For our final explore Columbus activity, Paige Kovacs and I went to lunch at First Watch. We went with my roommate, Claire Burke, and her mentee, Margo Hunter. We went the week before exams, so it was a great break from studying to destress and catch up with one another. Because First Watch is so close, Paige, Margo, Claire, and I meant in the lobby of Smith Steeb Hall and walked to the restaurant together. We chose to go somewhere close because everyone was so busy with exams, and we did not want to waste time traveling somewhere rather than the actual experience. We had all been to First Watch before, and we all loved it. On the way to the restaurant, I was ranting about how amazing their iced coffee was, Paige and Margo agreed, but Claire had never ordered coffee there. When we arrived, we all ordered the iced coffee. Claire immediately knew what we meant when we said First Watch has the best iced coffee. First Watch has a large menu with many breakfast and lunch options. It took us a while to figure out what we wanted. Everyone ordered and we began catching up on our lives and how Margo and Paige’s first year at The Ohio State University was going. Paige is now an active member of Delta Omega Kappa. This is so exciting for the both of us because that means that we will still see each other every week next year at our chapter meetings. Paige also has a position on the 2018-2019 Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars leadership council. Paige will be the social co-chair. She will be amazing at this role, and I told her to contact me with absolutely any questions she has about the position. Margo, Claire, and Paige joked about how Paige is a miniature version of me because we are so similar. We are in the same major, sorority, and she is going to be the same position that I was on leadership council. Margo expressed concerns about having enough time to do everything next year. She explained that she may be dropping Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars. Claire and I encouraged her to stick with it, and we told her that it will be worth it in the end. Margo is a dance major, and she explained that she will have rehearsals and shows, but the scholars group offers many events and opportunities to complete the requirements. I hope Claire and I convinced her to stay in it because she is an awesome addition to the scholars group, as well as Paige. Our food arrived and everyone was happy with what they ordered. After finishing our meal, we stayed at the restaurant and continued talking. We began talking about our summer plans. Paige will be spending her summer in Cincinnati, where her and her family are from. Paige has plans to work at Bath and Body Works this summer. She will be a sales associate there. Paige is hoping to save up as much money as possible before moving back to Columbus in the fall. She is also planning a trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to visit her friend, Braylee. Braylee is a good friend that Paige meant in Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars. Braylee has come to visit Paige in Cincinnati, so Paige is super excited to visit her hometown. Margo is planning on going home to Dallas, Texas this summer. She also plans on getting a summer job and catching up with friends and family. Claire will be going back to New Jersey this summer. She has an internship where she will be working from nine to five, Monday through Friday. Everyone has an extremely busy summer, and before we know it, we will be back in Columbus together again. Paige and I made plans to meet up this summer. We are both from Cincinnati, and we only live about thirty minutes away from one another. Unfortunately, Claire and Margo live much farther away, but I have no doubt in my mind that we will meet up next year. Paige, Margo, Claire, and I always have a great time when we get together, and this experience was no exception. First Watch was delicious, but it was so fun to take a break from studying and catch up with these girls.

For our second explore Columbus activity, my mentee, Paige Kovacs, and I went to the Short North. Because I have a car, I drove Paige and I. Getting to the Short North was not too difficult. However, I had trouble finding parking. Eventually, we found a parking lot, and we only had to pay a couple dollars to park in it. Right when we parked, a homeless man walked up to my car and asked for some change. I only had a little change in my car, so I just gave him what I had.  After walking up and down the street and looking at stores and restaurants, Paige decided that she wanted Condado. I like to let Paige pick where we go because she does not have the opportunity to go to off campus places very often. Condado is great because it is not too expensive, and it has a very fun atmosphere. When we walked in, we put our names in. We only had to wait about five to ten minutes for a table. At condado, you order your food by filling out a piece of paper rather than just telling the waiter. It is very simple, customers just fill in the bubbles of the items that they want on their taco and how many tacos they want. There are many different shells, proteins, cheeses, salsas, and additional sides and toppings to choose from. After we sat down, we both ordered waters and chips and queso to share. Then we handed in our taco slips. Paige began to tell me about how her time in Delta Omega Kappa was. Delta Omega Kappa is pre- health sorority at The Ohio State University. Paige, at the time, was in the new member process of Delta Omega Kappa. The new member process prepares members to be initiated into the sorority. It is a very busy time, and Paige had weekly meetings, networking with actives, and other events going on during the process. Although she may have been a little overwhelmed at times, Paige explained to me how much she loves being a part of Delta Omega Kappa. She has meant so many nice girls in her pledge class, and she is excited to meet the rest of the sorority. This was perfect for Paige because a lot of her friends had joined sororities a couple weeks prior to when Paige joined Delta Omega Kappa, so now Paige had the chance to meet more people. Not only did we talk a lot about Delta Omega Kappa, but we also had a long conversation about our major. Both Paige and I are majoring in speech and hearing sciences. Therefore, the classes that I took a year ago, Paige is in now. Paige is currently taking phonetics, which is a difficult class, but she loves it. Paige is also taking language acquisition which was one of my favorite classes. Paige asked me a lot of questions about the classes that she is taking in the fall semester of 2018. I love that Paige and I are in the same major because I really feel like I am mentoring her, not only in our scholars group, but in her college experience as a whole. Paige is doing great in the aces program, as well. She explained to me that she is interested in running for the leadership council. I encouraged her to do so, not only because I was a part of the leadership council and loved it, but I believe Paige would have amazing ideas to bring into Advocates for Communities and Education scholars. Finally, our tacos were ready. Paige and I really enjoyed them. After we were finished eating, Paige ordered an extra taco to bring to her roommate. We left Condado and walked back to my car. Then we headed back to Smith Steeb. When we got back to Paige’s room, I stayed for a little and talked to her and her roommate. Her roommate was so happy that Paige brought her a taco. Overall, it was a very nice night out with Paige. She is so fun and easy to talk to. Every time we go out together, I learn so much more about her!

