Month: April 2020

Leadership Developments – Mentorship Experience

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I was lucky to have two mentees this year. I had Caitlyn Pipoly, who is from Port Clinton, OH, and is a Middle Childhood Education major. Secondly, I mentored Kirsten Zink who is from Jackson, OH, and is in pre-Dental Hygiene. It was a great and unique experience learning about these two over this past academic year and I learned about some of their amazing qualities. Caitlyn is incredibly outgoing and passionate about education and helping children in underprivileged environments. Kirsten is a very hard worker and has a super bubbly personality. It was interesting to learn about their backgrounds and compare them with my own. I love that students at The Ohio State University come from such diverse upbringings but become united at OSU.

Both Kirsten and Caitlyn grew up in small towns and Caitlyn was very involved with county fairs and Kirsten described her town to have a lot of dirt country roads. This is very different from where I lived growing up as I live in Cleveland about 15 minutes from the city center. That being said, coming to Ohio State University wasn’t that big of a change for me when it came to the number of people and busy streets. Transitioning to Ohio State was much more of a change for my two mentees who lived in more rural areas. My area of study is in the environmental field so I was also different from my mentees in that way. This difference between us was interesting to me, however, as I got to learn more about other majors from a first-hand perspective. 

Kirsten and I are similar within the ACES program as neither of us are majoring in education. We both thought that ACES would be a good opportunity despite not being education majors and were excited about the service components that go along with being an ACES member. Kirsten works at Buffalo Wild Wings and I used to work at The Winking Lizard — which is a similar sports bar and wings restaurant. We talked fondly of these places because of the fun experiences we both shared working in restaurant service. We agreed that working in those environments introduced us to types of people we would not have otherwise encountered. Let’s just say restaurants make for interesting and entertaining work environments. I love that I was able to share that experience with her because not many of my friends have worked in similar types of foodservice. 

Caitlyn and I both love working with children. You can see how much she cares about children and her future work when you talk to her– she has so many great ambitions and dreams for the future. Even though I decided not to major in education, I love working with children in camp settings or especially babysitting. Caitlyn and I both share a love and appreciation of nature. She told me that she wanted to start her own camp/program for underprivileged children that would be based on a farm. She understands the importance of children having a connection with nature which I full-heartedly agree with. I also love being in nature and am a member of the Mountaineers here at OSU where I am able to get out into nature often. 

I feel that one of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of this experience was watching my mentee grow from the first semester to now. Both of them seem more confident and secure in their position as students and members of the OSU community. Caitlyn has dived into student groups and activities and she seems very happy and fulfilled. Kirsten is working hard towards her career goals and pushing herself in her studies. I feel grateful that I had a small hand in making them feel comfortable and helping them grow this first year. I really loved the explore Columbus activities I did with them. I hope that these experiences showed them how to step out of their comfort zones and experience new things like taking the COTA, going to restaurants or different parts of Columbus. I also hope that these experiences made them feel more independent and comfortable in this new city. 

The questions I asked them in their respective interviews allowed me to learn more about each of my mentees but also gave me an opening to ask further questions and go a little deeper into their lives. I loved asking them about their answers to questions and I feel this helped me to know them better. These questions also gave me a template for what to ask younger college students in the future when I am in other leadership roles. Practicing asking these questions to my mentees has helped me prepare for leadership roles I hope to have in the near future at Ohio State, whether it be in my student organization involvements or more formal positions. 

The mentorship program is an amazing way to get to know younger members of the ACES program. I feel that without this experience, I would not have gotten to know Kirsten or Caitlyn in the same in-depth way. Being a mentor also helped me feel more connected to ACES as a whole. I was able to meet two new people and create closer bonds with my friends in the ACES scholars group by sharing experiences of being mentors. This experience also obviously gave me mentorship experience and I will use what I learned during this process to roles I will play in the future. Next year I will be an ambassador for the School of Environment and Natural Resources where I will be working closely with prospective students. I feel that my time in the ACES mentorship program has prepared me to work with younger university students.  I loved this program and would recommend it to anyone!

Second Semester Interview with Kirsten Zink

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It was great to be able to catch up with Kirsten Zink about her semester, although her semester isn’t following the trajectory she thought it would due to COVID-19. As a pre-Dental Hygienist major, she had to take both Anatomy and Physiology this semester. These courses are challenging in person and moving to online hasn’t exactly been easy. Kirsten told me that it feels like she has to teach a lot of the material to herself which is difficult. I asked her if she had considered using the pass/fail option for these classes but since they are prerequisites to her major she will not be able to use that option. Her anatomy class also had a lab connected with it where she was getting hands-on experience with human cadavers and body parts. This lab has been moved online and has become less interactive which is a shame! Kirsten seems to be handling all of this positively though and we are both feeling hopeful about her finishing this semester strongly. 

Kirsten came to The Ohio State University with a solid plan of becoming a dental hygienist and her plans have stayed the same throughout her first year. She has also been able to get field experience as she is employed at an orthodontist in her hometown of Jackson, Ohio. She would work in the orthodontist office over break as an assistant and the dental hygienists would show her elements of their work and she was even able to shadow one!

Despite the unforeseen challenges of this semester, she says she is still enjoying her major a lot and is working through the required prerequisites. Since she was employed at the orthodontists before she came to OSU, she was already pretty sure she would enjoy it. After Kirsten finishes her prerequisites this upcoming fall, she will begin an interview process and start getting into the dental hygienist major classes in the spring. 

