Ignite Seminar
Ignite Seminar
Peer Mentors
Peer Mentors
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Ignite Seminar/ Course Design Materials / Peer Mentors
Research has suggested that peer connections can be an important factor in fall-to-fall retention of first-year students. To this end, you, as a returning Ignite Seminar faculty member, have the opportunity to have one of your former students serve as a peer mentor for your upcoming Ignite seminar. This former student can serve as a role model and resource for your current students as they navigate their first year and, in particular, your Ignite course.
To select your peer mentor, you may put out a general call for students to approach you if they are interested, or you can reach out to a specific student individually.
A student is eligible to participate if they:
1) will be an undergraduate student in the semester they support your class
2) have completed your Ignite Seminar (the same one they will be supporting)
3) are available to come to a majority of your Ignite seminar classes and meet with you on a regular
basis (i.e. once a week or so) to discuss how they might assist with the class.
The stipend is $400, paid at the end of the semester.
If you want to have a former student serve as your Ignite peer mentor, first reach out to them to assess their interest in doing this.
If a student is interested and meets ALL eligibility requirements, please reach out to core@slu.edu, and we will follow up with you and your peer mentor about next steps.
Peer Mentor Testimonial
Peer Mentor Testimonial
Core Peer Mentor Orientation Session.pptx
Taniya Weston, Ignite Peer Mentor
Taniya Weston, Ignite Peer Mentor
Fall '23 "Reasons for Poetry" class
Fall '23 "Reasons for Poetry" class
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Taniya Weston, sophomore, joins the Core this year as an Ignite Peer Mentor working with Dr. Ellen Crowell's Ignite Seminar: Reasons for Poetry. In this Ignite Seminar, students together read one new poem each week. Then, they conduct independent research on the poem and come back the following week to collaborate to understand the poem in more complex ways.
Taniya enrolled in this Seminar as a freshman in Spring '23. When she walked into the classroom, she quickly realized that this was a different kind of course than she was used to. "There was not one right or wrong answer," she said. "Instead, the expectation was to come as you are and write as you are." She learned that the central goal of this course was for all students to bring themselves to the content. At the end of the semester, Taniya volunteered to be a Peer Mentor the next time Dr. Crowell taught her Ignite. Taniya is excited about being present this fall for a new group of Reasons for Poetry students.
All Ignite Peer Mentors attend every class session and work closely with an Ignite faculty member to coordinate efforts to support students. They often serve as role models and resources for first-year students, offering advice for student success. Taniya plans to meet with students one-on- one in a place of their choosing so that there is a "relaxed vibe." She also wants to help first-year students see that, although they may feel challenged and overwhelmed, they are not alone in their struggles. She notes, "Hey, I get it. We can all go through this together."
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