That's a wrap! Thank you to all the alumni and supporters who took the time to meet with me this summer. This internship was incredible and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to hear your stories and learn from your experience. I hope you'll share about this program, and we look forward to meeting your friends and family next summer! GO BUCKS!

I had a great meeting with Al to end the week. Al decided to pursue a career in higher ed after undergrad, and he came to Ohio State to earn his masters degree. During this time, Al got involved with res hall life and began his time working in Lincoln Tower. He served in a number of different residence halls, and he shared great stories about his experiences. I could tell that he truly cared a great deal for his residents as he went out of his way to act as an advisor, attended athletes’ games, and can still recognize people’s names and situations to this day. I know the students who had him during their time in the dorms were very, very lucky. Al has since transitioned to a career in hotel management, and he still incorporates his experience from time spent at Ohio State in his current job by providing freshmen and parents with survival guides and gift bags, and he loves hosting athletic teams and Buckeye fans. His enthusiasm for the university rubbed off on me, and it reminded me once of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by tremendous faculty at Ohio State. 

With the end date for Buckeyes In Your Backyard fast approaching, my meetings are still ramping up. It's great to see a strong response from alumni, and I had the opportunity to meet with several this week. One of the highlights of the week was meeting with Adele on Wednesday, and she really made me feel a part of this family that is the Buckeye community. Adele earned her Masters in Social Work a few years ago, and she shared with me her fun experiences of going through a program with students who were much younger than she was. She learned a lot from people my age, and they certainly learned a lot from her. She couldn't tell me enough how much she loves Ohio State, and she is someone that just totally bleeds scarlet and grey. She has helped the Columbus community tremendously for a living by working to provide comfortable treatment for women recovering from addiction, and her service to others was really inspiring. Before leaving, I went to shake Adele's hand, but in that true Buckeye family spirit, she knocked it away and gave me a big hug. Have a great weekend everybody. 

Holy moly, only three weeks left in the internship! Tell all your friends to meet with me now before the summer's gone! Honestly though, I can't believe how fast this internship has flown by. I had the opportunity the other day to reflect with my buddy on my summer of work and how great it has been. I explained to him how lucky I am to interact with a wide-range of people on a weekly basis and gather tremendous insight while doing good for the university and students. This internship has certainly been fulfilling, and I'm excited to finish strong here. My week was cut short since I'm traveling to New Jersey this weekend, but I was able to have one meeting this week. I met with Adam, and the location was Pizza Rustica. Two of my friends had given me horrible reviews on the place, but as an avid pizza lover and critic, I had to give it a chance - I was not disappointed. My conversation over the pizza was fantastic. Adam is a local guy who earned a computer science degree and was able to snag a job downtown after graduation and has been there ever since. He absolutely loves the university and is able to get on campus for football games every year. He was beaming the entire time he was talking about Ohio State, and he is very happy to continue paying it forward after having such a positive experience himself. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Despite the short holiday week, three Buckeyes were still excited to go out of their way and meet up with me (one is later today). The conversations were great, and they all gave me a lot of excitement thinking about exploring different paths after graduation. Chris graduated with a degree in logistics and has held positions with three companies since then, and he highlighted the importance of adaptability and transferability of skills. Adam earned a degree in romance languages and his since begun working with the College of Social Work and is currently pursuing a master’s in public administration. It was really cool to see how experience in the real world really shaped their passions and opened doors for them. I really am very excited to see how things play out in the next year and beyond. I know there are a world of opportunities and endless paths for me to pursue, and I can’t wait to get a start on all of that. But for now, it’s time to enjoy summer and my final year at The Ohio State! 

It was another great week out here in Franklin County. I had the opportunity to meet with four people of very different backgrounds, and the cool thing about this week is that I got to meet with most of them in their professional settings. I got exposed to an architecture and engineering firm, a lecturer’s research, Battelle, and this up-and-coming spot called Starbucks. I really enjoyed getting to meet with people in a wide-range of disciplines and gathering wisdom from them. One piece that stuck out to me included the value in exposing yourself to different perspectives, notably international students, because of the great deal that can be learned from them. Another was the example of multiple alums demonstrating that involvement in organizations and diverse work experiences can prepare you to transform your career in ways that are not possible simply through an education. I hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend! I can’t wait to crush way too many hot dogs!

