McKenna Sickels Helping First-Year Students as a Peer Mentor at Lebanon Valley College

2014 Jan 10

McKenna L. Sickels of Gilbert, Pa., was selected to serve as a Peer Mentor at Lebanon Valley College during the 2013-2014 academic year. Sickels is pursuing a bachelor of arts in English and is a graduate of Pleasant Valley High School.

LVC's Peer Mentor Program begins during orientation and continues throughout the first semester. This program eases the transition of new students to LVC. The primary goals of the program are for new students to succeed socially and academically, to ensure that each new student has an upper-class student from whom they can seek assistance, and to help students become well acquainted with other new students.

New and transfer students are assigned to a group composed of 10 other students who likely share the same major. Every group is led by a Peer Mentor, an upper-class student who has displayed leadership ability and a willingness to assist new students during their first year of college. Peer Mentors serve as positive role models and acquaint all new students with LVC's structure, services, and culture.