Peer Mentor

Job Title: Peer MentorLocation: St. Paul CampusPay Rate: $15.57 per HourHours: 5 - 6 per Week

Are you ready to take the next step in your journey at St. Thomas? The First-Year Experience (FYE) is actively recruiting FYE Peer Mentors for Fall 2024!

Who Are You?

We are looking for students who are passionate about St. Thomas, ready to serve first-year students, and want to take the next step in growing their leadership skills. Especially students who:

• have good time management skills,
• can work independently to complete tasks,
• are looking to develop their facilitation and interpersonal communication skills with students, faculty, and staff.
• willing to offer guidance and support to first-year students

Experience has taught us that this role is perfect for students who are ready and eager to become more involved leaders on campus. We welcome applications from students who already manage many responsibilities and hold leadership positions. However, we encourage them to think critically about whether they have the time and energy to commit to an additional role. Please reach out to fye@stthomas.edu for questions about time commitments and responsibilities.

Mentor Testimonial:

"I am so thankful to be part of this program. It has made me so happy to connect with new students and has allowed me to open my mind, connect with other people and learn new things. This program gave the chance to help others that needed support. I am so happy and grateful for this program and the opportunity to be part of it." - Andrea Marcia Zuniga, Current FYE Peer Mentor

"Becoming a Peer Mentor was one of the best choices I have made to better my career skills and grow my community here at St. Thomas. Through this role I have had opportunities to expand my leadership and interpersonal communication skills in and out of the classroom. I have also been able to make a positive impact on the St. Thomas community though my mentoring and connection with first-year students. As an added bonus I also have a lot of fun in this role meeting with students and forming connections with staff, instructors, and other Peer Mentors!" - Anna Check, FYE Peer Mentor

Job Description

FYE Peer Mentors play key roles in assisting first-year students with the transition to St. Thomas. As FYE Peer Mentors, students gain leadership, communication, peer counseling, planning, facilitation, and organizational skills. To help students get started with their experience at St. Thomas, all FYE Peer Mentors will serve as Welcome Days Leaders. Once the semester starts, Peer Mentors will work cooperatively with instructors of the FYEX 100 class to serve as role models for first-year students. Potential FYE Peer Mentors should be genuinely concerned with the needs of new students and actively seek to aid them with their successful transition to the University. Mentors should be proactive in helping direct students to opportunities and resources on campus. Above all they should serve as a "peer" resource that the students feel comfortable approaching with questions or concerns. Peer mentors should be students looking to gain leadership skills, who have the capacity and availability to commit 5-6 hours per week to the role.

Mentors will serve students in one of the following programs:

• First-Year Connex Mentor Program: A mentoring program for first-time first-year students.
• @Home @St. Thomas Mentor Program: A mentoring program for domestic students coming to St. Thomas from outside the state of Minnesota.
• Proud to Be First Mentor Program: A mentoring program for students who are first in their families to attend college, or whose parents did not graduate from college.
• STEM Inclusive Excellence Mentor Program: A mentoring program for underrepresented science, math and technology students.

Peer Mentor Responsibilities

• Attend assigned FYE class each week (FYEX 100)
• Attend Peer Mentor team meetings and trainings
• Check-in with each mentee on at least 3 occasions throughout the semester
• Coordinate and encourage mentees to attend excursions by campus partners to create learning opportunities for mentees to attend outside of class
• Assist students' transition to college life, St. Thomas, and the wider Twin Cities community
• Connect students with resources on and off campus
• Listen to student issues and meet with them one-on-one
• Work with FYEX 100 Instructor to sometimes lead students during in-class activities and help coordinate out-of-class activities
• Assist in facilitating class discussions
• Respond to student e-mails
• Help students adjust and become academically successful
• Treat all student information as confidential
• Mentors should plan on working approximately 5-6 hours per week during the semester.
• Serve as a Welcome Days Leader (WDL) (see below)
• Complete Peer Mentor training and Welcome Day Leader training at the end of August

Welcome Days Leader Responsibilities

• Act as a positive role model and resource to new students
• Guide new students through Welcome Days programming
• Facilitate small group breakout sessions with your FYEX 100 cohort group during Welcome Days around a wide variety of topics.
• Serve as a support for Welcome Days sessions, including checking students in, guiding students, and other duties as assigned.
• Promote Welcome Days social events to new students
• Build a working knowledge of campus and community support services available to students.
• Develop an understanding of St. Thomas values and demonstrate them in action throughout Welcome Days.

Training and Required Dates

• Peer Mentor Training - August 22 & 23, 2024 from 9 AM to 4 PM
• Welcome Day Leader Training - Late August
• Welcome Week Activities - August 28 - September 3

Because of the dynamic schedule of the position, WDLs are asked to not commit to other on campus jobs during the dates of training and Welcome Days.

Once the academic year begins, plan on working 5-6 hours each week in your Peer Mentor role. This position is a first semester position with the potential to extend to second semester based on interest, availability and success in the role.

Benefits

• Gain leadership, teaching, communication, peer counseling, planning, and presentation skills.
• Have the opportunity to build a lasting connection and work closely with a faculty or staff member.
• Sense of accomplishment while performing a valuable and respected community/university service.
• Enhanced skills in interpersonal communication, mentoring, and student success.
• References for future job applications.
• Compensation is $15.57 per hour.

FYE welcomes applicants of diverse races, ethnicities, geographic origins, gender identities, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, religions, work experience, physical and intellectual abilities, and financial means. 

In addition to submitting your resume, please enter your interest, including which cohort you'd be interested in assisting (STEM, First-Generation, Commuter, or Transfer students) in the cover letter section of the application.

Qualifications

Necessary personal characteristics for this position include knowledge of campus resources, connectedness to and involvement on campus, appreciation of diversity, maturity, approachability, dependability, flexibility, good communication skills, willingness and ability to model appropriate behavior, maintain confidentiality, and mentor first-year students.

• • Sophomore standing or above for the semester intended to serve as a Peer Mentor.
  • Interest in working as a teaching-team member with a FYEX 100 instructor (your major does not need to match the academic background of the instructor)
  • Commitment to academics measured by a minimum GPA of 2.5.
  • Enthusiasm for the university, its students, faculty, staff, academic and co-curricular life.
  • Demonstrate pride in St. Thomas and ability to share experiences with others
  • Must be available for mandatory training that will take place August 22 & 23, 2024.
  • Demonstrate an ability to work effectively with diverse populations. 
  • Must have the availability work 5-6 hours/week throughout the first semester.

HOW TO APPLY

To be eligible for student employment, St. Thomas students must be degree seeking at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. Students must be actively enrolled at least part-time in courses for credit. For further information on eligibility please see the Student Employee Toolkit on One StThomas.

On the University of St. Thomas jobs page, follow the instructions to complete an online application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, student employment with the University of St. Thomas may require consent and successful completion of a background screening.

The University of St. Thomas is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.