FIG Mentor Reflection

As the first semester of my sophomore year, and the first semester as a FIG mentor, come to a close, I realize what an adventure it was. Being a FIG mentor, I was introduced to new challenges, such a becoming leader and educator for the incoming class, to overcoming my shyness and increasing my communication skills in order to relay effectively the goals I had for the students. Overall, the FIG program has contributed to my overall growth as a student and has helped me prepare not only for my future as a professional in my chosen career field, but as a global citizen on this planet. One of the major challenges I faced entering the year was communicating with students. I often become extremely nervous and flustered when speaking in front

This was by far the most difficult challenge I faced in connecting with my students. While students became pretty eager to attend the FIG session throughout the semester, they were not as enthusiastic about doing things outside of the class. The first event I tried to organize was a study session in preparation for the first round of midterms. I chose a location that was very central to where many of them lived and on a day of the week that they said was best. Throughout the week, I constantly reminded them about the study group session, however, on the day of the event, I sadly only had two students attend. I tried organizing other events, but students did not seem eager to attend. I began to become very discouraged and felt that I was letting my students down. However, one day I received advice from a returning mentor, who encouraged me to throw one big event: A Thanksgiving dinner. I discussed the logistics behind it with my facilitator and began to plan the event. I was very excited to organize the event and the students seemed just exited. In the end, while only half of the students in the FIG attended, I was able to provide an atmosphere where they could relax and have fun. This was also the most rewarding experience I had the entire semester, as not only was I able to effectively plan an event that brought the group closer together, but I very positive feedback from the students, who relayed that with my help, were able to make a smooth transition into