher education for students with intellectual disability to speak up about their experience. We want more people to understand the benefits of college for students with intellectual disability.
When is it? May 1st, 2024
What can I do? You can do a lot! Such as…
Want more information? Go to #IPSEDay Webpage
Welcome to LIDS! We’re glad you’re here!
Now, you might be wondering, what is LIDS? LIDS, or Learning and Interpersonal Development Services, is Nisonger Center’s newest program area. LIDS seeks to improve quality of life for people with disabilities and their families by promoting social and vocational skills, campus and community inclusion, interpersonal connections, and lifelong learning.
Led by Dr. Jessie Green, LIDS represents the combination of two former departments, Transition Services and Social Programs. In this new research faculty role, Dr. Green supervises 13 staff, 4 direct service programs (i.e., Ace!, Aspirations, Next Chapter Book Club, and TOPS), and multiple other research grants.
We hope this little spot on the internet will be a space for you to learn, celebrate, and stay informed on the work we do. While you are here, we encourage you to explore LIDS programs and grants, as well as sign up on the bottom right to subscribe to this blog. The system will only email you when there are new posts… and you won’t want to miss them!
The OSU Nisonger Center respects differences in people. We welcome all people and treat them fairly.