Bethany Meadows Interned at the Ohio State Reformatory and Works for the AU Writing Studio

2015 Nov 10

Ostrander resident Bethany Meadows, who is an Ashland University junior English major with a creative writing and a public relations & strategic communication minor, served as an intern this summer for the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, and started her writing assistant position this fall with the Ashland University Writing Studio on the Ashland, Ohio campus.

Meadows is the daughter of Christopher and Diane Meadows of Ostrander, and she is a 2014 graduate of Buckeye Valley High School.

Meadows had many responsibilities with her position at the Ohio State Reformatory as the Public Relations Intern. She managed social media platforms, which included analyzing current data, creating daily posts and developing new content for their media pages. One major project she completed for the Ohio State Reformatory was cultivating a social media plan book with a detailed account of what to post every day for three months.

Meadows overcame trials and tribulations during her internship, but her Introduction to Public Relations class made it possible by preparing her for daily tasks and giving her knowledge on how to compose a particular social media post.

The Ohio State Reformatory was first built on Nov. 4, 1886, by Levi T. Scofield, a Cleveland architect. The doors opened in September 1896 for 150 prisoners, however, it held over 155,000 men before it closed on Dec. 31, 1990. The Ohio State Reformatory is most well-known as the setting for the movie Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and many other familiar names in the entertainment industry. Individuals visit the Ohio State Reformatory to experience the rich history, to explore famous movie scenes and to witness any paranormal activity.

Along with her internship, Meadows gained experience with her current work at the Ashland University Writing Studio. The Writing Studio is a resource for students to meet with writing assistants for guidance on their papers. Assistants lead students through courses they have already completed and help generate writing goals. Meadows was approached by Dr. Jayne Waterman about the opportunity and her available recommendation.

At the Writing Studio, Meadows collaborates with students and uses her experience to help them with their papers. Meadows analyzes a paper's thesis development, structure, organization, how well the student engaged with the reading, and their MLA/APA formatting style.

Meadows said, "The Writing Studio has become my passion, and I have learned many lessons about my life by working here. First, I learned how to help others become better writers through insight on my own strengths and weaknesses as a writer. It is reiterated to me daily that no work is ever perfect, and everything can be constantly improved and cultivated. Second, I knew that I had found my path in life, which is arguably one of the best experiences in the world. Finally, I learned that sometimes the most incredible experiences happen for a reason in people's lives. I never imagined that such a seemingly simple concept could lead me to find such complex ideas of love, passion and determination. I could not be happier for the experience the Writing Studio provides me in my writing, in my life and in my future goals. However, the help that this experience provides for me is nothing in comparison to the benefits for other students."

After graduation, Meadows plans to attend graduate school for English. She wants to eventually go into Rhetoric and Composition, and then teach at the university level. In addition, Meadows wants to open her own bar and call it "Tequila Mockingbird."

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category for 2016, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###