Freshman year can be a trying and confusing time, especially if you come from a minority background. This is why the Office of Diversity and Inclusion created the Peer Mentor Program.
“We started the program in order to connect freshmen from historically underrepresented backgrounds to upperclassmen from similar backgrounds and to provide both mentors and mentees with academic and social support,” Norris Chase, executive director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said. “Ultimately, the program was created to ensure that students are retained here, enjoy it here and eventually graduate.”
Members of this program believe it is a beneficial offering on campus.
“Bradley University is a predominantly white institution and it can be hard coming into class and seeing no one who looks like you, including the professor,” Lupe Flores, a senior nursing major and peer mentor, said. “It’s nice to have at least one friend who looks like you and understands where you are coming from. It feels amazing and it puts you at ease.”
The Peer Mentor Program was created during the fall of 2013. According to Chase, the program started with 25 mentors and 20 mentees, and it has grown since then. This year there are 40 mentors and 70 mentees.
“My first year with the program I had one mentee; this year I have two,” Flores said. “I tour them around campus, expose them to helpful resources and services, introduce them to any organization I’m a part of and just hangout with them at the Garrett Center or anywhere.”
Since the program has grown, the process of choosing mentors has become more selective.
“For mentors, we look for individuals who exhibit academic achievement, exhibit some type of engagement on campus and exhibit some type of passion to help incoming students,” Chase said. “For mentees, we’re simply looking for any student interested in taking advantage of the program and the resources and community it provides.”
Flores said her time with the peer mentor program has been a very rewarding experience.
“I’ve become good friends with my mentees and my fellow mentors,” Flores said. “I really wish I would have had this program during my freshman year. It would have helped me get the ball rolling much earlier if I had someone showing me the ropes.”
For more information about the Peer Mentor Program students may contact Chase at nchase@bradley.edu.
