Peer Advisor
I worked with the Orientation and Family Programs office from January 2020 to January 2022 and helped introduce incoming students to FIU. Even though I worked as a Peer Advisor for two years, each year was different and special in its own ways.
Year 1
My first year was filled with excitement for the new journey I was about to take. Initially, all of our training sessions that were helping us prepare to welcome new students to FIU were in-person. At the time, COVID-19 had not impacted the United States just yet. However, by March the entire university shut down and the nation, along with the rest of the world, was faced with a pandemic. The rest of our training sessions were moved to Zoom and every Orientation was also on Zoom. Many left the team before Orientation season officially started. However, I wanted to see this journey through to the end. I was unsure whether or not the Orientation and Family Programs office was going to allow people to return as Peer Advisors for the following year since it had never been done before at FIU. As such, I wanted to continue in the position for as long as I could, even if it was not the position I imagined it to be. In the end, I still made friends and got to meet the incredible individuals that were entering FIU while I also made connections with the academic advisors from every department.
Year 2
With COVID-19 restrictions lessening and Orientation taking on a hybrid style, the Orientation office asked if any of the 2020 Peer Advisors wanted to return for another year. This time, we had some in-person Orientation sessions and some virtual sessions. This time, I was coming in with experience. My goal was to help the new Peer Advisor team as they transition into their new roles. I also wanted to grow more as a leader considering I was going to be interacting with the team and incoming students in-person. The Orientations may have all functioned in similar ways, but the people and their stories changed. With this experience, I was able to understand people more and learn how to better interact with people from a variety of backgrounds that may be different from my own.
