Peer Mentor Program seeks new staff members
Peer mentors discuss Welcome Week activities in the Cottrell Hall study rooms with incoming freshmen. Photo submitted
By Julie Burkett
Organizations Editor
o you need leadership skills on your resume? Do you enjoy getting to know new people? High Point University is looking for more students to become peer mentors for the incoming freshmen class.
The Peer Mentor Program is designed to allow students the chance to lead the incoming freshman through their first year at HPU. The program helps upperclassmen get more involved and prepare to take on other leadership positions within the university.
Prospective peer mentors go through training and a leadership program where they become certified to lead others. This allows them to become certified in NASPA Certified Peer Educator training, sharpen their resumes and build important life-saving skills.
After training, peer mentors are assigned to different families. A family is a group of peer mentors led by one peer mentor on the Executive Council. These families allow a network of peer mentors to work together to better lead the incoming freshmen.
Peer mentors start their relationship with the freshman class during the summer before the fall term. They reach out to new students and answer questions about the move- in process. Welcome Week comes next. Welcome Week serves as a freshman’s first week of college, during which they become more familiar with HPU.
The week includes bonding activities, such as ice-breakers and diversity seminars, for incoming students to learn more about themselves and their new classmates. For example, this year’s freshman class participated in a bonding activity with their peer mentor groups that required them to build bicycles. Later, each group gifted the bicycles to local children in need.
The peer mentor program consists of 100-115 upperclassmen. Peer mentors act as the freshmen’s “first friend,” guiding them into the college setting, as many students could have trouble adapting and working on their own.
If new students have questions about college life that they feel uncomfortable asking their Success Coach, they can turn to their peer mentors. This program is designed to make freshmen feel less lonely while they start at HPU, helping them to have the opportunity to thrive.
“Students learn to evaluate what matters to them and what matters to the university,” said Scott Wojciechowski. “We try to show them that they can solve problems while giving back to the community.”
Peer mentors commit to continuing training sessions during the spring semester and summer before Welcome Week.They are also required to help the freshmen class move in and come to campus before other upperclassmen. The program is also ideal for students who don’t already have overly busy schedules and, who intend to work for the Office of Student Life.
Anyone interested in being more involved with leadership opportunities are encouraged to join the peer mentor program. Students can reach out to the program’s president, Francesca Mauceri, or the program director, Scott Wojciechowski, at peermentor@highpoint.edu.