I met up with my mentee Ryleigh Evans to see how her second semester at Ohio State was going. During the interview we discussed the following questions:

Are you enjoying your major?

Ryleigh’s major is Human Development and Family Science and wants to become an Occupational therapist. Ryleigh also is also hoping to get an Education minor. She has been participating in FEEP (First Experience Education Program) where she goes to a school in Worthington on Monday’s, Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s each week from 7:30am- 12pm. Ryleigh also is taking Statistical Literacy, Lifespan Development, Rural Sociology, and Literature for Adolescence. She expressed to me that her least favorite class is Statistical Literacy because it does not challenge her. She said it is hard to pay attention because she does not find the material interesting and the class is later in the evening.

How have you gotten involved on campus?

Last semester, Ryleigh was attending meetings to become a BuckeyeThon team captain. She had meetings twice a week where they were trained for leadership skills and brainstorming fundraising ideas. Ryleigh participated in the night shift of BuckeyeThon, her role was to set up before the event and provide information to her team members before/ during the event. She expressed that she really enjoyed being a team captain because she had a lot of opportunities to become more involved with BuckeyeThon, like going to the hospital multiple times to visit the kids and creating relationships with them. She plans on being involved in BuckeyeThon during her time at Ohio State.

How was your first semester in ACES?

Ryleigh said she really enjoyed her first semester in ACES! She feels like ACES was the perfect option for her because she has grown up doing community service. She really enjoys the program because it holds her accountable to find time to complete community service through her busy schedule at Ohio State. She holds a lot of value in helping others and she’s happy she has found different ways through ACES to do that. Some of her favorite events through ACES has been making blankets and the Community Commitment where she went to the YMCA and helped clean out closets. She also has enjoyed living in Smith Steeb with fellow ACES that have become some of her best friends at Ohio State!

Have your career plans changed since the first semester?

Ryleigh’s career plans have not changed since first semester. She has really enjoyed FEEP because it gives her field experience for her education minor. While at a school in Worthington participating in FEEP, she is able to teach a short lesson a day and then observe the teacher for the remainder of the time. She really enjoys her time in the classroom setting and getting to know each student. Ryleigh hopes that from participating in FEEP she will gain other opportunities and experience in the field that will further her career.

What kind of goals have you set for yourself for this semester?

Ryleigh said one of her goals for this semester is to excel in her classes. She also hopes that even with her busy academic schedule she will be able to make more time for herself. She feels that last semester she sometimes felt too stressed and wants to reduce the amount by making sure she incorporates things she enjoys in her schedule. One thing that surprised Ryleigh about campus last semester is that she could not find a good place to get coffee. However, this semester she finally found a coffee shop called Pointe Dexter Coffee in the Short North. She enjoys taking the COTA there, trying new types of coffee they offer, and spend time studying in the shop.

For the Explore Columbus assignment, Ryleigh and I chose to go to Jeni’s Ice cream in the Short North. We chose to go to Jeni’s because from the first time I met Ryleigh we talked about how much we loved ice cream and trying new flavors, and Jeni’s is the perfect place for that. We decided that we would ride the COTA, little did we know that both of us never learned how to navigate the bus routes! We eventually figured out the COTA app, and successfully got onto the right bus. One thing that shocked me was how much traffic there was on High Street; for me, the traffic was unusual, but since Ryleigh lives about 15 minutes outside of downtown Atlanta she is very used to the constant traffic. It took about 15 minutes to get there; it was really cool to ride through the Short North and look at possible places for next semesters Explore Columbus. Some restaurants that we thought would be cool to visit are Condado, Goody Boy, and Simply Rolled Ice Cream. When we arrived at our stop, it was about a 3 minute short walk to Jeni’s.

When we arrived there, we were overwhelmed at the number of creative flavors they had to offer. They had flavors like Lemon and Blueberries Parfait, Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows, and Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach. After taking many samples, we ordered our ice cream and sat down to eat. It was really good catching up with Ryleigh; our busy schedules only allowed this quick ice cream study break, however it was awesome to hear how her semester is going so far. We talked a lot about Buckeyethon since she has committed to being a team captain for the event. She was explaining to me what goes on in their meetings that are about 2 to 3 times per week. Most of the times, they discuss different ways to fundraise money for the event. They also dedicate a lot of their time for team building activities to ensure the Buckeyethon event in February is a positive experience for everybody. It was cool to share my experiences from the Buckeyethon event last year with Ryleigh and share my favorite parts of the danceathon. Some of my favorite parts of Buckeyethon was the silent disco, late night Zumba, and seeing some of the kids we raised money for. It was so powerful to see how much people raised before the danceathon, and they also had people raising money throughout each 12 hour danceathon. Another thing we got on the topic of was Greek life at Ohio State. I am in Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, so I was excited to hear Ryleigh’s plans on being a member of Greek life. She had lots of questions about the structure of recruitment and my experiences last year. We even made some connections of mutual friends we have from her hometown in Atlanta! I hope that Ryleigh finds her “home” in Greek life and has the awesome experiences that it has given me so far.

