When I first came into IUPUI, I thought that college was going to be my easy getaway. I soon found out that balancing school, work, and being involved was honestly pretty difficult. My grades weren't as good as they could be, I was overcommitted to too many things, and my anxiety was as bad as it had ever been.
I got accepted onto OTEAM my first year and that proved to me that I was doing okay. However, OTEAM brought me much more than just an experience at IUPUI. My supervisor, Jacob Cole, reached out to me before we even started training that year; he knew that I was struggling. Jacob is the Assistant Director of Orientation, and I thought he was just my boss; I worked for him so I had to listen. But that wasn't it ... Jacob cared about what I was doing and who I was becoming. He sat down with me and coached me, mentored me, and cheered me on. Without Jacob Cole my second semester (and now still), I don't know if I would have been successful or seen myself as successful at IUPUI. He encouraged me to be the best version of myself in all of my roles.
I am now very glad that I'm here as a student and in the roles I am in. I feel confident in my academics and the balance of life outside of that because of the faculty, staff, and students that have pushed me like he did. Jacob, thank you for the hard work you put in here with your work and the students!
Lacy Roberts
Class of 2019
