During the Fall of 2016, I was privileged enough to serve as a peer leader to not just one, but two learning communities. These learning communities, consisting of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology students, were my responsibility for the entirety of the semester and, at first glance, was a tough pill to swallow.
As some background information, learning communities consist of freshman students, usually in the same major, led by a "peer leader" who is usually a student in the same field of study. The learning community helps students acclimate to this giant leap into university life by providing them insight into the university, their college, their major, learning skills, opportunities and a plethora of other topics. Meeting for an hour twice a week, students in LCs are provided the opportunity to form core friendships with people in their majors and given the opportunity to have a peer leader who can empathize and relate to how they feel being a freshman in a new university.
Initially, the thought of leading two learning communities seemed like an extremely daunting task. Balancing the planning and running of two LCs along with having 18 academic credit hours and a range of on campus involvements? Needless to say I spent some sleepless nights in panic mode. However, I have absolutely no regrets. All these tasks taught me how to really manage my time as a student and employee. My organizational skills increased tenfold as I did not let the weight of my responsibilities bear down on me, knowing full well that I had around 40 freshmen engineering students to lead. I learned how to organize my day, create task lists, and generate agendas so procrastination doesn't get the best of me. However, the rewards I reaped being a peer leader in itself outweighed my increase in organization. These kids inspired me week in and week out as I watched how they transformed from unsure kids to responsible college adults. I taught them everything I knew, from tips to studying to chemistry to all the underground tunnels snaking the engineering buildings to where to get the best sushi in Clifton. Their passions, goals and experiences inspired me and motivated me to discover and explore my own passions. Having numerous conversations both in class and one on one withe each of my students taught me about their struggles, their problems and their resiliency, provoking me to learn and apply empathy in order to relate and understand how they must be feeling. Whether it was discussing sensitive topics in class or pitting both my LCs against each other in the "Ravi Seker Dodgeball Championship", the experiences I had with my learning communities were unforgettable.
It wouldn't be a complete reflection if I didn't talk about the amazing peer leaders I met during my time serving as one. I learned so much from my fellow peer leaders and gained many important friendships. I could always count on them to help through various points in the semester, whether it be related to learning communities or not. Constantly being around some of the most involved student leaders on campus really broadened my horizons and showed how much more this university had to offer. Lauren Bosselait and the entire First Year Experience team were always open and welcoming and I could always count on them to help a new struggling peer leader like myself. Overall, my experiences as a peer leader taught me so much about myself and the world around me and I am grateful for everything FYE has provided to me.
As some background information, learning communities consist of freshman students, usually in the same major, led by a "peer leader" who is usually a student in the same field of study. The learning community helps students acclimate to this giant leap into university life by providing them insight into the university, their college, their major, learning skills, opportunities and a plethora of other topics. Meeting for an hour twice a week, students in LCs are provided the opportunity to form core friendships with people in their majors and given the opportunity to have a peer leader who can empathize and relate to how they feel being a freshman in a new university.
Initially, the thought of leading two learning communities seemed like an extremely daunting task. Balancing the planning and running of two LCs along with having 18 academic credit hours and a range of on campus involvements? Needless to say I spent some sleepless nights in panic mode. However, I have absolutely no regrets. All these tasks taught me how to really manage my time as a student and employee. My organizational skills increased tenfold as I did not let the weight of my responsibilities bear down on me, knowing full well that I had around 40 freshmen engineering students to lead. I learned how to organize my day, create task lists, and generate agendas so procrastination doesn't get the best of me. However, the rewards I reaped being a peer leader in itself outweighed my increase in organization. These kids inspired me week in and week out as I watched how they transformed from unsure kids to responsible college adults. I taught them everything I knew, from tips to studying to chemistry to all the underground tunnels snaking the engineering buildings to where to get the best sushi in Clifton. Their passions, goals and experiences inspired me and motivated me to discover and explore my own passions. Having numerous conversations both in class and one on one withe each of my students taught me about their struggles, their problems and their resiliency, provoking me to learn and apply empathy in order to relate and understand how they must be feeling. Whether it was discussing sensitive topics in class or pitting both my LCs against each other in the "Ravi Seker Dodgeball Championship", the experiences I had with my learning communities were unforgettable.
It wouldn't be a complete reflection if I didn't talk about the amazing peer leaders I met during my time serving as one. I learned so much from my fellow peer leaders and gained many important friendships. I could always count on them to help through various points in the semester, whether it be related to learning communities or not. Constantly being around some of the most involved student leaders on campus really broadened my horizons and showed how much more this university had to offer. Lauren Bosselait and the entire First Year Experience team were always open and welcoming and I could always count on them to help a new struggling peer leader like myself. Overall, my experiences as a peer leader taught me so much about myself and the world around me and I am grateful for everything FYE has provided to me.