I had the pleasure of being a co-mentor with Mindy to Jillian Bettan. Jillian is a Speech and Hearing Science like Mindy and I. The first topic we discussed was what kind of study Jillian has developed since the fall. Jillian shared that she has had success when she finds a place outside of her room to study. For example, going to the basement of Smith Steeb in one of the study rooms.  Jillina says this helps her focus more and not get so distracted as opposed to when she is in her room. Jillian also shared that by finding study groups, such as her friends, and having them quiz each other over material has also helped a lot. We then discussed what classes on her schedule for the fall she thinks will be most challenging and why. Jillian shared that she thinks the speech and hearing class 3340, the science of sound, will be most challenging. In the speech and hearing major, this is considered to be a harder class due to having many phsyic and math aspects to it. Both Mindy and I have taken this class, and offered reassurance to Jillian that she would be fine in the class and if she needs help we are always here to answer questions she may have.

The next topic we discussed were regarding Jillian’s involvement outside of classes. We asked Jillian how she manages her time between her involvement and academics. Jillian said that the key to having a balance between the two is planning out a schedule, giving herself time for each assignment, and plan out which day she is going to do which assignment. I have also found that this is an effective way to plan out your work so it is not so overwhelming and daunting last minute. Next we asked if Jillian planned on keeping the same involvement she has this year next year and why. Jillian said that yes she plans on staying involved in everything she is currently involved in next year. Jillian shared we really likes everything she is doing and that she has found ways to manage everything she is doing. I then asked Jillian out of everything she is involved in, what is her favorite thing. Jillian shared that NSSLHA, the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, is her favorite. Mindy and I are also part of this organization  and we agreed we like going to the meetings and learning about what is happening in our field.

The next topic we discussed was ACES. We asked Jillian how was her first semester in ACES and what surprised her the most about the program. Jillian shared that her first semester in ACES went well and she was so happy to meet so many new people in the program. She shared that she has made some of her good friends through ACES. I can relate to this because this is how I met all of my roommates I live with right now. We were all in ACES and became friends because of it. Jillian shared what surprised her most about the program is how ACES is involved in so many organizations. For example, how ACES has connections to 4 Paws and various locations we have volunteered through in previous years.

Next we discussed if Jillian’s career plans have changed since first semester and if so why. Jillian shared that her career plans have not changed, she still wants to work in a school someday. Jillian believes it hasn’t changed because she has not had any classes that have really shown her what it would be like to work in a different setting than a school. I recommended that Jillian take 3370s, which is class where you work with the aphasia intitive that OSU has. While this did not change my mind about working in a school, I think it would be good for Jillian to have some exposure of what it would be like working with older individuals.

The last thing we discussed was her overall experience at OSU this year. We asked Jillian what her favorite memory was from last semester. Jillian shared that her and her friends went to north market and tried chicken parm and donuts. Jillian said she loved getting out and trying new food from new vendors and also being able to spend that time with her friends. The last question we asked Jillian was what has surprised her about Ohio State since she arrived on campus. Jillian shared that how “small” OSU is has surprised her. Jillian runs into the same people or sees the same people all the time which is crazy to her because of how large OSU is. I also find this very surprising because the same thing happens to me. I also see the same people when walking to class or when hanging out on the oval.

I have loved getting to learn more about Jillian this year and hope that we can remain connected throughout the rest of our years at OSU. I hope that I can continue to help guide and answer any questions that Jillian has about the major or any questions overall.

Mindy and I chose to virtually explore Cosi with our mentee, Jillian Bettan. Mindy and I chose to explore Cosi because we felt it offered a lot of different exhibits over varying subjects all in one central place in Columbus. I would recommend it to a friend, such as Jillian because Cosi is a really unique and a fun place for people of all ages. There is so much to do and explore that is interactive and presents information about relevant and interesting topics. Also, in addition to this, both Mindy and I have gone to Cosi in the past and with Jillian being from out of state, she had never heard of or been to Cosi before. Due to Cosi’s having restrictions on the number of visitors and how many and also because of the pandemic, we decided it would be in all of our best interests to do a virtual explore Columbus. 

