Honors College Peer Mentoring Program

The purpose of the Peer mentoring program is to help incoming students adjust to life at University of West Georgia and the Honors experience by enhancing group support and community within the Honors College.

Peer mentors are current upper division students in the Honors College that work with groups of 5-10 newly admitted Honors College students throughout the academic year.

In addition to small group meetings and events determined by the mentor/mentee groups, the Peer Mentors also work with the Honors Council, the student governing body of the Honors College to plan several large-scale meetings and community engagement events and help facilitate student involvement in these activities.

Peer MentoringObjectives, Details, and Application

Peer Mentoring Objectives

To enhance group support and community within the Honors College
To assist new students with transition to UWG
To encourage mutually beneficial, positive and lasting relationships between students
To provide peer mentors with opportunities for developing skills in leadership, group facilitation, communication and event-planning
To enhance mentees’ abilities to interact comfortably with people and groups from diverse backgrounds

Peer Mentor Details

Being a Peer Mentor is a great opportunity for upper division students to serve the Honors College community. Students serving as mentors will receive community engagement hours for their volunteer service. As such, peer mentors are expected to meet the following requirements:

Participate in a mandatory ½ day training session that will take place at the end of Spring Semester and a refresher training at the beginning of Fall Semester
Provide a picture and bio to be posted on the Honors College Website
Introduce yourself to your mentees prior to Fall Semester
Attend the Honors College Cookout on the last day of Pack Premiere (usually the day before Fall classes begin) to meet your mentees
Meet with mentees as a group at least 3 times each semester and help facilitate student involvement in and the planning of Honors College/Honors Council community engagement and social events
Maintain an open line of communication throughout the semester with mentees
Remind students about upcoming events and encourage students to attend programs sponsored by the Honors College and/or Honors Council
Refer students to campus resources
Log all contact dates you have with your mentees using the student contact form
Meet with the Honors College Advisor once a semester for evaluation. At the end of the Academic Year, Peer Mentors who have met all of the criteria will receive 30 Community Engagement hours for their volunteer service.

Peer Mentor Application

All applicants must have completed at least 30 credit hours and be in good academic standing in the Honors College to be considered for the positions of Peer Mentor. If you are unsure of your Honors College Standing, please email honors@westga.edu.

The Peer Mentor application for the 2023-2024 Academic year will open in Spring of 2023.

Peer Mentee Details

Students are assigned to mentoring groups with students with similar majors or majors within the same college.

Once paired, students will be provided with the name of their mentor. Before arriving on campus, students will receive an introduction email from their mentor and will have an opportunity to meet with their mentor at the Honors College Cookout on day 2 of Pack Premiere.

Throughout the academic year, there will be many opportunities for students to engage with their mentoring group through small group meetings and other Honors College meetings and events. We hope this program will allow students the opportunity to ask questions, meet new friends, get involved, build connections, and start to become part of the Honors College community of scholars.

Peer Mentoring Groups

Peer Mentoring Groups 2022-2023
Peer Mentor	Peer Mentor Group
Ashanti Lane, Biology	Hello! My name is Ashanti Lane and I am a Biology major with a focus in premedical studies here at UWG. I am excited and honored to be a peer mentor for incoming students in the Honors College. It can often be difficult to navigate your way through college and I hope to not only be a source of help and advice to you all but a friend as well. I can't wait to meet you all and see you at Honors events and other events on campus!
Payton Massey, Marketing	Hi! My name is Payton and I am a Marketing major. I'm excited to act as a friend and guide to incoming Honors College students. I love that I will be a helping hand to someone new and hopefully become someone a new student can rely or just a friend on a stressful day. When I was a freshman, I always knew there was someone I could reach out to if I ever needed anything. This is a real comfort when you are navigating through your first year.
Crishunna Williams, Mathematics	Hi! My name is Crishunna Williams and I am your First Year Honors College Mentor. I am a Mathematics major with a minor in Economics. I am very excited to support you throughout your journey here at University of West Georgia. I am looking forward to meeting you & learning more about you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any concerns or just need a friend to confide in. There are so many different ways to get involved on campus. I’ve learned that students who are involved in activities are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and adjust more easily to college life. I want to be there for you so if there is anything that you need, please let me know!
Courtney Vance, Foreign Languages & Literature	Hey! My name is Courtney Vance and I’m a Foreign Languages and Literatures major with a concentration in Spanish with P-12 certification. I’m super excited to be a mentor for upcoming freshmen in the Honors College. Being in the Honors College has given me so many unique opportunities and I can’t wait to see what it will do for you! I know college can be scary and stressful, and that’s what I’m here for. I’m always ready to help in any way I can!
India Garcia, Speech Pathology	Hello! My name is India Garcia and my major is speech-language pathology. I’m excited to welcome the new students to the Honors College! It’s a great program at UWG that helps connect hardworking students with like-minded peers and reach new heights. If you need any help, I’ll be sure to guide you on the right path and answer your questions. I hope that we can become friends and enjoy all the upcoming campus events!
Tayte Fuqua, Biology	Hey! My name is Tayte Fuqua, and I am a Biology major. I am so excited to be a peer mentor for upcoming Honors College students! I was a first-year student last year because I completed a Dual Enrollment program in high school. For that reason, I remember precisely how overwhelming the first year of college can be. With that said, I am here for each of you if you ever need anything. I am excited to see what each of you accomplish this year!
Reece Cook, Nursing	Hi! My name is Reece Cook & I am a Pre-Nursing major with a minor in Biology. My time at the University of West Georgia Honors College has been one of the most invaluable experiences in my academic career. I am excited to be able to serve upcoming Honors College students as not only a Peer Mentor but also as a friend & helping hand. I am always here to help guide & navigate new students through this experience!
Malachy Stanek, Psychology	My name is Malachy. I am a psychology major with a minor in biology. I can't wait to get to know you all!! I am not just a mentor but a friend and someone you can always come to. Whether you want to talk about a class or you need to decompress from a long and stressful week, I am more than happy to be there for you. Freshman year can be stressful and I want to help make the transition easy as possible!