For our second explore Columbus assignment, I took Daniel and Disha to Northstar cafe in short north. I decided to take them here because this is where my mentor last year took us and I thought I would share the great experience I had with them. We went for lunch and we took the Cota bus down from the Union to get there. This was Daniel and Disha’s first time going and I promised them they would enjoy it. As we walked into the restaurant the options were very plentiful and it took us some to decide. Disha got the Buddha Bowl with pan seared tofu, Daniel got the Northstar burger, and I got the Chicken Avocado Sandwich. We also all ended up getting the cane sugar cola which is on the right most in the picture. It has a very different kick to it and all of us enjoyed it a lot.

As we waited for our food we discussed how our semester was going and so far Disha and Daniel were doing well or at least hanging in there. Disha was stressed about her Physics 2 and Biology 1114 class and she felt as if the concepts are not sinking with her. We decided on meeting up later the next week to help her out and to study together. Disha also talked about how she was able to get shadowing opportunities over the summer with genetic counselors. Daniel had posted some more funny articles in his Sundial Magazine so we were reading through those. Daniel mentioned how he was really enjoying his criminology class. Once the food came, we all admired it with our pictures and went on to eating it. None of us could finish it so we had our leftovers. As we ate we just talked about all the good food we have had in the past semester. All around us were great restaurants to try but we also talked about on campus food. Daniel had started to get bored, so he switched his dining plan for spring semester so he could eat more off campus. He is now an often blaze customer. I then went into the topic of freshman year and if it was what you expected or different. Daniel mentioned that there is a lot of freedom and starting off first semester it was hard to keep everything in place. He started to learn how to control his coursework while also living completely independently. He mentioned that he is glad that he took opportunities earlier on to get involved cause he met a lot of his best friends through them. Disha said that the school year was also transformational for her as it has been enjoyable but also difficult academically and individually. I assured them that they are not alone in this feeling and I was also in the same position.

As we finished our food we decided to walk around short north and look at some unique shops. We went to a shop called global gifts where we played with singing bowls for 20 minutes. Daniel was able to play all of them very well. It was also interesting to see all the items created from all parts of the world. The coolest thing about the shop was that all products were fair trade. This means it supports fair wages, gender equality, and safe working conditions. The singing bowls we were using were from Nepal and required the use of a stick that you rotate around the rim of the bowl to create a meditating, soothing sound. We were in the shop for at least 45 minutes exploring all the items, captivated by its origin and quality.

We then took the bus back to campus and talked about future plans. This was the last time I would see my mentees this semester so I told them that as second years too if they ever want to reach out they can. We recapped the mentorship experience and I heard positive feedback from both my mentees which assures me that not only I was able to help but also they can become mentors next year. We discussed how we enjoyed the afternoon and also how time has flew by. It felt as if I was on my first mentorship retreat last Wednesday and to think that we completed one more year of college still has not settled in. Overall this was a very enjoyable experience and all 3 of us will most likely come back to Short North to explore and of course eat more.

As the second semester was midway through, I had the opportunity to catch up with Disha and Daniel to see how their first year has been so far.

I met with Daniel at the science and engineering library and I was surprised and proud of the opportunities he had partake in so far. We started off discussing academics and Daniel told me that he had switched his major to history, a subject/field he was interested in. His passion is to learn more about the criminal justice system. As a second year student, I am glad Daniel was able to find a path he finds interest in. Apart from academics he now writes articles for The Sundial Humor Magazine. It is an online magazine that publishes all sort of writing for comedic purposes written exclusively by OSU students. I found this very interesting and I got to read some of Daniels posts too. Daniel love of comedy has got him quite involved in OSU’s comedy club and he is often at shows all the time. He also works at the OSU call center to earn some money for college and for him it can be boring but he is ok with it. Daniel has so far enjoyed ACES and the students in it, but he did run into complications in Smith Steeb. Often he has to encounter problems on his floor related to bathroom misuse and I can understand his view of how agitating it can be. As Daniel switched to history and his interest from the criminal justice system grew, it inspired him be pre law school or earn a PhD. Last semester, coming fresh into college, he was unsure what his plans were post graduation but as he finds his passion he started to understand what he wants to do. Overall, Daniel has enjoyed his first year and I’m glad I was able to help him.

I met with Disha the same week to touch base with her and see how her first year has treated her. She is enrolled in the same physics as me, Physics 2 and I think for both of us, it is a challenging course. The concepts are very abstract and often even though the math may be easy, the concepts are hard to digest. Throughout the semester Disha and I would often study for the class. Disha plans to be more involved next year as she has found opportunities that she is interested in. One of them is being part of the Leadership Council in ACES. She wanted to have a contribution in our program to how we think, plan, and execute events. She is also taking a higher position in OUAB next year. To top it all off, she has become a peer leader. She somewhat enjoyed her first semester in ACES, she met new friends and she also liked how flexible our advisor, Pete Rex is. She mentioned how she looks forward to working with Pete if she makes it onto the leadership council. Disha is still interested in genetic counseling and hopes to shadow counselors over the summer and also join a research lab. She believes that by joining a lab she can truly understand the molecular genetics major. Next semester, Disha plans on jumping into higher level courses and in order to tackle those she has set goals for herself this semester to improve her learning strategies. One of them is how to properly manage her time so she can keep being involved but also manage her hard coursework. She also is starting to learn new strategies to study for college classes. Overall, Disha has so far enjoyed her experience at OSU and hopes that her spring semester goes well.

