Students walk to class in front of Withers and Daniels Hall. PHOTO BY ROGER WINSTEAD

On the evening of August 31, 2016, new NC State students who joined Multicultural Student Affairs’ Peer Mentor Program were matched with their mentors, also NC State students, at the annual Peer Mentor Convocation. Austin Butler was there to report on the event.

The Peer Mentor Program (PMP) serves to provide first-year students with support from their fellow peers at NC State. The program originally began in 1980 with faculty and student pairings, and in 1982 it was modified to the Students Helping Students program it is today. PMP mentors assist first-year students with adjusting to the college atmosphere, providing them with campus resources and encouraging them to get involved on campus.

Brittany Hunt, assistant director of Native American Student Affairs, presented the purpose, goals and expectations of the program with the help of mentors and members from the E-Board, who performed entertaining skits. The fun continued with the #SoGoneChallenge, a contest that prompted mentors to submit and perform a rap surrounding mentoring, campus resources and community involvement. Students Dajon Lacey, a junior in business administration with a concentration in IT and a minor in computer programming, and Margaret Peebles, a junior in English, language, writing and rhetoric, delivered fun lines about NC State’s resources, getting involved, and even relationships, which the mentees really enjoyed. Brittany Hunt and Leah Young, assistant director of African American Student Affairs, followed with a video of their version of the #SoGoneChallenge, informing students about the Multicultural Student Affairs office, home of the Peer Mentor Program.

After the mentors and mentees were matched, they formed communication plans to meet up and stay connected and then enjoyed an ice cream social that allowed them to mingle and get to know one another. When asked what she hopes this year’s mentors achieve, Brittany Hunt stated, “I hope that they are able to create really strong and mutually supportive and beneficial relationships with their mentees. I hope that they’re able to communicate with them effectively and consistently. And I hope that they’re able to help the mentees have a very successful first year at NC State and continued success throughout their time at NC State.”

Austin Butler, Civil Engineering, ’18, is a communications assistant in the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.