For my second semester interview with my Mentee, we were able to meet in person and spend the day exploring parts of Columbus.  My mentee, Hannah Guise, drive into Columbus and we ended up having the interview outside the Ohio Union. The weather was perfect to be outside and we had a great time. I asked Hannah many of the questions that we were given, but we focused on five main ones. They are as follows:

• From the Academics Section:
  • Are you enjoying your major? Why or why not?
• From the Involvement Section:
  • Do you think you will keep your same involvement next year? Why or why not?
• From the ACES Section:
  • What recommendations do you have for improving the ACES program?
• From the Careers Section:
  • Have you had the chance to explore your desired career through internships, field experience, etc.?
• From the Miscellaneous Section:
  • What kind of goals have you set for yourself for this semester?

Hannah and I did have to change some of the questions and their formatting because she took all of her classes online the past two semesters, and had continued to live at home rather than in Smith-Steeb with the other ACES first years. In terms of her enjoying her major, Hannah said she has enjoyed it so far, even though she has not really taken any major specific classes as of yet. She just finished taking most of her General Education classes and other pre-requisites. Her major is pre-physical therapy. She said that she looks forward to taking classes that are more in tune with what her actual interests are, rather than classes like general chemistry and biology. She and I connected in our opinions of the general science class requirements for many STEM majors. Because she has not yet lived on campus, she could not get nearly involved as should will once she is on campus. She talked about how excited she is to be a part of certain in person clubs and activities that she could not be a part of this past year.  Additionally, she does have a few clubs that she already knows she will be a part of this coming fall.

We talked about the ACES program next, and she and I had many of the same opinions. She felt as th0ugh the meetings sometimes lacked direction or fullness. She expressed that she hoped next year, the academic and service events would be more thought out and more beneficial for the ACES students. It was at this time that she told me she had applied to a position on the ACES LC and she had gotten it. We also talked a lot about how her experiences of being in the ACES program but living at home. so she had not been able to make as many connections to other ACES students as those living in the dorms. Next, we discussed her experiences within her desired career through internships and field experience. She is a lifeguard in the summer and also volunteers as a part of the Ohio Special Olympics in past years, even though it was not able to happen this year because of the pandemic. Lastly, we talked about the goals she has set for herself for the coming semester, rather than this semester because it was nearly over by the time we talked. She expressed how she wanted to be more involved, as well as continue to thrive in her classes.

Overall, I learned a great deal about my mentee in the process of the interview, and we discovered that we had much in common, within our academics and in our personal lives. I hope to use our connection through ACES as well as our desired career paths to continue our friendship in the next semesters, even though I will no longer technically be her mentor.

For our  second semester explore Columbus assignment, my mentee Hannah and I chose to go to a number of locations. Because last semester we did our explore Columbus assignment over Zoom, we wanted to do more this semester. Additionally, this was the first time that Hannah and I had met in person, despite talking over zoom often.  The first place we went to was Cielo Cafe, which is located on High street. Hannah had previously told me she was not a coffee  drinker, but she really enjoyed hot chocolate, so she got a hot chocolate at Cielo and I got an iced latte because I am an avid coffee person. We debated sitting inside Cielo because it is very cozy inside, but all of the tables but one were  full and it was also very quiet  inside, so we did not want to disturb all the other students doing work. After getting our drinks, we crossed High street and went through the Union and then decided to sit outside of the union at one the picnic tables that faces the south oval. Once we were there, I conducted the second semester interview. We sat outside the union for about an hour and talked about a lot of things. We discussed classes, professors, siblings, and many other topics. Although we do not have the same major, Hannah is also a STEM major so we have a lot  in common. Outside of academics, we also have many things in common.

