This week’s Volunteer Spotlight is Meredith, who has been volunteering with TOPS for two semesters now as both an Educational Coach and an In-Class Mentor. Meredith first learned about TOPS from an organization she is in called Students Supporting People with Down Syndrome (a club she’s now the president of)! She is also the Vice President of OSU’s chapter of Best Buddies. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Disability Studies, and plans to continue on to graduate school to study occupational therapy. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out on the Oval and listening to music with her friends.
Meredith’s favorite part of the TOPS program is helping students “explore their individual passions in their classes, their internships, and their jobs! It is so cool to help students work toward something so meaningful to them.” Here is one way that Meredith says TOPS has impacted her:
TOPS has really developed my adaptability and problem-solving abilities. College classes are very stressful and when things go wrong or due dates seem to pop up out of nowhere, panic sets in. I especially had to develop these skills when I was an Ed Coach in a Visual Studies: Expanded Media course and I know nothing about the computer programs we had to use. I was learning right there alongside this TOPS student and had to quickly be able to apply these skills to help them start creating.
To Meredith, volunteering with TOPS means that she interacts with “amazingly unique, hard-working, and intelligent students.” Her favorite memory with the program so far has been Woody’s Tavern Karaoke night. “We ended up going back to karaoke night there almost every time they held it last semester and sang a different song each time. So so fun.”
Meredith, we appreciate you going above and beyond. Thanks for all you do!