I met my mentee, Sarah Meade, a first year Linguistics major, at Kafe Kerouac yesterday evening. They were having their weekly poetry night, and though neither of us had brought cash to pay the entrance fee, the vibe was artistic and energetic. I grabbed an iced tea, and we sat on the patio (even though it’s filled with cigarette smoke, it’s a lovely place to study). I learned a lot about her using the guidance of the interview questions! Having gone through this conversation, I feel I have a better idea of what ‘Exploring Columbus’ activity she might enjoy.
Academic
Q: How do you like to study? Have you found anywhere great to study?
A: Sarah makes flashcards for Spanish vocabulary words, and definitively identifies herself as a visual learner. In this interest, she color codes textbooks to flashcards, and uses lots of flowcharts and diagrams. She likes to study anywhere quiet, but does avoid the library because that’s where everyone else is and she likes to have her own space. Her desk, the second floor of Smith Steeb, and the numbers sculptures by Enarson are all favorites. I also suggested to her that the Honors house is very close to Smith Steeb, and is a nice, uncrowded place to study.
Involvement
Q: What kind of volunteering and involvement were you involved with in high school?
A: In high school Sarah volunteered with the public library for many years. She was also part of an English as a Second Language program where she was a tutor for Spanish speaking students. She emphasizes that as well as practicing language skills, she enjoyed the opportunity to be a friend and a point of contact for the participants. She’s still doing work focused around ESL, and was recently recruited by the Linguistics department to be a conversation partner with graduate students who are not native English speakers. She feels good at what she does, and likes being able to help people. She feels she’s getting as much out of that experience as the person she is working with.
ACES
Q: Why did you pick ACES?
A: Sarah picked ACES because she is a big proponent of helping and serving others, and places a lot of importance on outreach and being involved in the community. She feels a responsibility to make sure people aren’t exploited by society. She’s excited to make the community better and enrich people’s lives. Sarah also knew coming in that she doesn’t want to be one of the many students who don’t get to know Columbus, and hopes ACES will be an opportunity to become familiar with the city. I told her that many ACES events do in fact focus on the Columbus community, and that if she wants to become involved with the city, there are lots of opportunities through the university as a whole.
Career
Q: What is your dream job?
A: Her dream job is to be able to work with Spanish speaking students, but not necessarily as an English as a Second Language teacher. She would like to work with students on language, but both through this and in addition to this, help them navigate life issues. It seems important to her that no matter what she is doing, she is making genuine connections with people. Sarah is open to working both domestically and abroad.
Miscellaneous
Q: How will you balance academics and involvement?
A: Sarah keeps an agenda and, at the beginning of the year, took the initiative to write out all her major deadlines across classes. Sarah makes itineraries for what tasks to complete on different days of the week, and appears to feel confident in her ability to prioritize and work ahead.