Dear Journal,
This past summer was a bit difficult for me, in terms of deciding whether or not I wanted to stay at John Jay. Coming back to campus to reunite with my SASP team solidified my decision to stay. They're my family now. I feel more connected to the campus, to the professors, to the students. I hope that if any of my freshmen mentees ever feel the way I did, they confide in me, so I can be the support they need...just like SASP was, and still is, for me.
This past week I had the pleasure of finally meeting my mentees. On Tuesday, August 30th, I sat in ANT 100 from 9:25am until 12:05pm. Two classes filled with varying types of students, but the same amount of excitement was felt in each.
In the first class, I automatically walked in with the professor and introduced myself. Taking a seat toward the back of the room, I waited for class to begin. Before class began, a girl in the row in front of me noticed I was sitting by myself and offered me the seat next to her - all the while not knowing who I was yet. I thanked her and introduced myself to her, to which she smiled. The professor introduced me as a new student toward the end of class; that made me nervous because I wasn't a new student to the class. Nevertheless, I addressed the class as their Peer Success Coach, and the majority of them seemed happy with meeting me. They were welcoming and respectful.
I spoke with the professor in the ten minutes we had before the start of her next class. She was very welcoming, but she notified me that she never received my emails, so she thought I was someone else. I felt more nervous speaking to the professor than the students. I wanted to remain professional, but I also wanted to showcase my bubbly personality. It wasn't a challenge for long though because we clicked! I am excited to work with her throughout this semester.
In the second class, I immediately felt myself becoming biased toward them. As the students flooded the room, a friendly, family-like atmosphere took over the class. The professor stepped out of the room for a few moments before class was scheduled to begin, so I took that time to briefly introduce myself to the students. A few girls recognized my name, smiled, and waved excitedly. I felt much more comfortable with this group of students. I loved them! I noticed that I was more engaged in the material, and the professor appeared to be more ethusiastic with that class. I addressed the students more formally toward the end of class, just as I did with the first group of students. This class was comfortable with asking me questions; one girl asked to come back down to the office with me because she had a few concerns. Turns out, she wanted to have a success coaching session right then! That experience made me less nervous about proposing sign-ups for coaching sessions.
Throughout the rest of the week, mentees recognized me in the halls and we exchanged greetings. Overall, seeing my mentees smiling and making friends made me really happy. I can't wait to see them all again on Tuesday (September 6th)!
Wilber, a freshman, has known me since elementary school days. We've been in the same schools ever since Pre-K. Whenever he had free time, he came to the office - either with questions or just to say hi. He did have one specific concern regarding his ENG 201 course; I listened to his whole situation, and we both formulated ways in which he could solve the problem at hand. Ultimately, he felt more comfortable after he spoke to me about his concern.
Pictured here: Wilber and I, on the first day of classes :)
I'm excited to begin success coaching sessions with my mentees, and I'm thrilled to be working with such a sweet and knowledgeable professor.
I am so ready to be the best Peer Success Coach I can be!
Until next time,
Samantha
Pictured here: My SASP Family
1. Nancy Yang
GRADE 3/2
10/15/16, 09:55 pm