Two Guttman Community College staff members and four Peer Mentors attended the National Mentoring Symposium at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) October 9-11 where they led a workshop and peer mentor panel discussion. The conference was geared toward undergraduate and graduate students from around the country who serve as peer educators in various capacities as well as program staff and faculty. Attendees shared ideas and best practices for personal and professional development to strengthen their skills and increase their understanding of strategic methods to mentor students.
The Guttman conference contingent included Danny Ambrose, Director of Mentoring & Student Success, Andrew Bennett, Assistant Director of Mentoring & Student Success, and the following Peer Mentors: Maryam Choudhury, Amy Iftikhar,
Jovanni Lezama, and
Anthony Tejada. The team’s workshop, Enhancing Student Success through Faculty, Staff, and Peer Mentoring Partnerships, highlighted how Peer Mentors at Guttman support the interdisciplinary learning environment in the first year experience by co-facilitating our unique Studio experience and by participating in the Learning about Being a Successful Student seminar. Presenters also discussed how Peer Mentors foster student academic achievement by working alongside Writing, Biology, Chemistry, and Math faculty in the classroom and by facilitating peer-led of out-of-class study sessions. Additionally, Peer Mentors shared how they support teaching and learning by utilizing an ePortfolio to share strategies of success, provide feedback on student work, and reflect on their own mentoring experiences.
