Fall orientation is one of the most important times for our department as this is when we welcome our upcoming students. Due to this high influx of work and support for the students, Global Student Ambassadors are hired. GSA’s are students who are employed by the department to help with the upcoming cohort of students. The GSA’s have been in the program before and therefore are better equipped to connect with the students on a more personal level to help then through their program. A peer/ student mentor is defined as “a person who provides guidance, support, and practical advice to a mentee who is close in age and shares common characteristics or experiences (Beltman & Schaeben, 2012; Kram, 1983). It is particularly important for our program to have student mentors as all of our upcoming students are international and non-native English speakers, therefore, it is important for them have a continuous support system as they are being immersed into this new culture.
Through observing the GSA’s, I have been able to see the first-hand impact a student mentor can have on new students and the different relationship they have with them compared to with staff. Through this observation, I have identified a clear link to the placement objectives number 3. (see Appendix 1). I have been able to gain an understanding of how employing these GSA’s has a huge benefit on our students . Furthermore, I am able to enhance my interpersonal skills to work together with the GSA’s to reach the organisational goal to ensure students have the most positive time they can at Northeastern. According studies have shown that “university-based peer-mentoring programs, especially during the first year, can help students feel more connected and integrated to the university (Glaser, Hall, & Halperin, 2006), which increases student retention (Ward, Thomas, & Disch, 2010) and their likelihood of graduating” (ACT Incorporated, 2010). Supporting this, according to a study conducted by the University of Chester, seen in Figure 1, having a mentor has helped 87.5% of mentees/ new students settle into university. These results are very positive, and we hope that they will also reflect on our program to assist our students in graduating from the NU Immerse programs.
Abby Duncan 