Finding a Home, Around the Globe

By Shanti Lerner

Growing up half a world away in the Philippines to a Filipina mother and American father, the words “Buckeye” and “Ohio State” didn’t exist in my vocabulary or my neighborhood. And they certainly were never uttered in my household. After all, my father was a Michigan graduate.

But when my initial college choices didn’t click, I applied to Ohio State and, once accepted, visited Columbus with my family. The warm welcome of my tour guide, this beautiful campus and the vibrancy of its growing city made me realize this university was right for me. My dad’s lifelong bias disappeared, too.

My first interactions in Smith-Steeb Hall immediately put me at ease as my roommate, hallmates and supportive resident advisor befriended me like I had known them for years. It’s a trait I came to know as Midwestern warmth, a kindness that reminds me of Filipino hospitality.

That was just the beginning of what Ohio State would provide me. Our university gave me faculty members who cared, who asked if I was OK when I looked down or frustrated. It took me abroad to serve others in El Salvador. It helped me become fluent in Spanish, connecting me to millions of non-English speaking people around the world. It gave me the opportunity to work many of its amazing athletic events, helping me find my passion for television production with Big Ten Network Student U. It helped me to become a better writer and to have many of my articles published in The Lantern. Our university also provided me a home away from home with the Pilipino Student Association, where I found fellow Buckeyes who shared my culture and loved to celebrate it. Above all, this community opened my mind, showed me a world of opportunity and inspired me to continue learning for a lifetime.

Thank you, Ohio State, for giving me and my fellow graduates an education that challenged us to reach outside our comfort zones. For lifelong friends. For incredible memories. And for a safe and vibrant community in which to grow and thrive. I can truly say I received a world-class education.

I never thought I was meant to be a Buckeye. Now, I can’t imagine being anyone else.

Shanti Lerner ’19 graduated May 5 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.