Seniors at Westerville South are taking initiative to make their “Intro to Adulting” project a reality for students. The class will teach skills like filing for taxes, preparing for interviews, insurance plans, and financial literacy.  

The OSU Student Leadership Research Collaborative gives students a platform to create the change they want to see in their schools. The OSU Collaborative is student led and allows them to share ideas on issues within the school district.  Each Westerville high school has their own individual project, and participating students attend sessions with speakers from January to May.

Dr. Keith Bell, leader of the collaborative and director of leadership development for Northeast Ohio Education Service Center, as well as lecturer of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University, said, “students are picked by staff members to complete the Ohio State University (OSU) Student Leadership Collaborative.”

The seniors in the collaborative are working on turning their project into lessons for students.

 During the fourth quarter of last school year, members of the project sent out a survey to students at Westerville South. Four hundred people responded to the survey and of that four hundred, 90% responded saying they believe Westerville South needs classes that would be beneficial to students after high school.

The plan is to incorporate lessons like how to write resumes, how to prepare for interviews, and how to file for taxes, into our core classes. For example, adding resume writing into English classes.

Dr. Bell also invited a news team from Spectrum in order to spread the word about the project. Senior, Diana Atieh who is also a part of the project said she “feels happy to be a part of a project that helps others and makes a difference.”

Atieh encourages students to join the program and to get involved. Especially since, she said, “Students have the opportunity to take this class and we do have the chance to offer it . I think it would be beneficial to them.”

Atieh is one of the six girls who met with Superintendent Dr. Kellogg to speak with him for a place for this project in Westerville schools. Dr. Bell stated, “The idea is to put staff together and ensure the implementation of the topics either this semester or the next.”

Dr. Bell encourages students to become involved.  He said, “When you all as young people come to the table educated, informed, and with facts, you can change the world.”