My name is Jacob Wilmer.  I am a first year computer science major in STEM at The Ohio State University.  I grew up in Pickerington Ohio about 20 minutes from columbus.  I have been a die hard Buckeye fan all of my life.  My parents met at Ohio State and I always dreamed of following their footsteps in college.  I love music and have been playing piano for 13 years.  I also play trumpet and have the privilege of marching with The Best Damn Band in the Land.

I have always loved the water.  My parents have always owned a boat so I grew up waterskiing.  I love to slalom ski and barefoot.  The feeling of gliding across the water can only be rivaled by marching down the ramp into the stadium on a game day.  My favorite part of water skiing is trying to complete the slalom course.  It is a series of buoys that you wind through making the rope shorter after each pass until failure.  Its fun to be able to compete against myself and push myself to be better each run. This summer my dad and I decided to get scuba certified so we could explore the water more than just from the surface.  Scuba diving is one of my favorite things to do during the summer.  Its awesome to be in an environment so foreign yet so close to home.  The wildlife of the ocean, especially that found in coral reefs, is amazing to experience first hand.

I had the privilege last summer to play trumpet with the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City.  I loved to opportunity to play in such a prestigious hall with an amazing group of musicians.  The trip was also a great opportunity to build friendships with people from all over central Ohio not just those from my High School.  It is also part of the reason I decided to continue my music in college as part of the Ohio State University Marching Band.

This summer I spent every Tuesday and Thursday at summer sessions in hopes of securing a spot in TBDBITL.  It was a great experience that not only improved my marching and musical ability but also to help make me more healthy.  Practices were often times extremely difficult and it made me wonder if the Marching Band was for me.  The grueling process was definitely worth the effort however when I hear my name called during make the band night.  The first time marching with the band at Buckeye Frenzy was a truly incredible experience.  It can be extremely difficult at times to balance all of the school work and time demands that come with participating in a group that performs on such a high level.  It can be hard to get music memorized on time or stay on top of homework and studying but it is an experience that is definitely worthwhile.