From mentee to mentor: Kinshuk Tella’s reflection on his time at Miami University

SADIE CHILDS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

If Kinshuk Tella could pick one quote to define his experience at Miami University, he would choose, “In order to be a great leader, you need to be a great follower.”

Tella has done many things during his four years at Miami. He is a double major in environmental science and geology, a resident assistant, a treasurer on the Students with Disabilities Advisory Council (SDAC) and more. He’ll walk away from Miami with not just his two bachelor’s degrees, but his master’s in environmental science with a concentration in water resources as well.

Tella is from Dayton, Ohio, and ended up coming to Miami because of his liking for the programs and faculty here.

In Tella’s own words, “there is value in being diverse,” something he has both learned and embodied at Miami.

Tella is legally blind, and has used his experiences to help other students with disabilities.

Last summer, Tella helped lead a pre-semester program to help students with disabilities transition into life at Miami.

“It wasn’t until I came to Miami, I met other people that have had those same lived shared experiences and it meant a lot to me,” Tella said.

But more than the things he’s accomplished are the people he’s managed to uplift along the way.

Annastashi Blesi, who met Tella back in 2021 when she started advising the SDAC, described Tella’s impact on those around him.

“He is this powerhouse that is so innovative and uplifting of other people,” Blesi said.

When Tella won the Presidential Distinguished Service Award this spring, he was nominated by not just one or two people, but five. During Thanksgiving, Tella put up a bulletin board in his hall asking people to write what they were grateful for. Most of his residents wrote “Tella.”

Though Tella would never brag about his accomplishments, he simply leads by example.

“That’s just quintessential Kinshuk,” Blesi said. “Sharing his experiences so other people are comfortable and so they know that he’s a person they can share their experiences with.”

Tella will be in Washington D.C. this summer interning through a nonprofit called the American Association of People with Disabilities.

“I still haven’t found that career path that kind of clicks with me, and that’s OK,” Tella said. “And so I’m still very much exploring different options. The biggest thing I want to explore right now is government. I haven’t tried that out.”

Even though Tella is preparing for the next steps after his academic career, the students, faculty and staff at Miami who know him are sad to see him leave the university.

“We are so excited for him,” Blesi said. “But we are definitely going to miss him.” childssb@miamioh.edu

TEDDY JOHNSON CO-HUMOR EDITOR

As Ryan McWood’s time at Miami University nears an end, the seventh-year linebacker from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, looks fondly upon his academic tenure. His seven years of playing football for Miami have been riddled with challenges from the beginning.

McWood joined Miami’s football team as a preferred walk-on, meaning he didn’t receive an athletic scholarship to join the team. He earned one Division II football scholarship but opted to try his chances playing Division I football at Miami instead.

Since no Division I schools offered him an athletic scholarship, McWood felt he had a chip on his shoulder and something to prove as a walk-on. He cited that desire to prove himself as fuel for the fire that developed in his and his fellow walkon teammates’ hearts.

“The walk-on mentality is really a powerful thing,” he said. “A lot of guys on the team who have been walk-ons and got put on scholarship have a little something different in their mindset.”

Despite being a walk-on, McWood stayed committed to his practice and seized any opportunity presented to him.

“It’s a long journey, especially as a walk-on,” the linebacker said. “You’re never gonna get the first [team] reps. You’re never gonna get even the second or the third reps. It might be the eighth rep you might get, and you have to take advantage when you get that opportunity.”

The COVID-19 pandemic spoiled McWood’s fifth season, and an injury prevented him playing in his sixth year, but he did not let these challenges faze him.

“Staying positive through all that and learning to just kind of take it day-by-day and not try to go from A-to-Z but try to go from A-to-B — that 1% better every day kind of mindset,” McWood said.

While many would quit in the face of all these setbacks, McWood’s love for football and his desire to play at the next level kept him coming back. He encourages anyone facing setbacks to not give up.

“Just keep believing in yourself,” he said. “Know who you are as a person and what you can bring to the table.”

Fellow linebacker on the Miami football team, Matt Salopek, sees McWood as a big brother and someone with a great football IQ who he loved playing with on the field.

“He was always there for you on and off the field, ” Salopek said. “I hope he does great things in the future.” john1595@miamioh.edu