Positive Development
Ohio Wesleyan Student Builds Toward Career Goal with Youth Group Counselor Role
Name: Keion Stevens '28
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
High School: Briggs High School
Major: Exercise Science
OWU Connection Experience: Stevens worked as a group counselor for youths participating in the four-week LiFEsports summer camp at The Ohio State University. LiFEsports is "nationally recognized as a premier model for sport-based PYD (positive youth development)."
My Group Counselor Role
"I was responsible for taking kids to different locations on campus to do activities such as basketball, football, soccer, pickleball, lacrosse, running, volleyball, and dance. Making sure campers were behaving, participating, and safe was also a responsibility of mine."
Why This Experience?
"I was a camper at LiFEsports growing up, so when I came across the opportunity to be a counselor, I jumped at it."
Favorite Moment
"My favorite moment was the last two or three days of camp. We did the 'LiFEsports Games,' where all the groups competed against each other in all the different activities they did throughout camp. With there being over 20 groups, we competed in groups of four. My group was 7, so we competed against groups 5-8 and won."
Lessons Learned
"Something that tied into my classroom learning was coaching and leading kids in various athletic activities. Although I don't plan on becoming a coach, I plan on rehabilitating athletes (OT/occupational therapy), so I think having experiences like this one is beneficial.
"Experiences like this matter in all aspects of life because whenever something comes easy to you, or you're more familiar with something than someone else, how you go about coaching or teaching them is important."
Why Ohio Wesleyan?
"Small campus, small classrooms, not far from home."
Ohio Wesleyan also has various faculty members familiar with my intended field, and they guide me in the right direction.
Plans After Graduation
"I plan on going to occupational therapy school and becoming a certified occupational therapist. Ohio Wesleyan is preparing me by offering the classes I need to take in order to get into occupational therapy school. Ohio Wesleyan also has various faculty members familiar with my intended field, and they guide me in the right direction."