Kirsten was involved in the OSU Women’s Rowing team during her first semester and is an active member of both the ACES and Stadium Scholars programs. She is planning on staying involved in both of her scholars’ programs next year. She decided not to get involved with student organizations this year because she wanted to focus on her studies and she is also employed at Buffalo Wild Wings on High Street where she would work between 20 and 30 hours a week. Needless to say, she was plenty busy without the additional student organizations. During her Sophomore year, she is planning on looking into and joining a student group or two. 

Kirsten’s first-year experience in ACES was unique as she did not live in the Smith-Steeb living-learning community. She received a housing scholarship from Stadium Scholars and lived in the designated Stadium Scholars house. I asked Kirsten if she had any recommendations for improving the ACES program but she feels very satisfied with the program and thinks the requirements for membership are reasonable and attainable. She enjoyed the ACES program overall and said it gave her a place to meet new people and become more involved with OSU. She noted the first-semester ACES class as being a place where she met many ACES friends. She enjoyed the program because it did not add stress to her life, was beneficial, and is a great involvement to put on her resume.

Although her first-year on campus was cut short, she told me her favorite memory from this past year was being able to meet so many new people almost every day around campus and the Columbus community and being able to step outside her comfort zone. Since she grew up in a small town, Columbus was quite the change but she welcomed it, had a great experience, and is excited to return in the fall.

 

Questions

  • Are you enjoying your major? Why or why not?
  • How have you gotten involved on campus?
  • Do you think you will keep the same involvement next year? Why or why not?
  • Have you enjoyed the ACES living-learning community? Why or why not?
  • What recommendations do you have for improving the ACES program?
  • Have your career plans changed since your first semester? Why or why not?
  • Have you had the chance to explore your desired career through internships, field experience, etc.?
  • What is your favorite memory from last semester?

Second Semester Interview with Caitlyn Pipoly

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I interviewed Caitlyn Pipoly and she is a Middle Childhood Education major. I was happy to hear that Caitlyn is enjoying her major so far and has been able to get some hands-on experience in the classroom. She loves OSU because it is one of the only universities that puts you in a middle education classroom setting your freshman year. She is active in the FEEP (First Education Experience Program) which allows her to gain classroom experience. She has been working with 5th graders at Holt Crossing Intermediate School and told me that it has been an awesome experience. She worked to implement mindfulness into the classroom and did so by asking the class to gauge their mood and then she would lead them through either a calming or energizing meditation. She also taught them calming exercises that students could do on their own or could do with their teacher to settle down as a class. I was amazed by how much Caitlyn had done for the students and the students felt the same as they still send her emails frequently, even though she can’t be at the school right now. 

Caitlyn has become much more involved on campus during her second semester compared to her first. She is the Social Chair or Recipe For Good– a cooking and volunteer-based student organization. She also joined College Mentors for Kids and secured a staff position! She is the youngest general manager in the organization which is no easy feat. As a general manager, one of her main jobs is to interview applicants to be mentors. She has given dozens of interviews for the positions. She plans to keep up with these two involvements moving forward and is hoping to be elected as the president of Recipe For Good during her Sophomore year. She also hopes to become more involved with the Block O student organization. She is applying to the football committee, which is in charge of all the student events surrounding football games. She loves football season so this would be a great fit for her.

Caitlyn liked living in the ACES living-learning community because it allowed her to meet the rest of the ACES easily as they were right next door or down the hall. It allowed her to create close friendships and bonds with the ACES girls. One thing she did not like about living in the ACES community, however, was that she felt like she didn’t meet many people outside of ACES and interacted with many of the same people. She also felt that there were a lot of Sophomores living in Smith-Steeb and she hoped to meet more Freshmen. Her living situation improved dramatically in the second semester as she got a new roommate who she became very close with. They’ve been writing letters to each other during the quarantine.

Her career plans have slightly changed since the first semester. She is still planning on majoring in Middle Childhood Education but now wants to work with 5th graders instead of 7th or 8th graders which is what she originally planned to do. Her time in the FEEP program working with 5th graders opened her eyes to how good it was working with them. She recently decided that she wants to try to work on a cruise ship as an educational planner. This will allow her to travel as well as educate. She also wants to have a focus on after school planning to give children a safe space as well as continue to educate them after school lets out. Caitlyn also wants to promote women in STEM in her classroom. Caitlyn has been lucky to explore her career through the FEEP program which offered field experience in the classroom.

This semester has given Caitlyn some challenges as she now has to do her statistics and physics labs online. A few of her exams have also turned into final papers and she feels it is harder to do school work from home. She is still doing well in her classes though even though she is facing difficulty. Her favorite memory from last semester was football season! She met many new friends at football games and made vlogs each Saturday and put them together as the end of the season to capture her happy memories. I plan on using this information I learned from Caitlyn to continue to support her in her extra-curricular and academic pursuits. I will check-in with her periodically through text to ask how things are going in her personal and academic life. I will also keep an eye out for events/organizations/opportunities that I think might be of interest to her.

 

Questions

  • Are you enjoying your major? Why or why not?
  • How have you gotten involved on campus?
  • Do you think you will keep the same involvement next year? Why or why not?
  • Have you enjoyed the ACES living-learning community in Smith-Steeb? Why or why not?
  • Have your career plans changed since your first semester? Why or why not?
  • Have you had the chance to explore your desired career through internships, field experience, etc.?
  • What is your favorite memory from last semester?