Buckeye Adventures
This past week has been filled with activities that have been providing me with a holistic experience at OSU. I have met enthusiastic people, learned how to Salsa dance, and finished my professional development assignment by thrift shopping!
These past couple weeks I have been meeting with staff and administrators from different areas of Student Life, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to do so. My first meeting was with Traci Stuck, an Assistant Vice President who oversees Dr. Gee’s State Tours, consisting of two tours in which each tour allows students to visit 22 different counties of Ohio (total of 44 counties). Traci had the weirdest experiences in terms of how she ended up in her current position, and it was invigorating to be able to sit in one of her planning meetings for the State Tour. The group dynamic was reflective, and I loved hearing the amazing things that the participants will be doing. What I found most astounding was the fact that the planning committee for this tour went through intensive training, such as diversity, leadership, and disability, at the beginning of the summer. The activities and stops along the tour are meant to be reflective and are significant in immersing in unique aspects of Ohio. The opportunity to be able to participate in the last State Tour with Dr. Gee would be amazing, and I am excited for two of our interns in the NUFP/MISL cohort to be part of this experience.
Not only have I met with Traci, but I had to opportunity to meet with a couple other directors including Matt Couch. Matt is the Director of Student Activities and Orientation, which is a unique position as Orientation is not a direct office under Student Life. He works with the First Year Office a lot, but his involvement is mainly in Student Activities. Matt’s office is filled with Ohio Pride, and his walls are aligned with signed photos of various artists and entertainers from cast members of “Saved by the Bell” to Kevin Hart. He spoke to us about his ability to balance working a full time job while pursuing his Ph.D, and I was humbled that he was able to find time to meet with us before he went off to China. He told us about OSU’s Gateway initiatives in countries around the world, such as China and India, which seek to maintain relationships with partner institutions.
Lastly, I was able to meet with Sean McLaughlin, the Director of Off Campus and Commuter Student Engagement. He was incredibly personable, informative, and he was gracious enough to go on the bus with us to tour the commuter parking lots. I appreciated learning about another demographic of the student population at OSU: commuter students. It was shocking to hear the statistics and our conversation put into perspective of the improvements that could be made to create an inclusive and holistic experience for all students. Approximately 10,000 of 62,000 students at OSU are commuter students or students who live off-campus, and I feel as if most of the resources, programs, and efforts are geared toward students who live on campus. I was surprised by the small office and the limited resources available to the Office of Off Campus and Commuter Student Engagement, yet the majority of the student population identify as either living off campus or commuting. Regardless, the office is doing a great job in keeping the student body engaged, and he is constantly trying to find new ways to improve off campus and commuter engagement.
After a long week of work and meetings, a few of us went Salsa dancing. One of my housemates knew someone who was interning at OSU, and we all got together at La Fogata, a restaurant with an upper level for Salsa dancing and lessons. The room was lined with friendly people, and the music was vibrant and alluring. I learned how to dance Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata. We hope to go back again and participate in the lessons.
To the end week of festivities, we went thrift shopping as part of our assignment for Professional Development. We were instructed to find 3 looks without going over our budget of $20; the 3 looks had to be at least 80% thrift while the other 20% could be accessories that we already own. I create three looks, and I had a blast shopping for an assignment! I did not realize that there were so many thrift stores in Ohio, and we ended up going to Goodwill and Rag-O-Rama. I was able to find 3 amazing looks within a set budget. This week was full of adventures, and I am ready to continue to discover what the city of Columbus has to offer.
These past couple weeks I have been meeting with staff and administrators from different areas of Student Life, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to do so. My first meeting was with Traci Stuck, an Assistant Vice President who oversees Dr. Gee’s State Tours, consisting of two tours in which each tour allows students to visit 22 different counties of Ohio (total of 44 counties). Traci had the weirdest experiences in terms of how she ended up in her current position, and it was invigorating to be able to sit in one of her planning meetings for the State Tour. The group dynamic was reflective, and I loved hearing the amazing things that the participants will be doing. What I found most astounding was the fact that the planning committee for this tour went through intensive training, such as diversity, leadership, and disability, at the beginning of the summer. The activities and stops along the tour are meant to be reflective and are significant in immersing in unique aspects of Ohio. The opportunity to be able to participate in the last State Tour with Dr. Gee would be amazing, and I am excited for two of our interns in the NUFP/MISL cohort to be part of this experience.
Not only have I met with Traci, but I had to opportunity to meet with a couple other directors including Matt Couch. Matt is the Director of Student Activities and Orientation, which is a unique position as Orientation is not a direct office under Student Life. He works with the First Year Office a lot, but his involvement is mainly in Student Activities. Matt’s office is filled with Ohio Pride, and his walls are aligned with signed photos of various artists and entertainers from cast members of “Saved by the Bell” to Kevin Hart. He spoke to us about his ability to balance working a full time job while pursuing his Ph.D, and I was humbled that he was able to find time to meet with us before he went off to China. He told us about OSU’s Gateway initiatives in countries around the world, such as China and India, which seek to maintain relationships with partner institutions.
Lastly, I was able to meet with Sean McLaughlin, the Director of Off Campus and Commuter Student Engagement. He was incredibly personable, informative, and he was gracious enough to go on the bus with us to tour the commuter parking lots. I appreciated learning about another demographic of the student population at OSU: commuter students. It was shocking to hear the statistics and our conversation put into perspective of the improvements that could be made to create an inclusive and holistic experience for all students. Approximately 10,000 of 62,000 students at OSU are commuter students or students who live off-campus, and I feel as if most of the resources, programs, and efforts are geared toward students who live on campus. I was surprised by the small office and the limited resources available to the Office of Off Campus and Commuter Student Engagement, yet the majority of the student population identify as either living off campus or commuting. Regardless, the office is doing a great job in keeping the student body engaged, and he is constantly trying to find new ways to improve off campus and commuter engagement.
After a long week of work and meetings, a few of us went Salsa dancing. One of my housemates knew someone who was interning at OSU, and we all got together at La Fogata, a restaurant with an upper level for Salsa dancing and lessons. The room was lined with friendly people, and the music was vibrant and alluring. I learned how to dance Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata. We hope to go back again and participate in the lessons.
To the end week of festivities, we went thrift shopping as part of our assignment for Professional Development. We were instructed to find 3 looks without going over our budget of $20; the 3 looks had to be at least 80% thrift while the other 20% could be accessories that we already own. I create three looks, and I had a blast shopping for an assignment! I did not realize that there were so many thrift stores in Ohio, and we ended up going to Goodwill and Rag-O-Rama. I was able to find 3 amazing looks within a set budget. This week was full of adventures, and I am ready to continue to discover what the city of Columbus has to offer.