This was by far the busiest and most enjoyable week of the internship so far. I had four meetings, and as always, I got to engage in some great conversations. And along the way, I got to meet someone that I will forever look up to. Adam Helbling has the most amazing story I have ever heard (check out his website http://www.adamhelbling.com/ ). Adam came to OSU on a full-ride diversity scholarship as a first generation student, was a Mount Scholar, led the water-ski team to a national championship, was linked into SPHINX, and succeeded academically as a civil engineering major. Unfortunately, he struggled with bipolar disorder and drug abuse problems, and ultimately this led to a car accident that paralyzed him while he was still in undergrad. The amazing part of his story is what he was able to do after sustaining such life-altering injuries. Rather than feeling sorry for himself, he found the good in all that he was still able to do and set out to be a positive force in this world. Today he serves as a life coach, motivational speaker, and author. He is one of the happiest people I have ever met and in our short time together I took away a great deal of tremendous lessons about living a life of gratitude and service to others. 

This week I got to attend my first OSUAA staff meeting! It was really cool to be in such a fun yet productive atmosphere created by the incredible staffers over at LAH. I continue to be amazed by the awesome opportunities OSUAA produces, and this week I learned about the efforts in connecting Buck-I-Serv trip participants with alumni clubs and families in the area who host the whole group for meals and tours. No matter where you go, you can always count on a Buckeye being there to help you. To wrap up the week, I met with Aash, a young alum who currently works at Ohio State as a Clinical Research Coordinator contributing to efforts in spinal cord/brain injuries as well as cognitive disorders. As it turned out, we are both from Westlake (on the west side of Cleveland) and had no idea. I had a blast talking with Aash and he was able to give me tremendous insight on achieving a successful finish to undergrad life, making a smooth transition into the real world, and taking time to enjoy the things that make you happy whether it be rock climbing, exploring Columbus’s festivals, or tossing the Frisbee around on the oval. I’m looking forward to several meetings that I’ve got lined up for next week!

Week 3 is in the books! This one had a great end to it as I got lunch with Aaron, a young alum who ran track and studied civil engineering during his time here. I got to learn a lot about his path to choosing Ohio State, what undergrad life was like for him as a student-athlete, how Ohio State has prepared him for his professional career, and how he remains connected to the university through his attendance at all Ohio State home games (where he gets to see his father as an usher!) and relationships with college friends. Our conversation was fantastic and it left me super excited and proud to be a part of this university. I knew I’d have great interactions heading into the summer that would leave me with that feeling, and so far it’s lived up to my expectations. I can’t wait to continue meeting with alums and having more great conversations! 

It was an exciting week – I had my first meetings! As great as sending e-mails is, I really appreciated the change of scenery and actually meeting with the people I had been bugging for the past couple of weeks. I met with two young alumnae who both clearly still have a ton of passion for Ohio State. The first young alumna shared about her favorite spots on campus, how she hangs out with all the great friends she met during college, and how she is no stranger to The Shoe on Saturdays. I had quite a bit in common with the second alumna I met with as we talked about people we both knew from various involvements around campus, and it was fantastic hearing about how engaged she remains by regularly participating in Young Alumni Events through the Ohio State University Alumni Association. To top it all off, my first donations came in! It is amazing seeing the commitment both ladies have to helping provide a great experience to some future Buckeye in Franklin County. I’m super excited get out and continue meeting more incredible Buckeyes!

When I look back at high school senior Owen going through the college decision process I can’t help but laugh. After spending three years at this school, I just can’t imagine there being another university in the country that can provide all of the resources and opportunities that I have been fortunate to take advantage of at Ohio State. Thanks to my financial burdens being eased by scholarships, I have been able to really develop my abilities and pursue my passions. Not having to work during the school year has freed up time that I can spend involved in extracurricular activities such as the Student-Alumni Council, Phi Gamma Delta, and various humanitarian engineering organizations. Most recently, a scholarship allowed me to travel to Guatemala with a group of engineers to put what I’ve learned in the classroom into practice and use my engineering background to assist those in developing countries who truly are in need. I now know that this type of work is something I want to pursue for the rest of my life, and without the resources and assistance of Ohio State, I may never have realized that.

I am eager to get out and meet the amazing alumni who make opportunities like these possible. I can’t wait to hear your personal story of how your Ohio State experience shaped you and where it has led you to this day.

One of my aims during this internship is to raise money for the Franklin County Scholarship Fund so that other students can have such a positive Ohio State experience like I did. Contributions to this cause will have impact beyond measure and will be greatly appreciated.