Embedded Files
Being a Peer Mentor
Being a Peer Mentor
As a peer mentor, I have the opportunity of co-planning and teaching a Mastering College course at Dominican University which is held for incoming first-year students to help their transition into college.
The course is held once a week during the Fall 2019 semester and guides students through their first-year of college by developing their digital portfolio, time management and study skills, self-care, and skills for academic success.
Why I Became a Peer Mentor
Why I Became a Peer Mentor
I became a peer mentor to help incoming students transition into the college lifestyle and mindset through giving advice about school resources, upcoming events, and to support the student along this change. As a Peer Mentor, I am able to give advice on a peer level while also being able to direct them to further resources when needed.
Being a peer mentor, I can relate to the nerve wracking and overwhelming experience of starting this new chapter in their life by assuring the student that they do belong at Dominican and that there are many ways to connect with peers of common interests.
Having the position of a peer mentor, I can really observe the transition of how a few students own their spot as a Dominican student while overcoming the challenges of adjusting to this new mindset, friend group, and school.
In my case, being paired up with a mentor of the same major helped me learn more about the nursing program, how to manage my time, and classes. I was able to start my nursing journey with a peer of the same interests and goals while staying in contact to keep her updated with my plans for the semester and how I am doing overall.
As a peer mentor, I hope to gain experience to improve my leadership skills, practice good time management and communication, and to create connections among other students which are all highly valued in my future career.
I have experienced being a peer leader through being a peer mentor in high school, tutor for students in elementary, middle, and high school, during discussions, and volunteer positions. From past experience, I learned to celebrate small achievements, remain in contact, and to stay beside my mentees when faced with a situation.
When my mentees are faced with a problem, it is important to step back and allow them to reassess how they will approach and resolve the problem rather than telling them how they should solve it. I value the journey of students learning how to handle situations and when they need further assistance, to reach out and find resources that can help them.
As a peer mentor, I can also meet new people and make new friends of different majors, interests, and backgrounds, but with a shared goal of being successful at Dominican.
Being a peer mentor for incoming students is an opportunity to further improve my skills of becoming a better mentor while gaining a sense of fulfillment and personal growth.
I believe that being alongside and seeing a student’s transition from the start of the school year to seeing them succeed and being involved in the clubs, events, and resources at Dominican is the greatest gift as a peer mentor.
What I Learned
What I Learned
Being a peer mentor for the first-time in a university setting has definitely been an outstanding experience. Although having been a peer mentor for high school students, helping my peers at Dominican have not only allowed me to learn more about the students I mentor, but at the same time of the resources Dominican University has to offer such as counseling services, student success center, and the integrative coaches. While co-facilitating the Mastering College class held on Tuesday's led by integrative coach Christina Mayes and peer mentor Christina Pathoumthong, I was able to provide guidance to students in-class by prepping and leading class, but also by supporting students outside of class through individual and group meetings.
Report abuse