Amanda is a senior psychology major who enjoys photography.
Amanda knows firsthand some of the struggles that first-year students face. As a commuter student her freshman year, she had a difficult time adjusting to the campus. Amanda took on the FYE Peer Mentor Position aiming to inspire and uplift first year students. She elaborates on her experience below.
What made you want to become a peer mentor? My freshman year I participated in an FLC. Unlike the FLCs of today, I did not have a peer mentor. On top of that I was a commuter student and getting to know the campus and what it had to offer was a difficult task. The way I came to know about all the offices here on campus was by myself as a result of trial and error or because I had a problem I needed to solve. I wanted to offer freshman, both resident and commuter students, a better first year than I had. I wanted to help ease the stress and chaos that comes along with being a new student on a new campus.
What was the best part of serving as a peer mentor? I would have to say that the best part of service as a peer mentor is helping students with their questions about university life. College can be a fun time but it can also be a very stressful time. I remember during a one on one with my mentee, she said to me “I’ve been so excited about meeting with you because I had so many questions, I knew you would be able to answer them.” That is probably the best part. It really feels good knowing that someone is relying on me like that.
Did your responsibilities as a peer mentor interfere with your studies? Not at all! If anything, serving as a peer mentor made me a better student. All jobs come with added responsibility. I feel that serving as a peer mentor taught me how to truly manage my time. It has also taught me how to become a better public speaker and to communicate more effectively.
How did you balance school work, campus involvement and the peer mentor position? Time management, time management…oh and time management! Did I say time management?? I would have truly fallen apart if I did not have a planner. I would say it is about setting priorities and deadlines for accomplishing tasks. This makes life so much easier!
Would you recommend this position to a student seeking a leadership position? Most definitely! This is a wonderful job! Leaders are often people who love knowing information and relaying it to other people so that they can become leaders too. This is a great position for that! You learn a lot about Georgia State University. You are a main information hub for your mentees. As a result, you are giving this information to future leaders. It creates a chain reaction. It is wonderful!
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