Once again, I was lucky enough to sit down with my mentee and interview her for a second time. Paige Kovacs is in the second semester of her first year at Ohio State University. Paige is majoring in speech and hearing sciences, and she is very involved on campus!

I began the interview by asking Paige how her major is going. Paige and I are in the same major, so we can talk for hours together about our major.  I can also give Paige study tips for the classes that she is in now, and I took last year. Paige is loving her major, and she is so passionate about speech pathology. She explained to me that the major is a good fit for her because it combines medicine, therapy, and teaching. This topic then lead me to ask if her plans had changed at all. Paige explained that she still wants to go to graduate school for speech pathology, but she is now thinking of possibly pursuing a doctorate degree, also. As of now, Paige is interested in working in a hospital with trauma patients. Paige is very passionate and ambitious about her future, and I cannot wait to see all of her amazing accomplishments.

After talking about academics, we began talking about Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars and other extracurricular activities that Paige is involved in on campus. I began by asking Paige how her first semester in Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars went. Her first semester, as a scholar, was great. Paige has made so many awesome friends in the group. She is also thankful for all the service opportunities that she found through ACES. The events and community meetings have really helped her learn a lot about Ohio State and all the great programs the school has to offer. I also asked Paige what other clubs/ organizations she has joined. She was super excited because she had just received a bid from Ohio State’s only pre-health sorority, Delta Omega Kappa. She has already meant a lot of nice girls in Delta Omega Kappa, and she loves how all of the girls are so motivated in their academic endeavors. Paige attends weekly new member meetings where she has a chance to really gets to know all the members of her pledge class. On April 7^th , she will be initiated and become an active member of the sorority. Paige is so excited to see where her journey in Delta Omega Kappa takes her; she is even interested in running for an executive position in the sorority. Paige is also involved in the national language speech hearing association on campus. This corresponds directly with her major and is a great way to network with people who are going through the same courses as her. She is part of a “family” in this group, and she loves having those older students for advice in classes and on the major, in general. She is also involved in a club called, A Kid Again, and she loves volunteering within that club. As you can tell, Paige did not waste any time becoming involved on campus!

Overall, Paige’s favorite experience at Ohio State was Buckeyethon.  This was an eye-opening experience in which she meant strong children battling cancer. She joined the Smith Steeb team with her friends, and she will never forget what a powerful experience it was. Paige and I ended the interview by talking about her goals for second semester. One of her goals was to earn a high gpa, but she also wants herself to realize that it is okay to receive a B in a class. Another goal of Paige’s is to be elected for leadership position in one of her clubs. I think these goals are great, and I cannot wait to see what Paige does in her second semester and upcoming years of college.

