This past summer and fall semester, members of my Eminence cohort and I founded Project PEER: Prison Education and Empowerment Resources. We seek to enrich educational opportunities available to incarcerated students by providing student-run tutoring programs, offering career and professional development workshops, and allocating academic materials. This semester, I acted as volunteer chair for PEER and participated in a learning community at the Ohio Reformatory for Women that focused on open dialogue about feminism and leadership. I’m looking forward to continuing this learning community next semester as well as running a book drive for prisons in the area.
Research & Service
I am part of the Kokiko-Cochran Lab at Ohio State studying the effects of stress on recovery after traumatic brain injury as well as Alzheimer’s Disease development. My duties in the lab include assisting with brain slicing and imaging, handling mice, and supporting graduate students and the PI with publications and posters.
The SOAR Initiative is a nonprofit that works to prevent overdoses and save lives through harm reduction. I am a part of the outreach and expansion team. I distribute fentanyl test strips at local syringe exchange sites and educate the public about our overdose surge / deadly batch text alert system. Additionally, I am expanding our services throughout Ohio, currently focusing on Southwest Ohio.
2020-2021: Freshman Year
I cannot believe that my first year at college is over. It was very different than I anticipated, and hopefully will continue to evolve as the world returns to normal. Despite classes being almost entirely online, I wouldn’t trade my first year at Ohio State for anything.
Academically, I have never been challenged as much as I was this past year, but I am proud of the grades I achieved. I’m very happy with my selected major of Neuroscience as I am still fascinated in the subject. Last month I joined a research lab studying the effects of stress on traumatic brain injury recovery. It has been so exciting to contribute to new scientific knowledge and learn firsthand how the brain works. I am on the pre-med track, but I’m still keeping my options open. 
The college life has been a time of tremendous growth and happiness for me thus far. I’ve been able to continue my volunteer work through Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s and SOAR; this summer I will be doing lots of outreach and expansion work in southwest Ohio for SOAR. I feel so blessed to be a part of this community and can’t wait to enrich myself further over my next three years.
About Me
My name is Jessica Mitsch and I am a first-year neuroscience major and pharmaceutical sciences minor in the Class of 2024. I’m an Eminence Fellow, Stamps Scholar, and in the honors program here at the Ohio State University. My hometown is Cincinnati, Ohio where I attended Mount Notre Dame High School.
I look forward to continuing my passion for community service throughout college. I am currently a dog walker for Guiding Eyes for the Blind at OSU and part of Buckeyes Against Alzheimer’s.
Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio
[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]
Year in Review
[ “Year in Review” is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student. You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
G.O.A.L.S.
[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.
- Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
- Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
- Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
- Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
- Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]
Career
[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career. Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
Artifacts
[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation. An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
About Me
[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique. Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]