Family ties: Mother and son embarking on their Buckeye journeys together

Imagine you’re a college student walking across campus with friends discussing your weekend plans or your latest class assignment, when there, across the quad, another student is waving at you…and that student is your mom.

While an embarrassing hypothetical for some, it’s not for Jesse Skomra. In fact, it’s his reality ― and a part of his college experience that he wouldn’t change.

Jesse and his mom, Connie, are both Business Buckeyes: he, a third-year operations management student, and Connie, a student in Fisher’s Full-Time MBA (FTMBA) program.

The unique situation isn’t an example of extreme helicopter parenting. Rather, Jesse and Connie are at Ohio State because they share a passion for learning ― a byproduct, they say, of the family’s choice to homeschool Jesse and his brother, Christopher, from elementary school through high school.

“We chose to homeschool our children because we wanted to make our faith integral to that education,” says Connie. “We wanted to teach them our values, a broader world view and give them a quality education that taught them to be self-directed learners and critical thinkers.”

A foundation for curiosity

Jesse says the academic curiosity that led him to Ohio State can be traced to those homeschooling sessions and, specifically, books recommended to him by his mother. He remembers reading “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth when he was 13, which introduced him to attributes of “stick-to-it-ness,” how to develop these traits and how to achieve more.

“Jesse and I have a unique dynamic,” Connie says. “As his teacher, I was his mom, coach and mentor. Then, and now, I explained that he was on a journey and made sure that he knew I was helping him go from the unknowing to one day becoming independent. This has now turned into mutual respect and admiration for one another.”

Other books broadened his perspective on psychology as a discipline to help him connect with others. Historical books such as “On Grand Strategy” by John Lewis Gaddis challenged him to think critically, while “Systems Thinking – And Other Dangerous Habits” by H. William Dettmer helped him learn to understand complex systems management. These books also sparked an interest in academic strategy, philosophy and psychology.

“There’s often a presumption about kids that have been homeschooled that we aren’t independent or socially integrated,” Jesse says. “Growing up I didn’t have any issues with being independent of my family. In addition to my studies and interests in books, I spent my youth participating in parkour athletics, taekwondo, weightlifting and ‘American Ninja Warrior’-style training.”

Becoming Buckeyes together

Rather than the traditional route of going directly from high school to living on campus, Jesse spent his first two years of college attending Columbus State Community College, where he obtained his associate’s degree before transferring to Ohio State.

“I only have a relative amount of time on Earth, and my parents have a shorter amount of time, so being at home gives me more time to spend with both of them,” says Jesse. “It just made sense from an emotional and financial point of view then as it does now. All my friends are relatively close, so the benefits of living and staying at home ― personally and financially ― for me exceeds a typical college lifestyle.”

Connie’s path to Ohio State is rooted in entrepreneurship. After founding a software engineering startup that provides product and digital services for small local businesses, she realized she needed to learn more about being an independent business owner. She turned to Ohio State and Fisher for that education, beginning the FTMBA program in autumn 2024 with a scholarship from the Robert Weiler MBA Scholarship Fund.

While they’ve always been a tight-knit family, Jesse and Connie have found ways to make their Fisher experiences unique. Jesse is involved with several social clubs, participates in Fisher Impact Day and enjoys business case competitions. Connie is actively involved with a number of student organizations, including the Fisher Consulting & Strategy Club and Fisher’s Graduate Women in Business.

“I love my mom, and while we might commute together and study together on campus, we each have our own space,” says Jesse.

Both of them say they’ve been just as enriched by the Ohio State community as they have by their classes. Jesse has broadened his academic experience by exploring history. He’s met for coffee with faculty such as David Staley, associate professor in the Department of History, to discuss how disparate disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, history and business can converge to help spur innovation.

For Connie, the opportunities for cooperation and friendship at the university and kindness from its donors have been eye-opening and special.

“One of the most fulfilling things I’ve done so far is writing a thank you letter for the Weiler MBA Scholarship I received,” she says. “That scholarship brought a lot of things home for me including the opportunities and generosity of the Ohio State community. As someone from the outside, I hope to do a little bit of good with the scholarship. I want my startup  to be successful and Ohio State and this opportunity is a part of the bigger story.”

“I’m amazed at the camaraderie and community I’ve found at Ohio State. Wherever I go, there always seems to be a Buckeye who is willing to help. I truly appreciate the Ohio State family, because we, the Skomras, are all about family.”