On October 17^th, my mentee, Paige, and I went off campus to a place called Cookie Dough Creamery. We went with Claire and Margo, another mentor/ mentee pair in Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars group. The Cookie Dough Creamery is in Worthington, so it was a fifteen minute drive from campus. Luckily, I have my car on campus, so it made transportation very easy. Paige, Margo, Claire, and I all live in smith-steeb hall, so we meant in the lobby and walked to my car together. When we got to the Cookie Dough Creamery, the worker explained to us how it worked. There were trays of cookies dough, ice-cream machines, and toppings. She told us that you paid for a cup and served yourself as much ice-cream and cookie dough as you want. Margo and Paige were so excited. After we got our ice-cream, we sat down together and talked for a long time. I asked Paige how her semester was going. She said that her classes were going well! Because we are in the same major, we talked about a class she is in now, that I took last year. I gave her some study tips. Paige updated me on how all of her clubs and activities were going. She expressed her concern about finishing all of her hours, and I assured her that more opportunities will come as she becomes more involved in clubs around campus. She told me that she is still really good friends with all of the people of her floor who are also a part of Advocate for Communities and Education Scholars. Paige and I also talked about my role on leadership council. She seemed interested in applying to be a part of next year’s leadership council, and I assured her that it is a great way to become even more involved in the Advocate for Communities and Education Scholars program. Because it was the week before Halloween, Paige and Margo were trying to figure out what they wanted to dress up as. For a long time, we talked about the many different characters and things that they could dress up as. I told them that my friends and I dressed up as aliens last year, and Paige and Margo really liked that idea. Margo and Paige do not have a car on campus, so I knew it would be harder for them to get their costumes. I offered to take them to target after we finished our ice-cream, and they were so happy. We drove to target and spent some time there, too. On the way there, I missed the exit, so we took a little detour. We shopped around at target for a long time. Margo and Paige bought some groceries because it is not very often that they have a chance to go to a grocery store or anything. For a while, we looked for glitter that they could use for their costumes. We walked around the store multiple times before asking a worker to lead us in the right direction. Then, Margo and Paige found four different color glitter packs to buy, and they bought all of them. They also found cool, neon leggings to go with their costume. After they bought all of their stuff, we drove back to campus. We parked my car in the union and walked back to smith- steeb hall together.

I really enjoyed the Explore Columbus assignment with Paige. Every time Paige and I hangout, I find out so much more about her that I did not know before. Everyone had a good time getting ice-cream together, and it was a good break from school work during the week. It always feels good to get off campus, even if it is just for a couple hours or so. I am excited to continue talking to Paige and finding out more about her. She is such a sweet girl with great sense of humor and personality. We are already excited about our next explore Columbus assignment. As Paige continues and finishes up her first semester, she plans to stay involved with her clubs, stay on top of all of her schoolwork, and maintain a good social life with all of the new friends that she has made here at school. She is adjusting well to college and the big city environment that Ohio State has to offer her. I cannot wait to hear about all of her first semester successes and her goals for second semester during our next interview!

As part of my second year in Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars, I am a mentor to a first year in the group. The goal of a mentor is to provide support and guidance while they navigate their way through their first year of college. My mentee, Paige Kovacs, is studying Speech and Hearing Sciences, and I interviewed her, asking her a couple questions about academics, involvement, ACES, and her future career goals.

Paige and I started out our conversation talking about academics. As mentioned before, Paige is studying Speech and Hearing Sciences. I asked her what made her choose that major. Paige has a six-year-old cousin, Miles, who was diagnosed with Autism. He is the only person in her family that has disability, so everyone in their family had to learn about Autism and adjust to the needs of Miles. Miles was non-verbal for many years. Speech therapy is a huge part of her Miles’ life, and as a six-year-old, he is now able to count to ten and say a couple words. This inspired Paige to choose her major. This led to me asking her about her future careers goals. I asked her what she plans on doing after she graduates from The Ohio State University. Paige plans on going to graduate school after receiving her undergraduate degree. She does not know what school she will attend for grad school, but she will either be attending for Speech Pathology or Audiology. Paige wants to participate in research about Autism at some point in her career and would love to work with children in a hospital setting.

Outside of academics, Paige is involved in clubs and is very social. I asked Paige about the clubs that she is a member of on campus. Paige is a part of The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. She is also involved in a group called DEMS, which brings students with democratic views together. In high school, Paige was the president of her Spanish club, so she is currently looking for a Spanish club to join on campus. She is still getting used to campus and is looking into more clubs to join! Because Paige is so involved, I asked her how she plans to balance both academics and involvement. Academics is her main focus at Ohio State, and she works very hard during the weekdays in order to allow herself time to socialize and have fun on the weekends. I then asked Paige if anything has surprised her during her time at Ohio State. She was surprised with how fast she adjusted to campus life. Paige never imagined herself at a large school, like Ohio State, but she really loves it and adjusted very well.

Lastly, I asked Paige a couple questions about her thoughts towards Advocates for Communities and Education scholars. First, I asked her what made her choose the program. Paige explained how she has always loved working with children, and she loves building bonds between members of the community through service. I asked her what she looks forward to in ACES for this coming year. Paige is excited for more social events and service opportunities. Because she is new to the Columbus community, Paige is nervous about fulfilling all of her service requirements. A tight bond has been formed with other first year ACES members, and she is really excited to grow even closer to the people she has meant through the program.

I really enjoyed sitting down and talking to Paige! I am thrilled to be her mentor this year and get to know her even more!

Junior year in high school, I took a class called Herstory. Herstory was a class about women’s rights and feminism. In this class, we did a huge project for International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8th. For this project, my group and I interviewed many people of different age, sex, and beliefs. We asked them one simple question, ” What is feminism?”. We recorded each answer, and made it into a video. Every person that we interviewed answered differently, and at the end of the video, we told the viewers the real definition of feminism. This project taught me just how ignorant a lot of society was to exactly what feminism is, and before this class, I was just as ignorant.