Peer mentors assist School of Global Management and Leadership students

March 19, 2007

Starting a new semester is tough enough, and the steady navigation of the day’s many and varied hoops just adds to the stress. No worry if you are a School of Global Management and Leadership (SGML) student – the Peer Leadership Program is designed to help.<separator></separator>Peer Leaders are involved in helping SGML students understand how their educational choices and experiences link to the career and personal goals.<separator></separator>“Peer Leaders assist new SGML students to learn and understand ASU and SGML’s policies and procedures,” says Ursula Scheren, the school’s academic services manager. “They help students through the registration processes, provide solid tips for success, advise them about available campus and university resources, and – most of all – give them a sense of community, which gives the students a lot of confidence.”<separator></separator>The Peer Leadership Program helps the school reach out to all SGML undergraduates, and especially incoming freshmen. Peer leaders are the first contact for students. They assist with student questions or concerns and coordinate assigned events and attend various school-organized recruitment or professional development events. <separator></separator>Michaele Kedanis, a senior SGML student, has been a peer leader since last summer and says the program is not only beneficial for students, but for student advisors as well. “We help answer common questions from students and many of the questions involve which class to take and when to take it,” says Kedanis, who is scheduled to graduate next spring. “It is like triage for advisors.”<separator></separator>Students also turn to peer leaders for campus-related advice as well as fun things to do away from the college. Besides helping others, Kedanis adds the program has been of benefit to her, too. “It is a nice way to learn about your college, your degree and your classmates,” she says. “We are all here for the same reasons and many of us have the same kinds of questions and need somewhere to turn. Peer leaders make this whole process a little easier for everyone.” <separator></separator>Mentors in the program are paraprofessionals working in the Student Support Services office, in direct contact with SGML students. As paid student workers, they work 10 to 20 hours per week and commit to ongoing training. Honorary selection criteria include GPA and proven human relation and service delivery skills.<separator></separator>For more information on the SGML Peer Leadership Program, contact Scheren at 602-543-6200.

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