My name is Ella McCloskey, and I’m a major with a minor scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2027.
When I first moved onto campus at Kent State, I faced some challenges. Throughout my life, I’ve severely struggled with anxiety and depression, and in the very first month of my freshman year, I was diagnosed with ADHD. I entered college as an undecided major. At first, I felt discouraged seeing people meet and bond over what they wanted to do for a career and the classes they were taking to get there. Then I realized that the Flashes 101 program was full of exploratory majors, just like myself, and I made some very good friends.
I first started getting involved with copy editing at The Kent Stater (formerly KentWired). I absolutely loved it. Making friends on the editing team and using my organizational and detail-oriented skills to my advantage to properly format and edit articles and stories is something I genuinely never thought I’d enjoy as much as I did. So, at the very beginning of the spring semester, I declared my major to be .
At this time, I was taking the P.E.E.R. Success Academy course, recommended to me by a friend. This class changed my life, to say the least. I realized that while I was on the right track in deciding what I wanted to do, I wanted to commit more of myself to helping other first-year students at Kent State. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and help guide them through this pivotal stage of life. After much thought and consideration, I applied to be an exploratory mentor and peer success mentor in April of 2024.
Later that summer, I officially changed my major to , with a minor in human development and family sciences. Everything from then on just kept getting better. I love the work I do and the staff at Kent State. They make getting involved and making an impact even easier and more fun than I ever thought.
I have never felt so confident in myself in my entire life, and these opportunities have changed me as a person in so many ways.
I’ve learned the importance of time management with school and work, and how incredibly important it is to take care of your mind and body. I am involved in an on-campus women’s workout and body positivity group called CHAARG (Changing Health Attitudes + Action to Reach Goals), and I’ve made so many friends I wouldn’t trade for anything. It also keeps my mentality grounded during my incredibly busy weeks. It forces me to stop worrying and go do yoga or a nice workout with my friends.
I can’t even imagine what my life would look like if I’d never chosen to go to Kent State.
I am the happiest, most confident version of myself I’ve ever been. With my leadership and undecided first-year student experience, I want to become a career advisor for other first-year students who may have struggled as I did. I want students to know that it’s normal to have a challenging start in college because of how different it is from high school, but there are still so many opportunities to get involved and become the best version of yourself. I owe Kent State for helping me achieve that.
To all students out there, regardless of age, interests, class standing, credit hours, etc., my number one piece of advice is to get involved on campus. Use the resources made available to you through Kent State to learn more about yourself. Once you do that, all you have to do is follow your heart, and my hope is that you are able to feel at home at Kent State just like I do!