Peer Mentors

This week we talked about other peer mentoring groups. I thought Megan and Cory did a great job. I liked the activity we did and they had great discussion questions that went with it. Doing the activity helped me compare and contrast other peer mentor groups with the one that I am in. It helped me see that there are a lot of similarities because one of the main reasons for a peer mentor is to assist and help others fit in or answer their questions. The group also usually consists of similar groups of people, whether it be the same major or the same financial situation. There are a lot of differences between peer mentor groups though, like what their meetings consist of, how frequently they meet, or even how personal their meetings get. I think that the Hixson program allows freshman to become friends with the students in their recitations and with the advisers and peer mentors. I think that this is one of the main reasons for peer mentors at Iowa State. I know that I was very nervous my freshman year and it helped to have that small class to go to where I was able to discuss with classmates and learn about campus and things that were not part of my curriculum. I feel that I have grown tremendously since my freshman year and I think that Hixson was part of the reason. I am excited to be a Hixson peer mentor next year and help the freshman get accustomed to college life and to help them feel like they belong here. That is what peer mentors are for!