HONORS 198: Student Mentors Ease College Transition, Build Community

By Phyllis Shier, WSU Honors College – peshier@wsu.edu

*Robin Bond, Honors College Assistant Dean; Emma Johnson, student facilitator; Miles Boudinot, student facilitator; and Grant Norton, Honors College Dean meet to discuss Honors 198*

HONORS 198: Honors First-Year Experience is an optional one credit, pass/fail course, offered every fall to ease transition to college and to promote student retention and success. Sections are capped at fifteen students for a low-key, collegial environment with eleven sections offered this fall. Incoming students learn about clubs and undergraduate research, internships, study abroad, and applying for awards and scholarships. They receive advice on registration, resume building, and on preparing for interviews.

“The idea was to come up with a first semester class to help students feel connected to the Honors College and community,” said course leader Assistant Dean Robin Bond. While many honors programs offer a similar course, having it led by students is unique to WSU. “Right from the start, it was decided that it would be taught by Honors students, so it would be a peer mentoring program as well.”

Facilitators are recruited as early as sophomore year, so classes are advised by peers who recall the first-year experience. Emma Johnson was invited to teach by Bond and Griffin Rinauro, the student who taught her. “My freshman year facilitator…inspired me to work hard and to follow my passion. It’s an honor to be part of such a high-achieving and supportive group,” Johnson said.

Miles Boudinot took the course and became a facilitator this year. “Honors 198 provided me an opportunity to breathe during my first semester. My facilitators did a tremendous job at serving as resources for my questions and concerns as I made that transition.”

Last year, Bond presented on HONORS 198 at the National Collegiate Honors Council conference in Chicago. “People were really excited to know more about how it works, how students are chosen, and how they’re trained to lead their own classes,” she said. Prior to leading courses, incoming facilitators meet as a group to learn program goals and to explore honors community and facilitator values. “Belonging” is a value that often arises. “We really want new students to feel that their facilitators are mentors who can help them with that,” Bond explained.

Two sections of HONORS 198, focused on building leadership awareness, are co-facilitated by Bond and Dean Norton. “Oftentimes there will be students in my leadership section where I think ‘that person would make a great facilitator,’” Bond said. Students like Boudinot and Johnson.

“I hope first-year students leave with a sense that their WSU experience is uniquely theirs and that they have the potential to make a meaningful impact. Above all, I want them to know they can always lean on the supportive honors community we’ve built together,” Johnson said.