Taylor Schwein: A Student Impacting Students
by Gregory Greenblatt
“I am just a graduate student here. Do they really want to hear my opinion?” Taylor Schwein, RN, asked herself as she entered her first meeting as graduate student trustee for The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, which is responsible for major university decisions involved in overseeing budgets, academic programs and employment.
Schwein is one of two student trustees who have the privilege of serving on the board. Schwein’s role as graduate student trustee is special because she has voting privileges, unlike student trustees at many other universities who are allowed to attend meetings but not vote.
“I was really nervous walking into the first few meetings because everyone had a lot of experience and are truly experts in their field,” Schwein said. However, after attending these meetings she was extremely relieved to realize how much the board values students’ opinions. “They are so incredibly welcoming and helpful, and they really want to hear from the students on the board,” she said. “The confidence they gave me made me realize that I am here for a reason and can make a true difference.”
Finding her path
Schwein said she never understood the importance of mental health until taking Mindstrong, an evidence-based cognitive behavioral skills-building program focused on improving adult mental health and well-being. Then, it became her goal to provide mental health resources to anyone who needs them.
In her junior year, Schwein became the first person to deliver the Mindstrong course in a peer-to-peer format. “My students felt comfortable chatting with me about their hardships,” she said. “They trusted me to help them, which is really meaningful to me.” This student-led format was proven to be effective.
“This program is helpful for everyone, no matter what you think you need. We all go through hard times in our lives. It’s never going to hurt anybody to have those tools for resilience and stress management available to them.”
College of Nursing impact
During Schwein’s freshman year, she went to a “meet the dean” breakfast at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center where she met Dean Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN. At breakfast they discussed Schwein’s ambitions and realized that they had similar goals. Melnyk promised that if Schwein got into the honors pre-nursing track, she would be her mentor.
Schwein said, “Working with Bern has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel really lucky that I got to not only be at the College of Nursing while she was the dean, but then also got to work with her so closely as a mentee … she’s always in my corner ready to help me.
“I always felt that the College of Nursing believed in me,” she added. “They believe in our goals and give us the confidence boost and opportunities to ‘walk the walk’ and accomplish our goals.”
