Remembering my previous experiences serving as an Ohio State Welcome Leader (OWL), I decided to apply for a position as an OWL Coordinator (OWL-C), and after participating in an intense group-style interview, I was offered a spot!

Unlike normal OWLs, the OWL-Cs are trained to serve as peer leaders. With this, each OWL-C is assigned eight to ten incoming OWLs (typically freshman) and is expected to lead their individual group during Move-In Day as well as provide support/advice to help the underclassmen adjust to college living.

As an OWL-C, I was able to move back onto campus one week early in order to attend required training sessions. Once training was completed and the OWLs had arrived on campus, it was time to start preparing for Move-In Day as a team (note that I had only two days to prepare my OWLs) . When I first met my group of young, aspiring students, I could definitely tell that they were nervous. Having only recently graduated from high school, their eyes hinted to me that they were intimidated. To help ease the tension, I decided that we would spend the first hour or so of our time simply getting to know each other. After having broken the ice, I could see that we were all going to get along quite well. During the remainder of our time, I gave the young volunteers ample instruction in regards to our moving strategy, and I fielded a variety of questions regarding life in college academia.

Serving as a peer leader is an extraordinary experience. I find it fascinating that I can learn so much about myself through the leading others. In addition, I have noticed that with each new leadership experience, my ability to act alongside my peers as a leader becomes more profound. I would like to encourage others to become part of the OWL Program here at OSU, for it is definitely a great way to sharpen your skills in regards to peer leadership/university involvement.

Each year, the American Legion sponsors a wonderful event that enables young men from all across Ohio to participate in one of the best leadership programs in the nation. Nearly 1,200 high school juniors are invited to attend the week long session (typically a week in June), at which they will become part of a challenging, character-building experience like nothing they have ever experienced. Hosted at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio, the students come together to turn the campus into a large-scale government simulation. Upon their arrival, the students are lodged in the various residence halls all over campus, with each residence hall having been divided into figurative ‘cities’ consisting of nearly 40 students each. Throughout the course of the week, the students will interact with participate in their own campaigning, elections, and simulated ‘work’ days in their respective jobs.

When I attended Buckeye Boys State as a delegate back in 2015 (my junior year of high school), I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. However, upon leaving the program at the end of that incredible week, I knew that I was leaving as a changed person. I developed a confidence that I never knew I had, and for the first time I started to recognize what it really meant to be a leader in today’s society. While most kids left the program forever, I was one of a select few invited to return as a counselor. Out of ~1,200 of Ohio’s best and brightest young men, only eight of us were given such an opportunity to return and contribute our skills to the development of future generations of delegates. With this, I was able to serve as an Ohio Buckeye Boys State counselor this summer (it is an unpaid position), and it is something I plan on doing for many years to come.

As the counselor of Zulch City (named after a fallen WWII veteran and American Legion member), I was in charge of 43 students for a total of seven days (counselors were required to report to the program four days earlier in order to receive necessary training). For many of my kids, this was their first time being on their own away from their parents. I had a diverse group full of kids who came from all different kinds of ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. Though they didn’t know it yet, these kids would leave the program as brothers, and many would stay in touch for the rest of their lives.

To be frank, this was one of the most challenging experiences of my life. Each day, I would have to wake up at five in the morning to make sure that my kids were up and ready to leave for breakfast by 6:15 AM. From there, my day was packed with facilitating organized events and interacting with the students as they made the experience their own. After the evening ceremony (which usually ended at 10:00 PM), I would have to host a required ‘city’ meeting with my kids and then make sure everyone was in bed by 11:00 PM (counselors are required to submit their head accounts immediately after lights out). Even after such a long and stressful day, my night was only just beginning. At midnight, all of the counselors in each residence hall had to attend a ‘county meeting’ (all of the cities in one residence hall constitutes one county). These meetings would go on until 1:30 AM, but then I would also have to update my city’s bulletin board and prepare for the next day’s events. At the end of it all, I wouldn’t get to bed until at least 2:00 AM each night (that means three hours of sleep!).

Despite the stressful schedules and seemingly insurmountable level of fatigue, I started to learn what I was truly made of. Why would anyone voluntarily give up ten days of their summer to endure such a grueling test of integrity? Well, the answer is really quite simple: we believe in the program. As counselors, we recognize the valuable impact the program had on our own lives, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to give the same opportunity to other young, aspiring students (I guess this is similar to what it’s like during medical residencies when it is required to work an unimaginable number of hours per week). Through it all, the counseling staff becomes closely knit and lasting friendships are made. Together we are a brotherhood of  those who strive to make an impact in the lives of these young men, in the hopes that one day they too will do the same.

Only a few more weeks until the big Move-In and I cannot be more excited. I’m going to be a part of the Ohio State Welcome Leader Program (OWL), thus giving me a great opportunity to expand and sharpen my leadership skills in an effort to help others have an easier time moving into their new home. In fact, both my roommate as well as myself are taking part in this special program, so we have the privilege of moving in a few days before the rest of the Buckeyes. During this time period, we will take part in training activities where we can meet numerous new friends and gain a better understanding of what it means to be a leader among our peers. On the 20th, Ohio State’s primary move-in day, us OWLs will be in charge of orchestrating the chaos as thousands of students come to settle in. With this, I hope everything goes smoothly!