An Open Letter to New Students

By BRIANA RANDALL

Staff Writer

Just over a year ago, I was super excited to be moving into my first residence hall at Lynn. Pulling onto campus I saw many welcoming faces and was wondering if all of this was for me. I later discovered those welcoming faces belonged to peer mentors and resident assistants (RAs). 

The peer mentor team and RAs  spent two weeks before classes began to prepare for not only my arrival, but for the rest of my fellow classmates and peers, which was amazing to me. It was so cool to finally put a face to the people that had given me advice and had answers to my endless Facebook questions of what to expect in college. 

As the year went along, I became very familiar with those faces and I saw them as people who I could look up to and always go to for advice. They were the students that I wished I could be just like – student leaders. Before I knew it, I became one as well.

For those of you who do not know me, I am a second semester sophomore here at Lynn. This year, I am now a peer mentor. In addition, I am also the knight for clubs and organizations on Knights of the Roundtable, vice president of the Student Activities Board (SAB), staff writer for iPulse and a member of the Fashion and Retail Association and the National Broadcast Society.

I would like to welcome all the new students who I haven’t met already and congratulate you all for getting through your first month of college here at Lynn. Hopefully my fellow coworkers and myself have given you some great advice thus far. 

Some of you may question why you need to get to know your peer mentor or RA. Our jobs are to build connections with you. Personally, it was not until I was going through peer mentor training that I had realized why that connection is so important. 

Every new student is beginning a journey here at Lynn by facing major transitions: whether it is attending college for the first time, entering a new country or adjusting to a new school. These transitions can be rather overwhelming, but luckily with someone like your RA or peer mentor to help guide you, we can make the process a little easier and a lot less stressful. It wasn’t that long ago that we were in your shoes facing the same changes, so it’s easy for us to relate.

Building a relationship with your peer mentor or RA is probably one of the best connections you can make because when you are faced with overwhelming questions or stressful times, we are there for you. We offer a listening ear, positive guidance and a shoulder to cry on. Our mission is to ensure that our mentees or residents are happy. As student leaders, we hope to set an example by inspiring you to get involved and to make a difference. 

I cannot tell you how happy I was these past few weeks, seeing my mentees reach out for advice and guidance, along with knowing that they felt comfortable coming to me for help. I love seeing them settle in, making friends and finding their place on campus while getting involved. 

Push yourself to make a connection with us. You’ll always have someone to depend on no matter what.

Brianna Randall

A cum laude graduate of the 2017 class, Briana Randall is continuing her education with a master’s in communication and media with a digital media specialization. Working as the administrative graduate assistant, Randall is the first to welcome students and visitors to the College of Communication and Design. Through her studies, she hopes to expand her skillsets as a correspondent and for future work in the television and media industry.

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