Hi everyone!
For today's post and some other future posts, I am going to be talking about my different experiences and involvement in college.
I have attended two different colleges and held on-campus jobs at both. During my time at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, I was a work-study for housing and student life. I helped create posters and hang them up across campus. It was a very basic job but it got me some experience and I enjoyed it!
At the University of Northern Colorado, I have held various on campus jobs. Last year, I was a resident assistant. This job was fun, but also very taxing and I had a hard time adjusting to my working environment. I learned how to deal with situations that were very frustrating. I really learned what it was like being in a difficult work environment. Most of the other RA's were friendly, but there was a select few that just made the job really hard to do. My supervisor (who is no longer at UNC) was very difficult to work with and was never willing to accommodate my needs. These were some of the various reasons that I am no longer an RA.
This year I have two on campus jobs: being a member of UNC Student Senate and a GOAL peer mentor!
I ran for student senate last semester and got voted in as a senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for this school year! With this job, I have office hours to meet with other students, university administration, and other members of Student Senate. I get to have a voice for the student body and I think that is really cool!
Last of all, starting last year, I had a professor who recommended me to the Go on and Learn (GOAL) program at UNC to become a peer mentor. It is a program that assists students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that want an opportunity to attend UNC but that cannot always have a full course load. There are many students in the program. What is unique about this program is that it also has students that are not directly in the program, but are involved as peer mentors. In January of this year, I was hired on as a peer mentor.
My position as a peer mentor is very unique as I am also a student with a disability (I receive services from the campus' Disability Resource Center) and I am helping other students with disabilities. I help mostly with academics (mentors can pick for academic, social, or vocational support). The thing I like most about my job is that I can connect with the students I work with in a different way than most of the other mentors can. I understand some of the students struggles with their disability because I have had those struggles myself.
I am not just a mentor and the students I work with are not just students, we are friends. Shannon is one of the GOAL students I work with and we connected pretty instantly when we met. I help Shannon with class assignments when she needs it and we also hang out outside of school. We have gone to basketball and football games, gone to get coffee or tea, and we have even done FaceTime over this winter break! It is really rewarding to see Shannon and all the other GOAL students accomplish their goals knowing that peer mentors helped them get there!
On-campus jobs are very useful as they are fun and I can work and get paid without having to go very far. The added bonus is how much I love my on-campus positions!
On the next post in my college life series, I am going to talk about academic supports I have used throughout my time in college and how those supports have benefitted me!
Until next time,
Caitlin.
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