I really enjoyed interviewing Kirsten Zink and felt like a got to know her a lot better. Kirsten decided to go to school to become a dental hygienist because she went to a technical skill high school and is already a dental assistant! She found her passion for dentistry because when she was younger, she had braces. Unlike most kids with braces, Kirsten loved them and looked forward to going to the dentist! When she was in high school, she was at the top of her class and thought that she should follow her natural talent and pursue a career as a dental hygienist. After she graduates, she does not plan on going to graduate school because she will already have two certifications in assisting and hygiene. Although she is very excited about her future career, her dream job is to be an orthodontist: going back to her love for braces! She actually told me, “If I could have braces I would have them again.”
Kirsten has been doing well in school but her most challenging class so far has been chemistry. The issue with chemistry is that the tests are standardized across the department but her teacher is teaching things that are not on the test or is glazing over things that she needs to know for the test. This is a common issue students feel in these types of classes because professors all have a different teaching style. Although she is feeling some difficulty in this class, she has a good grade and goes to office hours often. She has also made some great friends in chemistry and those girls have become her closest OSU friends!
College, as we know, is not all just about hard classes. There is definitely room for fun and involvement too. Kirsten joined the rowing team early in the semester but decided to stop because it is a huge time commitment and was getting to be too much with school and work. I thought this was very mature of her because she clearly knows her limits and does not want to give herself too much stress. Along with being a member of ACES, she is also a Stadium Scholar. Both of these groups have given her many opportunities to serve her community and she has participated in multiple High Street clean ups and Community Commitment. When she goes home on the weekends she also helps with her church’s Sunday school. When she isn’t volunteering she is working at Buffalo Wild Wings as a hostess and really enjoys her job.
She chose ACES because she wanted to be involved in something that was outside of her career path so she could get a variety of experiences. She is looking forward to being a mentor next year. Something she has learned quickly while being a student at OSU is that time management is very important. She told me that high school was quite easy for her and she did not have to spend too much time studying because she was naturally good at the material. But OSU is clearly not high school and she has had to step up her time studying and doing assignments. She has made this transition very smoothly, however, and is doing great in her classes.
Before coming to OSU, she expected college to be like the movies, where she would always have her friends around. She thought that there would be more community in residence halls and classes, and she was a bit surprised when there was not. She does like the independence this environment brings though. She likes being able to do her own thing and be able to go make friends in many places.
I feel much closer to Kirsten now that I have heard so much about her. I’m impressed with her determination and ability to excel in places where she is struggling. I think I can best mentor her by checking in making her chemistry is going well, which I am sure it will be and letting her know of any services that could further help her academically. Another thing I will be sure to do is to let her know of events on campus that foster the sense of community she wants. OSU does a great job of throwing events for students that bring different groups together which I believe she will enjoy. I look forward to talking with her soon!
Questions
- How did you decide on the major you have chosen?
- What has been your most challenging class so far and why?
- What kind of involvement are you interested in on campus?
- Why did you choose ACES?
- What are you most looking forward to in the ACES program?
- What do you plan to do after you graduate?
- Dream job?
- What is one of the most important things you’ve learned at OSU?
- What has surprised you about OSU?