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A mentor is someone who is there to help
out their mentees. Where whenever they
need help and guidance, you are there to
provide it for them. Some of things we
have to do as LC mentors are we host study
hours as well as we just plan some fun
events so that way our mentees can have
some de-stress in their busy first
semester of college.
So, as a mentor, mainly what I do is I
gather my students and I give them
opportunities - real-world opportunities -
in the field of
what their major is,
what their interest is, and
trying to get them
connected into the
community. But, other
than that, we try to build their
relationships as a Learning Community
where they live. So, my Learning
Community, for instance, lives in Abel 11,
and my goal is to get them to build
relationships with one another so that way
they can have those connections further on
in the field. Just building relationships,
getting them connections in the field,
getting them applied their first year of
college giving them a head start.
One of the events that we planned this
semester for the Chemistry Learning
Community was a research symposium. So
what we did is I brought in a few
professors, and they worked with the
students to create little research
presentations on some different techniques
that they would use in labs or like in
their professions in the future. So,
basically, our major role is to help the
students learn what their major is and how
to apply it.
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My favorite part about being a mentor is
the peer connections I make. I love
meeting there with my mentees; I see them
all the time on campus, and their like
friendly faces I get to see. Also, I like
the relationships I've created with the
staff and faculty members here at UNL, and
these relationships will last me longer
than I will be here at UNL.
My favorite part is the relationships I've
built with the students. I really wasn't
expecting to get to
know them that well,
but I feel like I've
been able to get know
all of them on
a very personal level.
I get to see them every week between the
events and the Floor Hours, and we just
have a lot of fun. We've had game nights,
movie nights, stuff like that,
and get to know them
in a much more personal level
than you normally would
in a role like this, I think.
My favorite part about being a mentor is
definitely I just get to have a lot of fun
with my job. My co-workers are so amazing
and so fantastic, and fun to work with, as
well as my mentees. They are a really fun
group of kids, and it's their first time
in college, and so we get that connection
with them because you haven't been in
college for necessarily that much longer
than them, so it's a really nice, fun way
to bond as students, and it's enjoyable.
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I wish I would have known how much I
would've needed to know about other
majors. My LC is a lot of majors that are
outside of my expertise, but my biggest
advice is "don't be afraid to go to your
fellow co-workers for what their advice to
them would be because they might have a
better answer than you would."
Don't expect every mentee to be as
involved as your most involved mentees.
A lot of the times, these students, they
have lives outside of the Learning
Community, and we try to respect that, and
I've been very fortunate that my Learning
Community has been the most involved
Learning Community I've seen in a long
time - my own included when I was in the
Learning Communities. Just the amount of
involvement that they have, I'm very
fortunate, but don't take it too hard on
yourself if there's one student that isn't
getting involved as the other students,
and just recognizing that's not your fault
and just understanding that not everyone's
going to be involved and be grateful for
the ones that are involved.
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One benefit for being a Peer Mentor is the
connections that you make with the
facility members, your fellow mentors,
also your mentees, and the other faculty
and staff that you meet, as well as
prominent members here at UNL's campus and
in Lincoln. Also, one good thing that you
get is three meal swipes, as long as you
remember to say you're using an
"Admin Swipe."
The best part about being a mentor is the
connections that you build in the LC.
Whether that's the staff in the LC, the
foundation your Learning Community is
based in, or the college, just building
your circle early in your college life is
super crucial, and we get to do that; not
only as mentors, but mentees as well; they
get to do that. Plus, the food benefits
are great as well, and you get to build a
flexible schedule. There's not too much
stress with it; it's an easy-going job
that I enjoy, I get paid to do it, and I
get to build those connections and help
these freshman through
their first year of college.
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