Mel Sweigart
Get to know Mel Sweigart! This Buckeye for Life took their first job in IT during their senior year in college and, luckily for us, they never looked back. Mel keeps the university community connected as an email and Microsoft 365 subject matter expert on the IT Service Desk team. Off the clock, Mel stays busy with a daughter in first grade and hobbies like knitting, crocheting and baking! Mel dreams of traveling to Germany one day to the town where their father emigrated from, so if you have travel tips for Mössingen, let Mel know!
Q: What is your role at the university? I am the email and Microsoft 365 subject matter expert for the IT Service Desk.
Q: How long have you worked at Ohio State? I just had my five-year anniversary of working for Ohio State last month.
Q: Have you worked on any large projects since you’ve been here? I’ve created a training program for introducing new IT Service Desk employees to the email system and have worked with others in IT Service Desk knowledge management team to refine our knowledge management processes within the IT Service Desk. I also assisted the UES team with several projects related to reorganizing accounts as departments have changed and been renamed.
Q: What are you currently working on? What does a typical day look like for you? With the beginning of autumn semester, most of my tasks revolve around helping new faculty, staff and students access their email, and helping departments through changing groups and shared mailboxes to reflect their new priorities for the new academic year.
A typical day involves changing permissions, names or email addresses for existing accounts, creating new accounts, assisting frontline ITSD staff with questions they may have about email or Microsoft 365, performing mail traces, and troubleshooting account problems.
Q: What do you like best about your job? I love that every ticket is a new puzzle to solve, and that I am part of a great team that is dedicated to assisting our faculty, staff and students get the most utility out of their email and Microsoft services.
Q: Did you always know this is what you wanted to do as a career? While I have always loved working with computers, IT was not my first choice. I was going to Ohio State for a degree in Anthropology when I got my first IT job during my senior year to pay for school, and ended up finding that it was something I was good at and had a passion for.
Q: How did your career path bring you to work for us? I had been working in medical IT for a local medical practice for over a decade supporting their telecommunications, including pagers, fax servers, mobile phones and Microsoft 365. I loved the work and that I was in a service-oriented field, but I wanted to find a new position that would push my skills forward. My sister already worked for Ohio State in ESUE (now named SAE), and she let me know that OSU had an opening that matched my strengths and would give me the opportunity to learn new systems. I jumped at the opportunity to put my skills to work for my alma mater where my work would continue to support a mission that helps improve people’s lives.
Q: Why did you choose to work at Ohio State? My family has a strong academic leaning, with my sister and father both working at universities, and my mother and grandmother working at K-12 schools. I was working for a medical practice, and wanted to continue working in a role that was in service to others. I love that my work at OSU serves the mission of education and research, even if it is indirectly.
Q: What was your very first job? My first job was as a cashier and ice cream maker at a UDF in my hometown of West Chester, Ohio.
Q: Where did you go to college? I earned my bachelors degree here at Ohio State and have also taken some classes at Columbus State Community College to continue my IT education.
Q: Where are you from originally? West Chester, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Q: What is your favorite place to visit? St Louis, MO. It has several museums, a zoo, an extensive botanical garden, and lots of great food and wineries in the surrounding area.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I would love to travel to Germany and visit Mössingen, the town from which my father’s family emigrated.
Q: Can you tell us about your family? I have one daughter, who is the light of my life. She’s in first grade and keeps me very busy. My father and mother are both still in my hometown, but I see them most weekends because they want to spend as much time as possible with their only grandchild, my daughter. My sister works here at the university.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of work? Do you have any hobbies? I love fiber arts, particularly knitting, sewing, and cross stitch. I want to eventually learn crochet, weaving, and quilting. I also enjoy baking and cake decorating.
Q: What kinds of things are you passionate about outside of work? Science education, travel, food and crafts.
Q: What is something most people might be surprised to know about you? I love Tiki culture and Disney.
Q: Favorite place to eat in Columbus? Huli Huli in Powell.
Q: Best concert you’ve ever been to? VNV Nation in Pittsburgh several years ago.
Q: Favorite quote? “Und ich tantz’ einfach weiter.” Translates to “and I simply keep dancing.” Its from a song from one of my favorite bands, and for me it means that you have to keep moving and enjoying yourself no matter what happens.
Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie? I have too many favorite books to name just one, but the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy have been favorites since my father read them to me when I was a child.
Q: It’s 9 p.m. on a Saturday. What are you doing? Playing board games with my family.
Q: Give three adjectives that best describe yourself. Knowledgeable, anxious and curious.