Earlier this month, at Ohio State’s 2018 Second-Year Transformational Experience Program Expo, several English majors presented their signature projects to a bustling ballroom full of students, faculty and staff confronted with the unenviable task of navigating a room simmering with phenomenal stories just waiting to be shared.

Students who enroll in STEP work with faculty mentors and peer groups and participate in co-curricular activities throughout their second year at Ohio State. After completing the program requirements, STEP students submit a signature project proposal in hopes of receiving a fellowship to bring their projects to life. Signature projects provide an opportunity for students to engage in a transformational experience in one of six core categories: internships, leadership, education abroad, service-learning and community service, undergraduate research or artistic and creative endeavors. STEP is a partnership between the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Student Life that focuses on student engagement and development to enhance second-year success.

The Department of English is proud of our STEP students’ outstanding academic and personal achievements—the depth, breadth, vision and remarkable creativity of which are emblematic of just what our majors are capable of.

Vince Bella

Bella is a third-year majoring in English literature.

Whitney Kneffler

This past May of 2018, I had the opportunity—through the department of English and STEP—to participate in the Literature and Culture of London, a study abroad program that took place during the month of May. Through this class, I took part in an enriching class that encouraged participants to view places throughout the city as having meaning and importance to the people that live there. Though the theme of the class was Victorian crime riction, this was a program that encouraged participants to explore and research their own individual interests, leading to a very diverse and fun series of presentations at the end of the class. During the course of the program, each student completed a digital project, which can be viewed in our display case on the second floor of Thompson Library, as well as had the freedom to explore London and England on our own time, allowing for an incredible flexibility in what I researched and experienced. While each student completed the same program, we each had a very unique experience during our program. For instance, my friends and I (the three of us had taken part in this program together) planned a short trip to Scotland, as well as made a short video that highlighted our experience, which can be viewed on YouTube. This was an incredibly enriching experience, and if I had the chance to do something like this again, I would sign up in a heartbeat.