Part 1: What? So What?
I honestly cannot believe that I am halfway through my time at UC.
This school year awakened my passion for mentoring freshman students. I began the school year at the University Honors Program (UHP) Welcome Retreat as a Retreat Leader. This was an opportunity for me to give back to UHP and help freshman students in their transition from high school to college. I loved getting to know my own small group as well as the other Retreat Leaders. This year, I also had the opportunity to become an Emerging Campus Leaders (ECL) mentor. Through ECL, freshman students were selected based on merit and passion to participate as mentees in this leadership development program. During the first month and a half, the mentors and mentees engaged in team-building and leadership activities and the freshman were asked to submit preferences for mentor pairings. In October, I was paired with a freshman student to mentor throughout the rest of the school year. As a Turner Scholars Mentor, I was also assigned two freshman students who had selected me as one of their top three preferences in the program.
The most important thing I learned through these assigned mentorships is that mentors often learn from mentees as well. Furthermore, my mentees made me feel like I had a purpose on campus beyond joining organizations and getting good grades. I realized I have a duty as an upperclassman to help freshman students get involved, feel comfortable on campus, and encourage them to create their own UC story.
During spring semester, on top of taking 18 credit hours, I was a part-time, unpaid intern with the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) at UC College of Law. Though it was often a challenge to balance coursework and internship hours, I studied hard to maintain my 4.0 GPA. Interning with the OIP was an invaluable experience and I invite you to go to my reflection page, "Ohio Innocence Project Internship," for more information. At the end of spring semester, I departed on a study abroad trip to Belgium and The Netherlands. Please see my reflection page, " International Institutions: Responding to Global Threats (POL2097 - Study Abroad)," for more information as well as pictures from the trip!
Outside of classroom and extra-curricular activities, I had some amazing experiences this school year. I got to see SNL Comedian Pete Davidson perform on campus during Welcome Weekend. I met Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, when she gave a presentation downtown about her experiences while incarcerated and signed my copy of her book! I was given a tour of the new Nippert Stadium by Mike Bohn, UC Athletic Director, himself with other ROAR Tour Guides. I took a ballet class at the College Conservatory of Music (CCM). I got a picture with Reds baseball player Brandon Phillips when he stopped by campus for Homecoming. I had the privilege of meeting Reverend Jesse Jackson. And I was cast in a promotional commercial for UC.
Part 2: Now What?
In the fall, I will serve as the president of ROAR Tour Guides. Because I have never served on an executive board for a student organization in the past, I expect that I will learn more about myself and my leadership style. It means a lot to me that my fellow ROAR Tour Guides elected me to this position this spring despite my complete lack of prior executive titles. It gave me confidence in my leadership abilities to know that the majority of the organization trusts me in this position. My hope is to increase multicultural representation within ROAR as well as aid in the recruitment of multicultural students to UC.
One of my goals for this upcoming school year is to stay positive and mentally healthy. Along with serving as president of one of the largest student organizations on campus, I will be maintaining other involvement, striving to keep my 4.0, preparing for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), and continuing to foster relationships with other students and faculty at UC. Like other involved students on campus, my schedule often becomes chaotic.
I continue to be thankful for the resources, opportunities, and support that I receive at UC and I am looking forward to what the upcoming school year will bring.
I honestly cannot believe that I am halfway through my time at UC.
This school year awakened my passion for mentoring freshman students. I began the school year at the University Honors Program (UHP) Welcome Retreat as a Retreat Leader. This was an opportunity for me to give back to UHP and help freshman students in their transition from high school to college. I loved getting to know my own small group as well as the other Retreat Leaders. This year, I also had the opportunity to become an Emerging Campus Leaders (ECL) mentor. Through ECL, freshman students were selected based on merit and passion to participate as mentees in this leadership development program. During the first month and a half, the mentors and mentees engaged in team-building and leadership activities and the freshman were asked to submit preferences for mentor pairings. In October, I was paired with a freshman student to mentor throughout the rest of the school year. As a Turner Scholars Mentor, I was also assigned two freshman students who had selected me as one of their top three preferences in the program.
The most important thing I learned through these assigned mentorships is that mentors often learn from mentees as well. Furthermore, my mentees made me feel like I had a purpose on campus beyond joining organizations and getting good grades. I realized I have a duty as an upperclassman to help freshman students get involved, feel comfortable on campus, and encourage them to create their own UC story.
During spring semester, on top of taking 18 credit hours, I was a part-time, unpaid intern with the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) at UC College of Law. Though it was often a challenge to balance coursework and internship hours, I studied hard to maintain my 4.0 GPA. Interning with the OIP was an invaluable experience and I invite you to go to my reflection page, "Ohio Innocence Project Internship," for more information. At the end of spring semester, I departed on a study abroad trip to Belgium and The Netherlands. Please see my reflection page, " International Institutions: Responding to Global Threats (POL2097 - Study Abroad)," for more information as well as pictures from the trip!
Outside of classroom and extra-curricular activities, I had some amazing experiences this school year. I got to see SNL Comedian Pete Davidson perform on campus during Welcome Weekend. I met Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, when she gave a presentation downtown about her experiences while incarcerated and signed my copy of her book! I was given a tour of the new Nippert Stadium by Mike Bohn, UC Athletic Director, himself with other ROAR Tour Guides. I took a ballet class at the College Conservatory of Music (CCM). I got a picture with Reds baseball player Brandon Phillips when he stopped by campus for Homecoming. I had the privilege of meeting Reverend Jesse Jackson. And I was cast in a promotional commercial for UC.
Part 2: Now What?
In the fall, I will serve as the president of ROAR Tour Guides. Because I have never served on an executive board for a student organization in the past, I expect that I will learn more about myself and my leadership style. It means a lot to me that my fellow ROAR Tour Guides elected me to this position this spring despite my complete lack of prior executive titles. It gave me confidence in my leadership abilities to know that the majority of the organization trusts me in this position. My hope is to increase multicultural representation within ROAR as well as aid in the recruitment of multicultural students to UC.
One of my goals for this upcoming school year is to stay positive and mentally healthy. Along with serving as president of one of the largest student organizations on campus, I will be maintaining other involvement, striving to keep my 4.0, preparing for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), and continuing to foster relationships with other students and faculty at UC. Like other involved students on campus, my schedule often becomes chaotic.
I continue to be thankful for the resources, opportunities, and support that I receive at UC and I am looking forward to what the upcoming school year will bring.