College can be a confusing time for students. Selecting a major, fulfilling requirements, or even adjusting to a new lifestyle can leave students with many questions.
For students at the University of Denver one program is working to ease this confusion and help them get on the right track to fulfill their goals.
Peer academic advisors work to advise students that are undeclared, connect them with resources on campus, and teach them valuable social and academic skills through workshops that they hold.
“Peer academic advisors are beneficial to the DU community because they are additional resources to ensure that students are getting accurate advising,” said current supervisor of Peer Academic Advisors, Niki Latino. “They are able to provide a peer perspective, and they provide great leadership in our department.”
For students who want to learn more about peer academic advisors and receive advice about declaring a major, there will be a group advising session for undeclared students on May 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Towers Lounge.
The program is in a period of major transformation as there will be an entirely new staff next year including a new supervisor and three new students serving as peer academic advisors.
Zawdie Ekundayo will become supervisor of Peer Academic Advisors this June and has big plans for the program next year.
Ekundayo’s priorities include increasing the communication between Academic Advising and peer advisors and creating an outreach program that targets specific student organizations to promote utilization of workshops on developing academic and social skills.
“We want to make it so academic advisors will be able to contact peer advisors to ask them for help in directing certain students,” said Ekundayo.
One ongoing goal of peer academic advising is to promote the professional development of the peer academic advisors themselves.
“Peer academic advising is an emersion for the students into academic advising,” said Ekundayo. “It is very important to try to take them to the next level by focusing on organization and professional achievements.”
As the peer academic advising program continues to develop it hopes to attract more students to use them as a resource.
