Pittsburgh native and Strategic Communication senior Cat Dismukes has learned not to let thoughts and opinions of others hold her back. She believes in the importance of breaking out of your shell in college. It’s the hardest lesson Cat has learned since setting out for her college career in the Buckeye state, but more importantly it has allowed her to experience and explore new things by letting go of insecurities.

This mindset has set Cat apart from the rest, and given her opportunities many could only dream of. After managing to squeeze her high school education into just three years, Cat took her senior year to New York City where she spent the entire year dancing for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, working as both an office assistant and a Public Relations intern for the company. At Ohio State, Cat made the switch from the dance program to the School of Communication in the fall of her second year after deciding to explore new options and possibilities, a decision rooted in her openness.

She now excels in her area of focus: the student-alumni connection. She sustains a significant role in Student Alumni Council, an organization dedicated to building and maintaining connections between students: past, present and future. Cat was instrumental in the operations behind the Alumni Council’s Scholarship Winner Dinner and sendoff events when she served as the organization’s Program Coordinator. She also hopes to contribute to the organization after graduation by attending alumni events and looking for ways that the council can improve and expand.

Cat shared her passion for this cause and expressed the importance of fostering connections that will remain long after a graduation ceremony. Cat remembers her mom, an Ohio State alumna, taking her to football games and alumni events, showing her at a young age that Buckeyes have a sense of home everywhere they go. It’s something she says you can’t find just anywhere, despite some initial reservations towards attending Ohio State. But when it finally came time to choose the place she would spend her next four years, Cat knew scarlet and gray were the right colors for her. She remembers feeling comfortable when she visited her brother here during her sophomore year in high school, and that sense of home has stuck with her ever since.

This past summer, Cat headed back to the Big Apple to work for Group M, an international media investment company, where she served as a media buyer for their mind share team, helping clients get the best advertising platform for their needs and budget.

You can probably find Cat under the trees near the South Oval, which she describes as the most underrated spot on campus. Cat’s Buckeye experience thus far can be summed up in three words: time and change. “It’s all about growth, and the opportunity to let yourself discover what you like and who you want to be. Time and change embodies the opportunity that Ohio State gives to its students.”