TRIO Leadership Program
TRIO Leadership Program Overview
The goal of the TRIO Leadership Program is to support new as well as returning SSSP students at WSU, while providing a unique opportunity for selected students within TRIO to develop and strengthen their leadership skills.
What TRIO Mentors Offer to New SSSP Students
By pairing students with exceptional upper class TRIO students mentors can assist new first-year, sophomore and new transfer students with their transition to the college and help connect them to the broader campus community and resources.
TRIO Mentors are assigned to individual or several “mentees” with the aim of matching mentors and mentees who have similar majors, minors or interests whenever possible. Peer leadership is voluntary and highly encouraged. Program students can elect to be matched with a TRIO Mentor by speaking with their assigned TRIO Program Coordinator. A typical meeting between a TRIO mentor and mentee might consist of meeting on campus to talk about how the mentee’s semester is going, see what questions they have, offer peer-to-peer advice and refer them to campus resources.
What are the benefits of peer mentoring for the mentee?
There are many benefits to working with a TRIO Mentor, including:
- Quicker adaptation to the college environment
- Increased knowledge and understanding of college support resources, thereby increasing likelihood of new students utilizing these services
- Opportunity to ask questions to the TRIO Mentor, who has already gone through the first-year experience
- Development of friendships
- Assistance in exploring and identifying academic and professional goals early in the college career
- Opportunity to discuss academic challenges and develop strategies for overcoming them
- Receive more information about how to get involved on campus
- Participation in college-sponsored events and activities
I would like to be matched with a TRIO Mentor, how do I make this happen?
If you would like to be paired with a TRIO Mentor, let your assigned TRIO Program Coordinator know.
How do I become a TRIO Peer Leader?
We’re so glad you’re interested! Becoming a TRIO Peer Leader is an excellent leadership and professional development opportunity that students find personally rewarding. TRIO Peer Leaders are generally hired for one full academic year. Before the start of each new academic year we will engage in our hiring of the coming year’s TRIO Peer Leaders. This leadership opportunity will be widely publicized to all program students so that they can consider applying for a position. TRIO Peer Leaders are paid for their hours of services at the end of each semester in which they work as a TRIO Peer Leader.