Early in my Ohio State career, there was a time when continuing college didn't feel guaranteed. Tuition costs created real uncertainty, and I knew academic success would also require showing up professionally—for interviews, conferences, and opportunities—even when buying professional clothing wasn't financially possible. Monda Career Closet gave me that chance. Walking in, I found more than clothing: I found dignity, encouragement, and the confidence to present myself as the student and leader I knew I could become.

That confidence followed me to Sigma Phi Epsilon leadership conferences, where I could participate without worrying that I did not look prepared. It helped me pursue service as an Intelligence Analyst in the Ohio Army National Guard, a commitment that ultimately helped make scholarships and the continuation of my education possible. It also helped me step into professional opportunities, including an internship with Walsh Turner Joint Venture on the New Wexner Medical Center project. Those experiences were not handed to me; they grew from being given the practical support to walk into rooms prepared to earn my place. 

Three years later, I returned to Monda Career Closet while preparing for Academia Tocqueville in Paris. I expected the resource I had first known: a small room with tables and donated clothes. Instead, I saw a transformed, welcoming space with fitting rooms and a food pantry—evidence that Ohio State continues to invest in students’ ability to persist, belong, and thrive. As I prepared for a seminar on French political thought, democracy, and civic leadership, that return made me reflect on how far I had come. 

Today, standing on the 2026 Homecoming Court, I see the Monda Student Resource Center as part of my Buckeye story. It helped turn a moment of financial uncertainty into opportunities for service, leadership, professional growth, and study abroad. The Monda Student Resource Center is necessary because talent and ambition should never be limited by whether a student can afford a suit, interview clothes, or necessities. It gives Buckeyes the ability to feel presentable, capable, and seen, and for me, it helped make dreams that once felt out of reach possible.