After sitting outside for awhile and enjoying the sunny but slightly chilly weather, we were both  hungry so we discussed where to get lunch. Hannah and I bot have a number of food restrictions, so we had to make sure that where ever we went, they would be able to  accommodate us. That being said, we decided to order tacos from Condado. Once we had ordered online, we started the to walk in the direction of Condado. While walking, Hannah and I discussed living on and off campus. She expressed how excited she was to live on campus this coming year because she wanted to be able to get the full college experience. I shared my story about how my fellow ACES second year friends and I had to scramble to find an apartment the previous summer after we were sent the announcement that we could live off campus. I told Hannah about how much fun I had had this previous year living with four of my best friends, all of whom are fellow ACES students. Once we got to Condado, we  went inside and picked up our food. While there, we took a selfie outside of the large glass window of Condado, which I have attached. Because it was across the street, we then decided to go into the thrift store Out of the Closet. Were only there briefly to look around, but while there I found two nice reusable glass jars that were on sale, so I purchased them. Hannah did not get anything, but enjoyed  the store none the less.

While walking  back, we talked about trying to be sustainable while being a college student. I shared how sometimes I find it difficult to be Eco-friendly while on a college budget, especially when my apartment has no recycling. I did tell Hannah about Imperfect Foods, which is a delivery grocery service that I use to help me be more sustainable. I told her she should try it out once she in on campus this coming fall. From Condado, we walked back to my apartment, where we then sat on my balcony to eat our lunch. She had two tacos and chips and queso and I had three tacos. Thankfully, the weather was nice enough for us to sit on the balcony for a couple hours without getting cold. We talked on the balcony for a good deal of time. She and I had tons to talk about  and had tons of fun getting to know each other more and more.

I would definitely recommend all of the places we went to someone else. Both Cielo Cafe and Condado Tacos were very good. We both enjoyed our drinks and food and I know I will go back to both places in the future. While on our Explore Columbus excursion, I did not learn much about Columbus because I have traveled that part of Columbus a great deal. I do hope that Hannah learned a bit about Columbus and maybe got a little more familiar with the area. For anyone endeavoring the complete a similar experience, I recommend doing so on a nice day that is conducive to walking places. Overall, I had a great time exploring Columbus with Hannah, and I believe she had a good time as well.

For this assignment, I met with my mentee, Hannah Guise, over zoom to conduct the first semester interview. We have had a fun time getting to know each other this semester, even though we have only met through zoom. Hannah is a physical therapy major. Throughout the interview we talked about a lot of things, but the exact five questions I asked her from the given list of questions are as follows. How did you decide on the major you have chosen? What kind of involvement are you interested in at OSU? Why did you choose ACES? What do you plan to do with your major after graduation? Graduate or Professional school? How will you balance academics and involvement?

To start, when I asked Hannah about why she chose the major she chose, she talked about her experience receiving physical therapy. At one point, she fell going down the stairs and broke the growth plate in her ankle, but she didn’t realize it at first. She was on the competitive swim team at the time and continued to swim for about a month with her broken ankle before her coach realized and made her go to the hospital. At that pint she got physical therapy, for a rather extended period of time. It was this experience that made her want to be a physical therapist.

To continue, when I asked her about what kind of involvement she was interested it on campus, she expressed interest in multiples different clubs and organizations. Because she currently it taking classes from home, all the clubs she expressed interested in would be things she did this next coming semester. She plans to be a part of Best Buddies once she is here at OSU’s campus, as well as be a coach for the Franklin County Special Olympics Swim Team.

When I asked her why she chose ACES, her answer was somewhat similar to mine. She hadn’t originally planned on joining the ACES scholars program and rather looked at the many different programs that were somewhat STEP oriented. After she did some more research though she realized that she wanted to be in the ACES program because she thought that the students would have similar interests to her and be like minded when it came to involvement and service.

When we talked about plans for after graduation, we talked about how we both plan and hope to go to graduate school. Additionally, we both would love if we could find jobs after undergraduate school that would help in the process of paying for post graduate schooling, because school is so expensive. Additionally, I asked Hannah what her dream job is, and she told me about how she hopes to one day own her own aquatic physical therapy practice. She expressed her reasoning behind wanting a private practice because there are so many limitations and guidelines/rules that go along with being a physical therapist for a Hospital or any other large entity.

Finally, when she and I spoke about trying to find balance between academics and involvement, she spoke about how she completely relies on her planner. She told me about how a couple of nights prior her little brother had taken her planner, thinking it was a book, and so Hannah couldn’t find it. She started to panic because she uses it so much to help her maintain balance between all the things she is involved in. Thankfully, she eventually found her planner and all was well. I told her how a lot of the time, I just rely on my brain to remember all the things I have to do and she thought that was crazy, which I definitely agree with.

