IU Kokomo business mentorship program gives first-year students help from peers
When freshman Ty Frazier needed to find the Indiana University Kokomo writing center, he knew exactly who to ask.
With a quick text to his mentor Gannon Davis, assigned by School of Business faculty, he knew exactly where to access help with an assignment.
“Having another student who is a year or two ahead of you to ask questions is a great thing to have,” said Frazier, from Kokomo. “Because he’s in the same major I am, he has a good idea of what’s coming up for me, so I can follow in his footsteps.”
Davis, a junior from Walton, said he tries to give Frazier what he wishes he had when starting college.
“I wish this was something I’d had my freshman year,” he said. “It would have helped my stress levels a lot. I’m glad I was able to be a guide and show him around. I love all the campus resources we have, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to introduce him to all these resources.”
Both also appreciated the chance to build friendships between new students and those with more experience.
That was part of the goal that Ashley Leicht, lecturer in business, and Sarah Byrd, visiting lecturer in business, had when starting the mentorship program. As faculty for the first-year seminar in business, they felt it would be a good fit for their students.
“Ashley and I could both envision the value of this type of program with our freshman cohort, and the long-term impact on the school’s culture,” said Byrd. “Our goal is to create a community of upperclassmen to walk alongside our new students to allow for a stronger sense of community. We use the program to enhance incoming students’ understanding of and access to resources through a peer-to-peer relationship. This helps build a better campus overall and provides a better support network for our students.”
It also gives upperclassmen the chance to become campus leaders, Leicht said. They selected mentors based on academic excellence, campus involvement, and leadership abilities, and involved the mentors in creating the program. They also provided training at a retreat at Bradford Woods, IU’s outdoor center.
“They were all in the same shoes as the incoming freshmen not too long ago, so their perspectives were beneficial when creating the program schedule and topics to cover,” she said.
Having a mentor made a difference for Frazier – especially as he prepared to take his first midterm exams during the fall semester.
“I’d never taken midterms before,” he said. “I’d never had to study that hard for a test. Gannon helped me plan my time, with being in college and having a job and making time for other things in life like having friends or spending time with my family. He helped me set reasonable goals for what I want to accomplish in the semester, and what I want to do in the future.”
He especially appreciated being introduced to the quiet study areas on the library’s second floor, which he used frequently for studying.
Leicht and Byrd surveyed the freshmen at the end of the fall semester and found that many felt they had benefitted from having a mentor, specifically in time management and study skills. They also felt more comfortable navigating campus and finding resources.
“The impact was far greater than we could have anticipated, thanks to our exceptional group of mentors who went above and beyond what we expected,” Leicht said.
Mentors included Parker Bailey and Abby Heath, Amboy; Blakely Lake, Converse; Sandra Rodriguez, Fishers; Kylie Antrim, Gaston; Evan Kretz, Jarius Leeman, Sunny Patel, Brylee Riebe, and Ethan Thatcher, Kokomo; Hannah Hodgen, Monticello; Kali Rhine and Hayden Williamson, Peru; Kayden Pax and Chloe Schmidt, Russiaville; Cali Cummings, Seymour; Gannon Davis, Walton; and Jensen Huser, Westfield.
Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.