It once again took us a little bit to figure out the bus routes, but with the help of a few people around us we found our way back to campus. On our way back to campus we talked about how living in Smith Steeb has been going. Ryleigh is really happy she joined ACES for the community. She loved that she came to OSU and had a community to get to know and go to events with. She said the one thing she wishes she could change about Smith Steeb is to have the doors that will stay open. I can relate to this idea, sometimes the automatically closed doors makes for a more closed community, and it is harder to get to know the people living around you. Overall, Ryleigh has been enjoying Ohio State and has done really well balancing academics and social aspects of college. I would definitely go back to Jeni’s and also recommend it to friends. It is a quick and fun thing to do when trying to catch up with someone during a busy semester. It is also cool to experience the different things the Short North has to offer; it is important to utilize it as much as you can since it is so close to campus and Ohio State gives each student free rides on the COTA. Overall, I had a great time catching up with Ryleigh and loved getting ideas on what places to visit in the Short North in the future.

I sat down with my mentee Ryleigh Evans to see how her first semester at Ohio State was going. During the interview we discussed the following questions:

How did you decide on the major you have chosen?

Ryleigh’s major is Human Development and Family Science. She wants to become an Occupational therapist, so she is looking into going to grad school at Ohio State or is considering moving home and attending Georgia State. One thing I found really inspiring is how passionate Ryleigh was talking about her major. She shared with me that her cousin has down syndrome and would take her weekly to her occupational therapy appointments. This is when she realized that she could see herself as an occupational therapist. She said that she is open to working with any age, but would prefer to be in the pediatrics or special needs department.

How do you plan to get involved on campus?

Ryleigh has been very busy this semester as she has taken on a big leadership role by committing to be a Buckeyethon team captain. This has taken up a lot of her time, she said that they have up to three meetings weekly. I am very excited for Ryleigh to experience Buckeyethon; I shared my experiences as a freshman joining a Buckeyethon team and participating in the danceathon. It was truly one of my favorite memories from freshman year and I hope that Ryleigh has the same positive experience. One thing Ryleigh is interested in finding out is if Ohio State has an organization that volunteers at an animal shelter. She wants to do this to meet new people and count it towards her ACES hours.

Why did you choose ACES?

Ryleigh said she was taught from a young age that it is always important to give back to your community. In high school, she volunteered with multiple organizations. One thing she participated in was an organization called CURE. Ryleigh shared that one of her childhood friends was diagnosed with leukemia and their parents started the organization to raise money and provide support to patients and their families. She said that this was a really cool opportunity to support not only her best friend but also other people going through the same thing in her community. Some other volunteer activities Ryleigh participated in is she was a small group leader from eighth grade to senior year and she was a peer facilitator for special needs students. I thought it was really awesome to hear how her different volunteer activities influenced her in choosing her major.

What do you plan to do with your major after graduation? Graduate or Professional school? Enter the workforce?

As I already mentioned, Ryleigh wants to attend graduate school for occupational therapy either here at Ohio State or Georgia State. She said that occupational therapy is her dream job, but her back up job would be special education. She said that she has a passion for teaching and spending time with people who have disabilities, and she cannot wait till she can make an impact in young children’s lives. Even only knowing Ryleigh for a short time, I can see the drive she has to make her dream job come true and I know she will be very successful in her future.

How will you balance academics and involvement?

So far, Ryleigh says she has been doing very well with balancing academics and involvement. As I mentioned, being a Buckeyethon team captain has taken up a lot of her time, but she is managing a balance by being organized and not procrastinating. Through balancing these things, she is able to meet new people in the things she is involved in. She says she has seen the vast diversity Ohio State has to offer by being a part of organizations like ACES and Buckeython. One of the most important things she has learned so far at Ohio State is that everyone is different, but through that she has learned and grown personally.

I enjoyed the time I spent with Ryleigh and I am excited to be her mentor this year! Through this interview I have seen how big her heart is for helping others; this year I want to provide more ways she can get out in the Columbus community to volunteer. I plan on looking into the organizations at Ohio State to see if one volunteers at an animal shelter or if there are some close to campus to volunteer at. She also mentioned during the interview that she hasn’t found any good coffee around campus; I see a new explore Columbus in our future!

The ACES Pillar Film project is one of the projects we have to complete in our seminar class. We are assigned a group to work with and we are able to pick out a film that incorporates the pillars: Positive Social Change, Advocacy, Community, and Service. My group chose to watch a film titled “Finding Home” which is a documentary about trafficking. During the film you hear the stories of young Cambodian women and how the stories go far beyond the actual trafficking experiences. Finding Home shows in depth the struggle, growth, and challenges that come with trying to pick a life back up after it has been fragmented. The film focuses on three women who have been brought to the Rapha House, a safe house for victims of trafficking. The Rapha House’s mission is to end the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children through aftercare for survivors, prevention for the vulnerable, and awareness for all. This film would be beneficial for any viewer; someone who has experienced trafficking could find comfort in knowing they are not alone, and it also raises awareness for the issue. Not only did this project allow me to learn more about the issue of sex trafficking, but it also allowed me to build upon my communication skills from working in a group in efforts to create a informative presentation.  

One of my favorite things about the Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars is the Mentor/Mentee program. In the first few weeks of the first semester, we had a “speed dating” event where you could meet all of the second year ACES members. This was a great way to familiarize ourselves with the program and all of the amazing people in it! After talking with everyone, we were placed with someone who we felt we had great conversations with. I was very excited to be placed with Paige, who is also from Cincinnati! After talking more, we found that we have so much in common and even have some mutual friends from back home. Having a mentor has definitely made the transition into college so much smoother. Paige has been a big help with answering questions about ACES, academics, and things to do around Columbus. It can be frightening to enter as a first year and be unfamiliar with your new home, but Paige has been a huge help in making me feel comfortable in Columbus!

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