Student Outreach and Success

The PennWest California Peer Mentoring Program has been shown to greatly increase college students’ likelihood of staying in school and completing their degrees. First-year students who have mentors move on to their second year of college at an average of a 13% higher rate than first-year students without mentors.

In this program, new incoming first-year and transfer students (protégés) are paired with mentors who are current PennWest students, typically in the same major to serve as a support and resource person.

The benefits of the program:

• Helps students recognize individual goals or needs and their mentor assists them toward attaining those goals.
• Provides students with self-reflection, problem-solving, and communication skills that employers want to see.
• Encourages clear and anxiety-free interaction peer-to-peer.
• Offers students with resources for success as well as other campus resources.
• Fits the student’s individual needs and is intended to help the protégé and mentor grow.

The Peer Mentoring program offers each protégé:

• A built-in resource who can answer questions and tell you what to expect when you arrive on campus
• A guide to help you find your way around, before and after classes start
• A contact who can keep you up to date on requirements and deadlines in your major and show you how to get involved in campus life
• Assistance with time management skills
• A support person who is paired with you for your first academic year at PennWest

How to get involved:

If you are interested in becoming a peer mentor or you would like to request a peer mentor, email mentoring-cal@pennwest.edu or call 724-938-1682 for details. The program is for on-campus undergraduate students.