Author: leslie.125

Upcoming Graduate Student Spotlight: Jake Schoen!

Help us celebrate Jake!

Image of TOPS student, Jake, smiling next to a statue of Brutus Buckeye

TOPS wants to recognize all of the hard work and accomplishments of the upcoming TOPS graduates by hearing about their individual experiences. This time, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jake Schoen. Below is the interview with Jake.

What is your name?

My name is Jake Schoen.

When did you start TOPS?

I started TOPS in August 2018.

What was your favorite class at TOPS?

My favorite class was Acting 3 because I love acting and monologues.

What is one of your favorite memories from TOPS?

My favorite memory is the escape room from our summer orientation.

How was your overall experience with TOPS? Was it fun, hard, exciting?

It was pretty good.

What will you miss most about college?

My theatre classes and my internships at Navy ROTC and RPAC. I will also miss my involvement with Autism U at OSU.

What was your favorite thing about college?

My theatre classes and Autism U at OSU

What job do you have now?

I am finishing up my work at the ROTC and RPAC and plan to start working again in the fall.

What is your dream job?

I’m still deciding what career path I want to go on.

If you could describe college in one word, what would it be?

Awesome

Congratulations Jake! We are excited to see what your future holds!

Upcoming Graduate Student Spotlight: Matt Connors!

Help us celebrate Matt!

Image of Matt Connors smiling and holding a set of keys in his apartment

TOPS wants to recognize all of the hard work and accomplishments of the upcoming TOPS graduates by hearing about their individual experiences. This time, we had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Connors. Below is the interview with Matt.

What is your name?

Matthew Connors

When did you start TOPS?

August 2019

What was your favorite class at TOPS?

British History

What is one of your favorite memories from TOPS?

My favorite memory was my first day going to a college class, when I never thought I would be able to go to college!

How was your overall experience with TOPS? Was it fun, hard, exciting?

I thought TOPS was very fun. I met new people and had new experiences that I didn’t think I would ever have because of my problems with reading and writing. I am very grateful to TOPS.

What will you miss most about college?

I will miss my teachers a lot because they helped me so much. They helped me with my schoolwork and helped me to decide about jobs and to get a job.

What was your favorite thing about college?

My favorite thing was going to new classes and learning things that I didn’t know. I liked meeting new people.

What job do you have now?

I am working full-time at Ohio State Harding Hospital as a Nutrition Aide.

What is your dream job?

I would like to do food preparation or cook.

If you could describe college in one word, what would it be?

Amazing!

Congratulations Matt! We wish you the best!

Student Spotlight: Meet Alex!

Two images of Alex smiling; the Best Buddies logo is at the bottom of the image

Best Buddies is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” I have been involved with Best Buddies for over 7 years now and my experience so far has been amazing. I have had the opportunity to do a lot of fun things and I am an ambassador and intern now which have helped me develop my leadership, public speaking, and self-advocacy skills over the past few years.

In 2018, I had the opportunity to speak at Oakhurst Country Club Golf Course in Grove City Ohio in 2018. I also got the opportunity to go to Bloomington, Indiana for a weekend at the end of July 2018 for a Best Buddies Leadership Conference to be on the Ambassador’s Track. I got to give a keynote speech at the Gala in 2018. I also got to lead a webinar called Spread the Word to End the Word. I also got to speak at the Miranova 2 Ohio Equities in the fall of 2018.

In May of 2019, I got to speak at The Ohio State House. I got to testify. At the beginning of the school year in 2019, I got to speak at the Best Buddies Information Session to people who wanted to join Best Buddies that are new. As an Ambassador, I have participated in Champion of the Year, which is a contest to see who can raise the most money for Best Buddies, for the past three years.

Being part of Best Buddies led to an internship. I intern virtually and write about what I do for Best Buddies, get more people involved with Best Buddies, and assist with developing their newsletter. I love that Best Buddies has allowed me the opportunity to build on and learn new skills, make and create new friendships that last a lifetime, get more involved in my community.

-Written by Alex Rogers, TOPS Student

Source: “About (Ohio).” Best Buddies International, 26 Oct. 2020, www.bestbuddies.org/ohio/about.

DODD Director Davis Discusses Ohio’s Vaccination Plan

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Director, Jeff Davis, provides an update in the video below on Ohio’s Vaccination Plan Phase 1B and how Ohioans with developmental disabilities are a priority within the plan.

Scholarship and Financial Aid Resources

Image of a black graduation cap sitting on top of 3 bands of money to represent college scholarships

This is a good time of year to start thinking about scholarships and to make sure you complete your Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) application. Here are some resources we recommend looking into:

COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar TOMORROW

DODD to host free webinar Wednesday at 3 p.m. on COVID-19 vaccine questions, concerns

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) will host a free webinar from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13, regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. DODD Medical Director Dr. Laura Sorg will address common questions and concerns related to the vaccine. The event is a unique opportunity for people and families served as well as support professionals to hear about the vaccine from a DD services perspective.

All members of the DD community (including people served and family members) as well as professionals in the DD system (DSPs, SSAs, board leaders, etc.) are welcome to attend. Advance sign-up is required, and webinar information will be emailed directly to registrants with further instructions. To register, click below:

Registration (gotowebinar.com)

COTA fee refunded for AU20

Because the Central Ohio Transit Authority offered free service to the public throughout autumn semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio State is removing the AU20 $13.50 COTA fee for all Columbus campus students assessed the fee.

The COTA fee will be either credited to spring semester 2021, or refunded to you dependent on your billing status. Please refer to your Statement of Account. No additional adjustments to fees or tuition charges are planned for autumn semester 2020.

Sign up for Direct Deposit through Buckeye Link for quicker refunds.

COTA will begin assessing fares again on January 11, 2021. For details about using your BuckID to ride COTA, go to cota.com/osu-students.

Register for Spring Career Fair

The 2021 Spring Career Fair is happening virtually on the Handshake platform on January 27, 2021 from 12-5pm.

Students are required to register for both the fair and for the individual or group sessions with their desired employers. Make sure to register for the Spring Career Fair to connect with employers recruiting across a broad range of disciplines!

For more information, visit OSU’s Career Fair website.