Tagged: ODI SP24 Graduation

Global citizenship: It’s a concept that continues to grow in importance as the world becomes increasingly interconnected—and few embody it better than Arón Olegnowicz-Cruz.

A high-achieving Mexico City native who grew up in suburban Cincinnati, Olegnowicz-Cruz knew from a young age that he wanted to improve educational equity, especially for folks from diverse backgrounds.

The enduring power of love and the importance of advocating for social change were on the minds of student speakers as about 150 scholars took part in ODI's Graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 2nd at the Ohio Union.

"We don't shy away from tough conversations, we welcome them," said Alex Abreo, a Morrill Scholar graduating with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. "Our own university arrests students for exercising their First Amendment rights. Students--more than ever--we need to stand up and be a voice of the voiceless."

If you had asked 17-year-old Regina Loayza where she envisioned herself in four years, her answer would have been instantaneous: anywhere but The Ohio State University.

Yet when the COVID-19 pandemic hit during the Columbus native’s senior year of high school, Loayza landed at Ohio State. Now on the brink of graduation, the fourth-year Latine Student Success Scholar believes that twist of fate was instrumental to her journey.