Hemu sat down with social media intern Erin Lee for coffee to discuss her extraordinary experience at Ohio State. Beginning her journey as a graduate student, Hemu shared how her many passions have led her to Buckeye Nation. We hope you find her story as extraordinary as we do. 

Meet creative Hemu Vekataraman, who has traveled far to receive her Masters of Fine Arts in Design at The Ohio State University. This Buckeye was born and raised in the coastal city of Madras, India. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Architecture in India, Hemu received a full scholarship to teach, research and study here in Ohio State’s Department of Design.

When applying to graduate school, Hemu wished to find a program that integrated her passion for writing, architecture and the arts, and the design program and the many communities of which she has become a member have provided just that.

Even though she has only been here for one year, Hemu has found her place: “I have been seeking a community here at Ohio State and I am happy that I found one,” Hemu said of her poetry community.

Hemu prides herself in exploring the city of Columbus, as well. Dog-lover, chai-lover and sky-gazer are three words Hemu used to describe herself. Pulling four books and countless sketchbooks out of her backpack, Hemu began to talk about her love for reading.

“I have been reading since I was very young and would save pocket change to go to a second hand store and read random books,” she said. Hemu constantly carries around four books: one fiction, one poetry, one research and one philosophy. Where does she read you might ask? Mirror Lake and Browning Amphitheater are her top two spots on campus.

As a self-proclaimed poet, artist and architect, Hemu maintains two blogs. Her writing blog Streets of Smiles and her art blog constantly keep her busy. A tab titled, “Terribly Tiny Love Letters” allows Hemu to provide her readers with a tiny glimpse into her thoughts. On her art blog, you can find countless sketches of buildings on campus and of downtown Columbus. Hemu also collects and makes postcards.

“Writing is a very fluid medium where you can express yourself, and postcards remind me of who I am thinking of,” she said. In the near future, Hemu hopes to release a line of postcards for Buckeyes around the world to enjoy.

Fascinated by the look and history of buildings on campus, she has many watercolor sketches of Pomerene and University Hall. Even though her journey here at Ohio State has just begun, she is motivated to find a career in which she has creative and financial freedom. “I don’t want to be stuck doing something I don’t like,” she said. “I want the freedom to do what I love.”

The hardest lesson Hemu had to learn during her undergraduate career was finding who she was amongst her friends. Now, as a graduate student, Hemu is challenging herself to learn how to plan for her professional work in the world while staying in the present.

“It’s so easy for us to forget seeing everything on campus and the city in which we live because of our studies,” she said. Filled with words of wisdom, Hemu wishes to remind students to live in the moment – an extraordinary legacy, to be sure.

By Erin Lee

Describing herself as a charismatic, level-headed people person, this Chicago native has a story like no other. Graduating a year early, Claire is passionate about the brain, and we know you’ll find her story as extraordinary as we do.

Claire Erickson is a Buckeye through and through and will be graduating from Ohio State earlier than most of the people with whom she started. Next, she is preparing to pursue a higher degree in the field of Neuroscience.

When asked what she was passionate about, she said, “Honestly, it is the brain. Neuroscience is 100% my passion, and as frustrating as it can be, whenever I feel like I am questioning what I want to do, I think about what initially interested me in science.”

She has wanted to pursue a higher degree in the field ever since the 5th grade. “I had to do a non-fiction book report and picked up a book on the brain,” she explained, “and the first line changed my perspective…”

Claire recited the first line from that book and talked about how the brain became so fascinating to her. The passing of her grandfather, who was showing signs of dementia, reaffirmed her decision and choice to study and research neurodegenerative diseases because of their effect on our elderly population.

Beyond her love of the brain, Claire is extremely involved here at Ohio State. Not only is she a Neuroscience ambassador, Claire is also a University Ambassador. You may have seen this familiar face as she continues to lead tours around campus, recruiting future Buckeyes. On these tours, Claire advises students to take advantage of the involvement opportunities here.

“Having an open mind with getting involved can open and close so many doors for you,” she said, “and it never hurts to try.” If you haven’t seen her lead a tour on campus, you may have seen her face on Homecoming Court or perhaps as a member of the university’s Senior Class Honor Society, Mortar Board. On top of these involvements, Claire is also a research assistant focusing on one of the most common brain disorders, Alzheimer’s disease.

You may be thinking that Claire must have an opinion on the hit movie Concussion, which focused on Dr. Bennet Omalu’s work on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Inspired by the movie, Claire applied and received an Honors & Scholars Grant to study CTE and its triggers. Conducting research on Alzheimer’s and learning more about concussions, Claire hopes to work with other graduate students doing clinical research, using eye tracking as a diagnostic tool for measuring concussions. With her work, Claire hopes to add to the research in this field, and in the future, plans to do science policy work with traumatic brain injuries and concussions.

The neuroscience program and research opportunities are two things that attracted Claire to The Ohio State University. On campus, her favorite spot to point out on tours is the patio on the RPAC that faces the stadium.

As for off campus, Claire enjoys running downtown by COSI. Claire said she enjoys running Columbus’ many trails, exploring and getting to see the city. Group fitness classes have also made Claire’s time here at Ohio State a fun one. However, one of the hardest lessons she had to learn during her time here was how to study.

“I came to college thinking that studies would be the same as high school, and I sure learned how to adjust,” she said. With graduation upon her, Claire is hopeful about carrying Ohio State with her after she leaves. With this glimpse into her journey, we hope you’ve found it as extraordinary as we do.

By Erin Lee