Mindy and I shared several pictures of what Cosi looks like and also sent/gave Jillian the link to Cosi’s website. On the website you are able to learn more details about each individual exhibit and see pictures from within each exhibit. For example, we looked at pictures from the ocean exhibit, space, and progress. We made comments about the pictures and reflected on how long it has been since we have been to a museum due to the pandemic. Mindy and I also shared our memories of visiting Cosi when we were younger. For example, Mindy vividly remembers a bicycle/unicycle that you can ride on a tight wire over part of the museum. However, Mindy shared that she never did it because she was too scared, which is also how I felt when I also visited Cosi. Jillian shared that she would also be afraid to try to do it. 

When discussing and talking about all the different exhibits, we talked about which ones we would like to visit someday and explore. The first one we would like to explore would be the Ocean exhibit. In this exhibit there are several interactive parts such as where you can get in a submarine in the water. We all thought that this would be a very cool experience. The second one we would like to explore would be the Progress exhibit. I remember this exhibit from when I went years ago and being able to sit in a horse and buggy and talk on old telephones and how much fun I had. I would love to go back now that I’m older and look at it more instead of just being so focused on what I could play with while I was there. I shared this with Jillian and Mindy and they both agreed that they would like to see it especially now that we are older and can appreciate all of the little aspects of history in this exhibit. 

Resources we used to show our mentee the experience included pictures from the website, pictures of Cosi on the internet, and also our own personal experience. The Cosi website is organized very well and does not have too much text. Instead, it briefly explains the main components of the different exhibits and gives several links on how to purchase tickets or plan a visit. 

When talking about challenges Jillian has faced when trying to explore a new city/campus during the pandemic, I was able to relate to what Jillian was saying. Jillian wants to go out and explore Columbus and see new places, however due to the pandemic it is hard to go out and do this. I have also had this same issue. It is hard to get out and visit new things in Columbus due to living in a pandemic and wanting to be cautious and reduce exposure. Jillian also shared that it has been hard to get out and explore Columbus due to having so much school work and her activity in her sorority. I also have this issue with not really having time to do much between school and work. Jillian said she has tried going to places in Short North with her roommates to eat in an attempt to explore Columbus a bit though. 

Challenges Jillian and I have experienced due to only being able to meet virtually is the lack of human interaction and finding a time when all three of us can meet. It is challenging to try to find a time that works best for everyone when all three of us have very different schedules. Even though we are able to facetime and text, it is hard to get human interaction that is missing due to everything being conducted virtually. I miss being able to sit next to someone at a restaurant or going shopping with people and talking with them. It is very comforting when you are able to sit directly next to someone and have the presence of someone else next to you. The most challenging thing though was finding a time where all of us could meet on facetime and hangout and talk. This second semester has flown by and Mindy, Jillian, and I all have a lot of schoolwork to do on top of work, and all of the clubs/organizations that we are a part of. If we would have been able to meet in person, we could have gone to a coffee shop or the library and worked on homework while we were having conversations. However, when we meet on facetime the time we take to do this is strictly dedicated to talking and having a conversation. This results in the conversations being very driven, sometimes awkward, and very choppy. Even though we chose to virtually explore Columbus for both semesters, I feel like overall our relationship has developed in a direction similar to how it would have developed if we had met in person. All three of us are able to talk about our classes that we are taking because we are all Speech and Hearing Science majors. We have ended up actually texting several times about what classes to take and what classes are good for the GE for the College of Arts and Sciences. We have also been able to relate about stuff outside of school such as how much we watch Tik Tok and how excited we are for it to be summer and to have a break from all of the stress that comes with school. I enjoyed the Virtual Explore Columbus events and I loved getting to know Jillian more. I cannot wait to see how our relationship continues to develop in the future. 

Looking back on exploring Columbus, something I would recommend for someone who is trying to avoid exposure during a pandemic but also explore Columbus is to look at websites of places. Sometimes on the websites there are virtual tours of museum’s or tons of pictures of the place. Also, more and more businesses are making options available for people so that they can purchase food, products, etc. online and have it delivered straight to their door. I definitely recommend trying to check out the virtual aspects of businesses that are unique to Columbus.