Marina
BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering
It’s a real honour that just by being involved in my mentees' lives, I was able to make their first semester easier and enhance their student experience.
Being a Peer Mentor
For many students, the transition from A-levels to university is difficult. I chose to become a Peer Mentor because of my first year as a student. I was lost and I felt trapped in several different ways, and I felt like I wanted to drop out and go home sometimes because of the stress. When I found out about the Peer Mentoring scheme, I was very excited because I did not want anyone to go through what I went through during my first year. I reasoned that by becoming a Peer Mentor, I would be able to help many students by explaining how the whole university process works.
As a Peer Mentor, I set up meetings with my mentees to explain the things that they may not understand or are unsure of and I give them advice based on my own student experience. A mentee can expect their Peer Mentor to guide them through their first months of university and to be a good listener. There are a few moments at the beginning of university when students might be questioning their course and if they made the right decision, or they may think that they are not good enough to be here and have nobody to talk to. A Peer Mentor can be there during these times to make them believe in themselves and encourage them to keep on going because they have achieved a lot already just by being here.
Benefits of being a Peer Mentor
As a Peer Mentor, I have developed leadership and time management skills. As a second-year student, I do not have a lot of free time, but I would always make sure I made time for my mentees. I have improved my communication and other interpersonal skills and the role has helped me become more confident in my own study skills and reinforced my knowledge of Stage 1 subjects.
I was overjoyed when I found out that I had been nominated and won SAgE Peer Mentor of the Year. One of my major objectives for the year was to assist as many new students as possible and to be named Peer Mentor of the year, I believe I have accomplished this goal. It’s a real honour that just by being involved in their lives, I was able to make their first semester easier and enhance their student experience.
For me, being a Peer Mentor was a very pleasant experience which led to me not only being my mentees’ mentor, but also their friend. We have built a special connection that will keep going for a long time and I think that everyone should have the opportunity to experience something as nice as this.