         For our explore Columbus assignment I took Daniel and Disha to Los Guachos, a famous Taqueria located down Bethel Rd. I decided to pick this specific restaurant because it is one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants I have visited with wallet friendly prices. They are known for their al pastor meat, a split-roasted pork marinated in guajillo and chiles that was developed in central Mexico in the 1900s. The tacos are small and have fresh ingredients, so the diner can buy a variety of tacos plus they have a selection of other custom dishes. Since I have a car I thought this would be the perfect place as it is not too far from campus and similar restaurants don’t exist close to campus. Condados is good but isn’t as authentic and is also close to campus. I ordered a variety of tacos, so did Disha and Daniel. We also got Mexican beverages like Horchata and Jarritos. The tacos do not come with sauce and are usually dry because the tables have few sauces and a habanero chili and onion vinaigrette. One of the sauces is chili sauce and the other is a cilantro based thinner sauce. We all enjoyed the lunch and in the end we decided to have churros to top it off. In fact, Daniel took a carryout for the evening back on campus.

Disha and I became close friends as the semester progressed and as I mentored her I got to learn more about her background and perspectives. At lunch we talked about getting ready for finals as we met right before finals week and about how crazy the semester has been for all three of us. As we waited for the food the main topic of discussion was how much both of my mentees have learned in college and how different it was than expected. When we first met in the beginning of the year, the first thing I told them was to expect your first semester to big a learning experience, one where you will have the most ups and down but also that life is unexpected and to embrace whatever happens. Going forward to the end of the semester, I asked Daniel and Disha if what I told them was true for them and both of them agreed. Daniel spoke about how he never expected comedy club to shape his college experience and that college classes were harder than he expected due to the new type of learning needed. Disha talked about new friends but also how classes were challenging to her because it was a new method of teaching. She mentioned how the student is much more independent and the way to succeed in class is controlled by them and how much work they want to put in.

Once the food arrived we coincidently started talking about campus dining. Daniel mentioned how he was very sick of eating the same food so he starting making meals or combining ingredients at dining locations to make new meals. I also recommended him to a different meal plan so he can eat more on north high street without using his credit card. We then started talking about classes. Daniel at the first semester interview initially told me how he was struggling in math and was looking on how he can do better. I told him how he can attend free tutoring and also the professors office hours every week to make sure he gets the material down. He told me that he started to get more help and every week he would sit down with tutors and now he has a better grip on math. As the final was coming up soon he had already scheduled study sessions and started to organize his work. Daniel also switched his major into political science something that he was interested in and I assured him that he made the right choice. Disha also started to attend the office hours of her physics professors to hone in on the material which resulted in her getting a better grade. We also talked about winter break and our plans. Daniel plans to get back to work like many other kids. Disha plans to go on a study abroad for more than a week to Ecuador and then also back to work. As we left we grabbed churros and all agreed that we do want to come back and Daniel next time might come with his friends. If you want true authentic Mexican food with an ambiance that makes you feel like you are abroad then this is the perfect place to go.

As a second year student, I have the opportunity to mentor Disha and Daniel as they tackle their first year in college.

I first met up to interview and get to know Disha at a nice coffee shop. After we grabbed a cup of Costa Rica Alma Negra we had a thoughtful conversation essentially on life through which I got to know her perspectives and goals. She is majoring in Molecular Genetics and plans to pursue a career genetic counseling. She has an interest in genetics, but in the future she wants something more personal than lab work. Genetics is a rapidly growing field and the demand is growing for these jobs. After getting her bachelors, she would like to get a Master’s in Genetic Counseling. She is also getting a minor in business as a side interest of hers.

Her method of studying is flexible and adheres to the structure of the class. Both of us agreed that as we go through college we are going to take a variety of tough courses and tackling those does require us changing our studying habits to do well in the class. She also likes to study with no music so her focus is completely on the material in order to qualitatively studying. Impressively, Disha has gotten involved is one of the biggest organization on campus, OUAB, as a general body member. She will help plan a variety of events hosted by the organization for students throughout the year. Apart from that, she volunteers at the hospital and part of the PASS program at OSU.

She decided to be part of ACES as a way to be part of a program different from what she studies at the university. Disha wanted to give back to the community and focus on service and found that ACES would be a good avenue to pursue it. She has volunteered as hospitals and numerous other places, but she looks forward to volunteering and events in ACES to learn a different field of service. Disha has a heavy course load this semester and with her involvement she plans to increase her time management via organized schedules and planning the week. I hope using what I have learned, I can help her plan her schedules and give her some guidance into how to balance her work and involvement so she can also enjoy college. I look forward to mentoring her for the rest of the year and getting her involved in ACES as a commuter to commuter.

My next interview was with Daniel at Blaze pizza, it was his first time there. I can tell that after the interview he did enjoy it and was impressed by the numerous options they had. We directly started talking about ACES and his involvement. With all the course load he has, Daniel has not had the opportunity to go to an ACES event yet, so we planned events that both of us can go to. He was a little worried about the time commitment, but I let him know that planning ahead of time for the events might help. Next time events go out, I’ll make sure to reach out to him and see if he can go so I can give him some guidance on how to plan for it. Daniel is majoring in Psychology at the moment, but he plans to switch majors to history since his interest has diverted. His plans are now for law school and he realized that he wasn’t as interested in psychology as he thought he was. I let him know that it is important to seek what you are truly interested in since you will be studying it for the next four years. Daniel is also heavily involved in the Backburner Sketch Comedy Group. In fact he had an event right after our interview. He is also part of Buckeye Pen PALS this semester. So far Daniel has been adjusting to the semester well. He has made close friends with students in ACES and understands the tough coursework of college. He was struggling in his math class, and I helped guide him on how to study for the next midterm and reinforce the content as soon as he learns it. I let him also know that there are many free resources on campus to get help for essentially any subject. Moving forward I want to make sure I can mentor Daniel in academics, for example by helping him for math, or deciding what classes to take.