As a part of my scholars program requirements, I interviewed my mentee, Aryn, on her experiences in her first semester at Ohio State. Aryn is a first year student from Vermont, majoring in Special Education. I absolutely loved chatting with her, and getting to know her better. Although her experiences at Ohio State have been fairly limited thus far, she has been making the most of them, and is excited for what is to come during her four years at OSU.

How did you decide on the major you have chosen?

Aryn has always had a passion for helping people, and was very involved in the Special Olympics program at her high school. She also started a unified basketball team, which brought students in special needs programs closer to their peers, through sports. They were able to experience the team dynamic that is so often lacking in availability for students with special needs, and played a whole season of games. Through her work, Aryn realized that she wanted to make this passion into a career, and is majoring in Special Education in hopes of becoming a Special Ed teacher.

What kind of involvement are you interested in on campus?

Ultimate Frisbee was a hobby of Aryn’s in high school, and she was looking forward to joining the Ultimate team at Ohio State when she started her freshman year. Unfortunately, she has not been able to do this because of the limitations of the pandemic. However, once it is safe to do so, Aryn hopes to get involved with both the Ultimate Frisbee team, and possibly the rowing team during her time at Ohio State. She also mentioned that she is excited for group fitness classes to begin again, as she had always enjoyed taking spin classes in her hometown. She loves being active, and can’t wait to do all that OSU has to offer!

Why did you choose ACES?

When she saw the option to join ACES, Aryn knew that it would be the perfect fit for her. She is an education major, and wanted to be in a community of people who shared the same aspirations and passion for teaching. She has also always considered herself to be an advocate for others. She has fought for inclusion of students with disabilities for much of her high school career, and wants to continue doing so through service at Ohio State. She was so excited to join ACES, as it seemed to match her criteria perfectly. Although her experiences in the program have been limited, she’s really enjoyed it thus far, and feels as though it’s a good fit for her.

What do you plan to do with your major after graduation? Graduate or Professional School? Enter the workforce?

Aryn is not quite sure what she wants to do after graduating from undergrad. She definitely knows that she wants to be a special education teacher, but is not totally sure what the process to getting there will look like. With her degree, she will be able to begin teaching almost immediately, so she said that she likely sees herself teaching in a Special Education classroom following graduation. She is considering the possibility of grad school, but is not sure when it would fit into her post-graduation plan — it is likely that she will go back to school for her Masters after teaching for a few years, but that is subject to change.

What is one of the most important things you have learned so far at Ohio State?

After thinking for a bit, Aryn told me that the most important thing that she’s learned at Ohio State so far has been how to be okay with being alone. Going in to the school year, she knew absolutely no one. She was from Vermont, and had no family or friends within hours of the campus. The pandemic made opportunities for meeting people and making friends very scarce, and Aryn found herself spending most of her time alone, when she wasn’t with her roommate. This was a totally new experience for her, but was an enlightening one nevertheless. She now feels much more confident spending time alone, with herself, and has learned a lot more about herself in the process. This is a really important skill to have, and one that most people don’t get the hang of until they’re much older. I’m proud of Aryn for making the most out of her first semester at college despite the circumstances, and choosing to see the bright side of things.

Aryn and I would have loved to go to the North Market together for our Explore Columbus Experience, if we had been able to in a safe way. I loved taking trips to the North Market with my friends last year, and I wanted to share the unique Columbus experience with my mentee. Aryn loves trying new foods and exploring new cities, so it sounded like the perfect outing for us. However, with the increase in Covid-19 cases, we opted for a virtual option instead. It definitely was not quite the same as being there (we would have loved to eat some good food while enjoying the bustling of people around us), but I think that we made the most of it.

Aryn had the awesome idea to use google maps to “drop” ourselves into the North Market. With this tool, she was able to get a feel for the cool environment, and I was able to point out different shops that I thought she might be interested in. We looked up the different stands on the website, and tried not to get too hungry as we talked about what we would get if we had the opportunity to go. I also described to her the times that I had gone to the market, and tried to paint a picture of just how amazing it is. We agreed that we both hope that we are able to go in-person to the North Market next year, when it is safer to do so — we’re definitely prepared for it after all of our research today!

Aryn told me that she had been really looking forward to exploring the city of Columbus in her first year at Ohio State. She’s originally from Vermont, so she was totally unfamiliar with this new city to begin with. She said that she feels as though she still doesn’t have her bearings on her new surroundings, because of limitations that come with the pandemic. She hasn’t even really been off-campus yet, or out of the Smith-Steeb area for that matter. There are simply not a ton of opportunities available — most places in the city are either closed, or are just not safe options to visit. Even on campus, Aryn still feels as though she has a lot more exploring to do. With classes online, there aren’t a ton of reasons to leave the dorm, and most buildings are closed anyway. Aryn and I went to Thompson Library for our first mentorship activity, and she has frequented it several times since then. Aside from that, her ventures outside of the dorms have been quite limited. She’s hoping that more places on campus and off campus will open up when it is safe to do so, so that she can experience all that there is to offer in her new city.

As I mentioned previously, Aryn and I were actually able to meet in person once, before the covid cases got too high. We were both masked, and kept a distance, but it was really nice to see each other in person, rather than over a zoom or facetime call. With the very rare face-to-face interactions this semester, I would say that we were lucky to have gotten that opportunity! We went on a walk, and I was able to point out some of my personal favorite places on campus, and show her around a little (this was at the very beginning of the semester, so she still wasn’t totally sure about where everything was). We chatted for awhile, and I think that it helped both of us foster our growing connection as a mentor-mentee pair.

Although we were lucky enough to meet in-person once, I definitely wish that we could have done more together throughout the semester. I know that last year, I really looked forward to my outings with my mentor. She was instrumental in my smooth transition from high school to college, and was someone that I could look up to in more ways than one. Aryn and I have definitely made do with what we can, but I feel bad that I can’t give her the same experience that my mentor gave me. It’s a challenge to make and keep connections virtually, and there is a level of detachment that comes with that. In a time where human interactions are hard to come by (especially in a new college environment, in Aryn’s case), I wish that there were more opportunities for Aryn and I to see each other.