Today's Update: High Five Friday

June 5, 2026

Dear Student Life team,

Happy High Five Friday!  

I hope you had a good time at the O-H! What a Year Celebration this week. A huge High Five to the committee that planned and staffed the event including Dave DeAngelo, John Faul, Sarah Geisler, Jaylen Lindsey, Morgan Marshall, Anita McCoy, Annette Misenko, Aubrie Smith, Sean Stewart, Tracy Stuck, Hannah Warner and Angie Wellman.  

High Fives as well to those who helped out at the celebration, including Candyce Williams, Scott Brown, Erica Regan, Zia Ahmed, Kellie Uhrig, Abby Hertzfeld, Marci Shumaker, Micky Sharma, Kristen Rupert Davis, Shina Drummond, Matthew D’Oyly, Ryan Lovell, Travis Barnhart, Matt Couch, Matthew Crone, John Cronin, Drew Foley, Joe Hast, Josh Bodnar, Nate Bidwell, Matthew Wallace and Justin Wilds. 

I also want to High Five you for all your hard work this year. You and your dedication to supporting students and each other is why we have so many remarkable things to celebrate.  

Photographs taken at the event are online at OH! What a Year Celebration 2026 and you can provide your thoughts on this year's event in this feedback survey. 

Last weekend was the annual Special Olympics Ohio event in and around RPAC and other spaces across campus. A number of Student Life departments were instrumental in making the summer games a success, from event planning and hosting, feeding and housing the athletes to making sure the competitions went smoothly. High Fives to everyone involved, including Elijah Balogh and the Events and Conferences summer student assistants, Zia Ahmed, Abby Hertzfeld, Barb Kefalas, Morgan Gill, Rahul Ponappa, Eric Jaburek, Megan BeVier, Jennifer Nelson, Jennifer Schoolcraft, Fred Swank, Shana Parker, Matthew D’Oyly, Leah Fetters, Gabe Simms, Lori Green, Zachary Talstein, Skylar Getty, Ally Meyer, Gideon Miller, Stephanie Arcio-Williams, Roger Garland, Danielle Bereznay, Zach Rall, Brian Bassitt, Steve Hicks, Chad Crumwell, Michael Gassen, David Grigg, Ben Flores, Matthew Wells, Josh Karnap, Jason Young, Kai Hug, Sarah Harrison, Edward Sanfrey, Vincent Bell, Jada Clawson, Nathan Linder, Sean Anderson, Christopher Leonard, James Skidmore, Jordan Conner, Darlena Hanovich, Cloey Demura, Nathan Nguyen, Reynaldo Thurston Jr, Kayla Millender, Yuuki Demura, Martel Thompson, Avery Dixon, Michael Orr, Walter Smith, Dave DeAngelo, Alex Jimenez, Faith Nelson, Peter Miller, Kyle Manley, Nathan Marks, Quynci Swales, Jonah Bacho,  Nabil Shehata, Jevon Witcher, Mekdes Wassie, Courtney Atwell, Admassu Demisse, Julie Millington, Matthew Brookins, Alexis Cecil, Ciera Dawson, Calvin Miller, Cameron Black, Abdel Rhnim, Kadiatou Sow, Robert Martin, Zach Talstein and Recreational Sport student Facility, Member Services and Special Event teams, Alvin Pass, Baijanti Gurung, Jas Magar, Donta Cook, Kevin Elliott, Eboni White, Kay Joiner, George Stanley, Josephine Obeng, Margaret Afosaah, Moses Gweh, Haby Berete, Ray Portis, Melchor David Sandoval, Anthony Ellis, Debra Mosley, Lulu Geiger, David Campbell, Amoin Yao, Martina James, Aicha Traore, Tana McBroom, Francisca Tarazona, Suyapa Medina, Rennette Garner, Amilise Avrissaint, Roxy Espiritusanto, Beena Rai, Devi Sapkota, Cindy Moss, Nar Magar, Dora Cross, Simone Hager-Alexander, Ibrahima Diallo,  Andres Collins, KN Sapkota, Alonzo Rupert, Lauren Meng, Theresa Quansah, Veronica Owusu-Boadi, Catherine Dzacka, Georgina Boateng, Francoise Musoni, Gondar Gebrekidan, Isidro Ramos-Vargas, Magdalene Mensah, San Tamang, David Adu-Adjei, Herb Agueda, Candice Williams, Eric Maye, Jeremiah Jones and Birkha Gahatraj. 

A special High Five to Dave DeAngelo, who, as you saw in Slice this morning, was inducted into the Special Olympics Ohio Hall of Fame during the Summer Games.  

High Five to Audrey Howard of Buckeye Commons for giving a truly remarkable act of kindness to a co-worker and her family.  

High Five to Nancy Thompson for sharing her time, insights and practical tools on “Coaching Up” with our Assistant and Associate Directors—creating valuable opportunities for both practice and meaningful discussion on diverse approaches. 

Dining’s Amber Morse gets a High Five for her calm and quick-thinking approach to handling a sensitive orientation situation in Scott Traditions.  

High Five to Rec Sports’ Pete Miller for always taking such good care of the Orientation team when they are in rec facilities.  
 
They say, “when it rains, it pours,” and the university’s Orientation team learned this in a real way during the storms last week. They want to give a high-water High Five to the Student Advocacy Center team and Caity McCandless for rescuing the Orientation packets from a watery demise.  

Have a Scarlet and Great weekend, and, most certainly, Go Bucks!   

 

Melissa S. Shivers, PhD  
Senior Vice President for Student Life   
The Ohio State University