Leadership Development; Mentorship Experience

My mentee this year was Ryleigh Evans. Ryleigh is from Atlanta, Georgia and is majoring in Human Development and Family Science with a minor in Education. She hopes to become an occupational therapist and attend grad school at either Ohio State or Georgia State. Ryleigh told me how she would take her cousin who has down syndrome to her weekly occupational therapy appointments; this is where she became exposed to occupational therapy and could see herself as a good fit for the job. Ryleigh said she is open to working with any age, but her dream would be to work in the pediatrics or special needs departments.

One thing that Ryleigh and I have in common is our love for service. We both talked about how we grew up with families that are very involved in serving the community. Ryleigh volunteered as a peer facilitator for special needs students during high school which I also participated in back in my hometown. We also both have similar aspects in our majors in the fact that we both want to help and care for others. For Ryleigh, she is caring for her patients as an occupational therapist and doing everything she can to help with a smooth recovery. My major is hospitality, so I will be caring for guests to make sure they have a positive customer experience. Even though our majors are different, both of our majors include an aspect of service that we value.

One thing that I noticed from first semester to second is the new things Ryleigh joined on campus. Second semester, Ryleigh joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. It was awesome talking about her experiences rushing, since I also rushed as a freshman. Recruitment can be a stressful time because it is long hours at the very beginning of the semester. Ryleigh said she really enjoyed the process and is really happy with where she ended up. Another thing Ryleigh participated in second semester is Buckeyethon. She participated in the night shift as a team captain. She had meetings twice a week where they trained her for leadership skills and brainstormed fundraising ideas. Her role for the team captain was to set up before the event and provide information to the team members prior/ during the event. I also participated in Buckeyethon my freshman year, so I loved hearing about her positive experience! Another thing Ryleigh started doing this semester to gain experience for her Education minor is FEEP (First Experience Education Program) in which she goes to a school and teaches lessons in the classroom. I feel that Ryleigh has grown at Ohio State by stepping out of her comfort zone and trying these new things!

I feel that I have grown as a leader throughout the year by providing advice to Ryleigh in academics and socialization areas. One goal I had for myself at the beginning of the year was to be someone that she could look up to and trust with advice. I wanted to make sure she felt supported in her first year at Ohio State because freshman year can be a challenging time for many students. I suggested GE’s to Ryleigh that I thought she would enjoy and would keep updated on how her classes were going each semester. Socially, I was able to talk about the different ways she has gotten involved on campus with her. One topic we talked about a lot on our first semester explore Columbus was how recruitment would be. I ensured Ryleigh that the process can be tough but, in the end, she will end up where she needs to be!

From this mentorship experience, I learned how important it is to be welcoming and approachable, and how to build the foundation of trust when being a leader. At the beginning of the semester, I was really excited to participate in the mentorship program because I had nothing less of a positive experience last year as a freshman. I still look up to my mentor, Paige, and my goal was to be the leader Paige was for me, for Ryleigh. The benefits to the mentorship program are to gain the leadership skills that are required for our future careers. In every job, it is important to be someone that your coworkers are able to approach and look up to. Being a part of the mentorship program has helped ACES students demonstrate skills that will be used in the future.

I hope Ryleigh had an amazing freshman year and I cannot wait to see where her journey at Ohio State takes her!

Ryleigh and I on our first semester Explore Columbus to Jeni’s!

Leadership Development

About a month into second semester, I took some time to catch up with Ryleigh and see what she’s been up to. We first talked about how nice it was to relax over winter break and spend time with friends and family. Ryleigh also spent some time working, teaching swim lessons to young children. She said she really enjoyed seeing familiar faces at work and being able to tell them about her experiences at Ohio State so far.

Ryleigh also said she’s been really busy so far this semester and is looking forward to Spring Break. She plans on going home to Atlanta and relaxing for a few days, then driving a few hours to spend a few days in Gulf Shores with friends.

Even though meeting up with Ryleigh was short due to our busy schedules, it was nice to catch up and see how she’s been! I am looking forward to spending more time with her during the Spring Interview and Explore Columbus.

Leadership Development

I began my experience at Ohio State as an OWL. Ohio State Welcome Leaders (OWLs)  arrive to campus on the Wednesday prior to move-in to participate in events that will allow OWLs to build a sense of community, familiarize themselves with campus, and prepare for the excitement of Move-In Day. The goal of being apart of the welcome leaders is to make the move in experience as easy as possible for students and help reduce the stress students have as they move into their new home. On Saturday, OWLs greet students and families and help to transport student belongings into residence halls.

Being an OWL allowed me to build not only leadership skills, but also communication skills among my peers. Communication is a key factor into making Move-In Day run smoothly. From 7am-5pm, 7,500 students are expected to move into residents halls across campus. This experience allowed me to to meet new people and create friendships during the days before move-in, as well as creating a positive and exciting environment for my fellow classmates as they arrive at their new home. 

Service Engagement

 

I am a member of Smiles with Style, a non profit Student Organization that serves to reduce the stress and apprehension children with chronic diseases and their families face during inpatient treatment. Self-confidence is an integral part of enhancing a child’s outlook and the prognosis of health issues that they may face. Our goal is to put smiles on their faces every Sunday by giving them a “makeover” which includes face paint, temporary tattoos, painting nails, eyeshadow, lipgloss, tutus, and tiaras. We also spend our time playing with the children; this includes coloring, playing with toys, and making crafts.

My first experience as a member of Smiles with Style was very eye opening. At the Ronald McDonald house, many families came downstairs to watch their child play and interact with others. In just the few hours we spent there, I really got to know the children and their families. What I learned from joining Smiles with Style is doing something as simple as playing with a child and interacting with their families for a few hours will make their day. It was amazing to see the children with smiles on their faces, and I look forward to going back every Sunday to see many more.

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]