Dear Journal,

This past week I saw a change in my first FYS class of mentees. The professor began class with role-call, but she did so with a twist. After names were called, students were assigned numbers; those numbers would soon represent which discussion group the students would be in for the first part of the class. After the students organized themselves and were given their topics, which all revolved around different aspects of society's view regarding virginity, I overheard a lot of varying thoughts, opinions, and ideas. In some cases, professors don't necessarily like allowing the students to talk in smaller groups for lengthy periods of time due to the possibility of veering off track. However, according to my observations, the students were really engaged and interested in the prompts they were given, which was an excellent sign! The challenge that I forsaw at that moment was if the conversation would continue after they broke out of the smaller groups. Fortunately, this tactic seemed to work! When the professor decided it was time to reconnect everyone as a whole, they were willing and ready to share! I even heard new voices sharing their thoughts! There were a few moments, however, when it was bit difficult for the professor to quiet down some students.

All in all the first big group discussion was very fruitful, but after the excitement from that conversaton died down, overall class participation declined. I did enjoy the class though; I was pleased to see how engaged the students were, and I think the professor and I made a breakthough with this class! We just have to work on ways in which we can keep the conversation going until the end of class.

In my second class of mentees, the professor didn't break them up into smaller groups for discussion, since they feed off of the active engagement dynamic. They, again, brought thoughts to the table that weren't mentioned in the previous class. There was a student sitting near me who seemed a bit timid, in that he was shy to contribute and share his thoughts and feelings when a prompt was posed. I noticed he was looking around and waited for another student to participate first, and then he added his input. It's not a terrible thing, but I want to see his confidence in himself boost throughout the semester.

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I had one coaching session this past week. Initially I had three in total scheduled, but two cancelled. I understand that things do come up; however, I will be asking the students in class to please let me know beforehand either through text or email. The one coaching I did have went extremely well! My mentee is a forensic psychology major who is ready to push herself to achieve great success, and I'm already proud! She expressed interest in the BA/MA Program, as well as the NAMI Club at John Jay, which consists of a national alliance that supports those who are mentally ill. She had plenty of questions regarding internships with the FBI, as well as research opportunities with professors, which I was happy to talk about. This was the first session that really flowed for me, and I loved it! After our session, I sent her an email with information and recommendations for different opportunities on campus. I can't wait to check in with her!

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Late Thursday (09/22) night one of my mentees scared me a bit. She follows me on social media, so she private messaged me asking if she could come to the office Monday to cry. I immediately went into protective mode and gave her my number so we could talk. Needless to say, by the end of our conversation she was feeling better. I assured her I will always be there for her, which helped her feel more at ease. I'd say that was the highlight of my week.

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Lastly, I wanted to call my mentees who were invited to be a part of the JumpStart workshops, since one of them called the office to express concern about them. Thanks to Jay's input I not only mentioned JumpStart, but I also invited them to attend the two special events coming up this week: Inside Scoop and The New York Times guest speaker event. They seemed really excited about Inside Scoop, and one mentee actually wanted to hear more about the National Correspondent! So, hopefully, when I talk up the events in class again on Tuesday, I'll see that same level of enthusiasm that I heard over the phone.

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Here's to this upcoming week!

Until next time,

Samantha