Gathered together in the quieted halls of the ASO building are a mixed batch of students. Hailing from different walks of life, they stand out as an odd collective; wearing black “I Am” Pierce college tee shirts with the same vigor an officer would wear the Medal of Honor. This is the core of the Pierce College Peer2Peer program.
Peer2Peer is both similar yet distinctly different from other counseling services on campus. The program mentors invest themselves in the emotional, mental, and scholastic well-being of their mentees. Their goal is to help students—new as well as existing—gain a strong footing in the college network.
Among the mentors in attendance at the group meeting is international developmental studies major, Joe Hernandez.
“Our goal is to reshape the approach to the campus lifestyle,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez, 28, is the mentor for 12 mentee’s at Pierce College. Like his program colleagues, Hernandez maintains an average GPA of 3.0 and is actively involved in campus life.
This is a stark contrast to the way he approached academics as a college freshman.
“Ten years ago when I went to university out in Illinois, I flunked out.” Hernandez said. “I got six F’s and a C.”
In the time that he has spent at Pierce, Hernandez met mentors of his own that taught him how to “be a successful student.” Because of his past, Hernandez can relate to the struggles his mentee’s are experiencing; from the very minor to the extreme.
“The feeling of sitting with a mentee and listening to them tell you their fears and their hopes and their dreams is indescribable,” Hernandez said. “I understand it because I have been there. I understand that self doubt.”
Now married and a father of two children, Hernandez pursues education with enthusiasm and tenacity. He believes this success is the product of balancing the personal with the academic.
“Students, I feel, all have the ability to succeed but let outside calamities keep them from the sanctuary that is academics.” Hernandez said. “That is why I became a Peer2Peer mentor.”
Since the Summer Bridge Program meeting earlier this year, 200 Pierce College students have enrolled with Peer2Peer. While the majority are high school graduates seeking help with adapting to the campus lifestyle, there are those that have joined as mentors.
Zhanna Martirosyan, 20, is psychology major and a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma society. Similar to her fellow mentors, she understands the culture shock that comes with attending a new school.
“I was scared my first year [in college] because I didn’t know where to go or who to talk to at the different offices.” Martirosyan said. “I had no clue what I was doing.”
Martirosyan, who’s end goal is to transfer to UCLA, recognized the need for students to “plug in with the school and each other.” While building relationships with other mentors, Martirosyan encourages her mentee’s to come to her for whatever they may need.
“We aren’t just mentors, we’re friends.” Martirosyan said. “When someone is struggling we act as a helping hand. Everybody here is like family and looks out for one another.”
This sense of responsibility and eagerness to help others grow are qualities that each Peer2Peer mentor must exhibit. Peer2Peer Program Coordinator, Diana Madueno, 25, was part of the interviewing process for all of the 20 active mentors in the program.
Apart from the 12 unit minimum and 3.0 GPA the district requires for all student workers, Madueno looks for specific personality traits that are vital to the role of being a mentor.
“We look for people who are open and diverse enough to make a genuine connection with the student body.” Madueno said.
Madueno worked in the Student Lifestyle office at Los Angeles City College before transferring to CSUN. Now a senior in the psychology department, Madueno became the program coordinator for Peer2Peer after the former program head stepped down.
“When I started [in school] I was interested in therapy or counseling but now it’s changed and it’s because of programs like these.” Madueno said.