Before most students have even set foot on a college campus, high school senior Ashley Campbell had already begun her journey as a Buckeye. By enrolling in one of Ohio State's most intensive language courses, Ashley earned full-time credit hours and worked toward a future she has been quietly building since elementary school. 

Campbell, a recent graduate at New Albany High School, has not been your typical high school student. Through Ohio State's College Credit Plus program, she took her classes in person at OSU’s main campus in Columbus, not online, not at a satellite location, but right alongside traditional college students as a College Credit Plus student through the OSU Academy Program. While enrolled in full-time credit hours, Campbell took on the challenge of Chinese 4142.01, Intensive Level Three Chinese. The course is rigorous, fast-moving, and uncompromising in its expectations, the challenge that Campbell was looking for

"It's really fast paced and advanced," Campbell says. For her, rigor is part of the appeal, and her passion keeps her going. 

A Friendship That Changed Everything 

Campbell's path to Mandarin Chinese did not begin in a classroom. It began with a friend. 

While attending elementary school, Campbell had a classmate named Himari, a student from  Japan who was placed in her class despite a significant language barrier between her, the teacher, and her peers. There were no language accommodations in place. No interpreter, no structured support system to help Hamari adjust to a new country, school, language, and culture.  

"I felt sorry for her," Campbell recalls. "There just seemed to be nothing there for her." 

That experience subtly planted a seed within Campbell’s mind. She began her language journey with Japanese, drawn by her connection to and concern for Hamari, and by curiosity about the culture. When she reached high school, Japanese was not offered; however, Chinese was. From there on began what would become a deep and defining passion for learning. After exhausting the Chinese language learning opportunities at her own school, she turned to the Academy Program and the East Asian Languages and Literature Department to help her continue her language learning journey.

More Than a Language Class

During the Spring semester at Ohio State, Campbell was taking more than one course rooted in East Asian studies. Alongside her intensive language course, she was also enrolled in Chinese 2451: Chinese Literature in Translation, a class that explores Chinese culture through its literary history. Together, the two courses reflect the dual nature of her ambitions: mastering the language itself while also understanding the history and culture of Chinese speaking peoples. 

Her goal is to double major in Mandarin Chinese and Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) when she officially begins her freshman year at Ohio State in the fall of 2026. The credits she earned as a high school student will follow her there, giving her a head start that most incoming students can only imagine. 

However, for Campbell, this was never about getting ahead for the sake of it. Her high school, she explains, simply did not offer the advanced language coursework she needed to pursue her goals, while Ohio State did. 

"My high school didn't fully support my advancement in East Asian languages," she says.  Coming to Ohio State enabled her to access advanced language classes that would support her academic goals. 

Filling a Gap No One Should Have to Navigate Alone 

Campbell's passion for ESL education is deeply personal. Through friends and sharedexperiences, she has seen firsthand the communication gap that exists between schools and non-English-speaking families. She recalled the awkward reliance on Google Translate during parent-teacher conferences, when she shadowed at an elementary school and explained how important conversations about a child's education easily get lost in translation. 

"I hope that learning new languages will allow me to be the connection in that barrier," she says, “to help with communication between parents and students." 

She has already begun putting that vision into practice. During her previous shadowingexperience at an elementary school, Campbell noticed something simple but impactful: when teachers greeted students in their native language, even just briefly, those students became more comfortable. They became more willing to engage with English. For Campbell, creating a safe and welcoming space for students who are still finding theirfooting in a new language is very important. Ohio State’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literature helps Campbell learn new skills she can apply to her future career every day. 

Expanding Opportunities Through Study Abroad 

At just 16 years old, Campbell earned a full scholarship to study abroad with the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 

"It really opens your eyes to a lot of experiences you would never have experienced before," she says. "It actually made me much more confident about myself. When I went to Taiwan, I really didn't speak much Chinese and was very shy. Studying abroad gave me the skills to be successful in education and everyday life." 

Ohio State's Department of East Asian Languages and Literature offers its own study abroad opportunities, and Campbell is already thinking about where she might go next. Taiwan is on the list again and she would also like to visit mainland China.

College Credit Plus Opportunities 

Balancing full-time college coursework while being a senior in high school is not something most 17 or 18-year-olds would voluntarily take on. Campbell admits it was not easy at first. 

"It took a lot of discipline and took me a while to get used to," she says. 

But through the College Credit Plus program, which she discovered through her high school, andwas further inspired to pursue after watching her sister take courses at Ohio State's Newark campus, Campbell found her rhythm. By completing dual credits strategically, she hastechnically already fulfilled her high school graduation requirements by her high school Senior Spring semester, making her a full-time college student in practice. 

The hard work, she insists, is worth it. 

"It is absolutely worth it," she says simply. 

What Ashley Campbell Represents 

Ashley Campbell is more than a high-achieving student. She is a reminder of what becomes possible when a young person finds a university that meets them where they are and pushes them further than they ever expected to go. 

Ohio State's Department of East Asian Languages and Literature gives Campbell advanced coursework opportunities, a community, a direction, and a launching pad.  

Somewhere out there is a future student who finds resonance with Ashley’s story.  Prospective students are encouraged to explore what The Ohio State University’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures has to offer and consider how it may align with their academic and personal goals. 

Ashley Campbell was a senior at New Albany High School and a full-time College Credit Plus student at The Ohio State University during the Spring 2026 semester. She begins her freshman year at Ohio State in the Fall of 2026, pursuing a double major in Mandarin Chinese and Teaching English as a Second Language.