Overall, Hannah and I had a great time talking and we have a lot in common. Based on all the new things I learned about Hannah, I hope to just help guide her in her studies in STEP, especially in Gen Chem next semester, and I also hope to be able to introduce her to more students, both ACES and not, come next semester when she is on campus.

Hello All! This year I am a second year and I participated in the mentorship program. My mentee is Hannah Guise and sadly this semester we had to do our explore Columbus outing through zoom because of the pandemic as well as the fact that we live in different cities. Hannah is a fully virtual Ohio State student, so she and I have met through zoom this entire semester. Despite this, we have gotten to know each other and always have lots of fun and laughs when we do meet over zoom. Because we were over zoom, we couldn’t actually visit a location in Columbus, but we did talk about the places we would visit if we could. Hannah told me one of her favorite foods is tacos, so I decided it would be fun for us to visit Condado on High Street, which is not very far from campus. We have both been to other Condado locations before so we know what kind of tacos we like, and she said that she always orders the high rise taco with no dirty sauce. When she asked me what I get, I told her I get anything that has lots of veggies and lots of hot sauce. After talking about Condado and our love of tacos, I asked Hannah if she had ever had Bubble Tea and she said no, so we also talked about visiting one the many bubble tea places that are located on high street. I told her my favorite was Brewed Leaf even though it is a little bit more expensive than others. While we were talking about all sorts of things, Hannah asked if I knew any good places for her to hang her hammock once she is on campus because she loves to be outdoors. I, also a lover of the outdoors, told her I could show her all the best spots.

Hannah and I both have STEM majors, hers being physical therapy, and mine being molecular genetics. Because of this, we talked a lot about classes and things we have in common. She asked me about the Biology 1113 class and if I had taken it because she is set to take it this next coming semester. I shared with her that I took the class my first semester at OSU and enjoyed it a lot because I really love to learn about biology and how things in the body work. She took a lot of classes through other universities while in high school so she feels the same way. We also talked a lot about chemistry. She is set to take the first general chemistry next semester and I am currently in my third semester of chemistry here at Ohio State and have to take two more additional semesters. Ironically, she said that she actually loves chemistry while I do not particularly enjoy chemistry at all.

On a different note, Hannah and I also talked a lot about making friends and living in the dorm. Because she is living at home and doing all her classes online, Hannah hasn’t had a good opportunity to meet other ACES first year students. II shared with her my experience of making a lot of my really good friends through the ACES program, and especially because I lived in a dorm with them. The four girls that are my house mates this year are all girls that I met through the ACES program last year who lived in my dorm hall. I told her how because we lived on the same floor, were in the ACES seminar class, and all had similar interests, we were able to make great friends through the program. She expressed how she was only able to connect with a few other ACES students though the seminar class.

Even though we completed the explore Columbus event virtually, I do know that Condado and Brewed Leaf are great places to get good food as well as interesting places to explore.  Because of this, I would recommend the two places we visited to other ACES members or even just friends that aren’t from ACES. Because both places were locations I had visited before and we did not actually physically visit the locations, it is hard to say if I learned anything from the experience. I do still love to explore new or old places in Columbus, and there are always new things to learn or see no matter where you go, and I hope to be able to show Hannah more places I love or haven’t yet explored when next semester comes around.

Final Exam FD – Weber

The first work of mine that I chose for an artifact is a paper I wrote my senior year of high school. As the final exam for the writing course I was taking through Cuyahoga Community College, we were asked to pick a topic and simply research it, and then compose an informative paper about it. In it, we were asked to include our own personal opinions at the end. I chose to research the tampon tax, and other expenses that women experience that men do not. I chose this topic because I feel strongly about women’s rights. This is a topic I continue to feel strongly about, and I hope to be active in the pursuit of equality in the future. While researching, I found that women spend much more money on basic products each year when compared to men. This results because of media, as well as women’s products themselves being more expensive. In addition, women spend hundreds of dollars each year on period products, which are considered luxury items, instead of being considered necessities, like groceries. I hope to be a part of the campaign to get rid of this tax in the future.