Benefits of a Peer Mentor

                

"A mentor is an experienced person who provides information, advice, support, and encouragement to a less experienced person, often leading and guiding by example of his/her success in an area." -http://www.ccsf.edu/Services/Mentoring_and_Service_Learning/HTML_Pages/PeerMentoring.html

 Before coming to college I never experienced having a peer mentor. Of course in high school I had a guidance counselor who helped me whenever I needed anything or whenever I needed to talk to someone. But at times I felt as if they didn't enjoy helping and just did it to get it over with because it was their jobs. However, getting a peer mentor in college was way different. Kaitlyn is very helpful and is always happy to answer any questions we have or listen to any concerns we have. As a freshman I didn't really know what to expect. I knew I would have questions and concerns and honestly, I was nervous. I was nervous because I wasn't quite sure who to go to. By having a peer mentor such as Kaitlyn it made me feel 100% better. A peer mentor is meant to help us improve our communication skills, study skills, help us interact with certain events on campus/let us know times and places, and help us build our confidence as undergraduates. I am very proud to say that Kaitlyn meets all of those requirements. By having a peer mentor I feel more comfortable to attend certain events going on around campus and interacting with more students and faculty. One of my favorite things that Kaitlyn does is update us on upcoming events on campus. As a student a lot of things are going on and you tend to lose track of when certain things happen. By Kaitlyn letting us know dates and times, it helps so much. I have learned so much from my peer mentor. Such things include, interacting more on campus, better communication skills, and becoming more confident as a freshman in college. I am so thankful for all that Kaitlyn does in our INQ class and will remember this for the rest of my life.