Peer Active leaders (PALs)

“Mentoring is an ongoing relationship of learning, dialogue, and challenge”

Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.

The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring

A great mentor has a knack for making us think we are better than we think we are. They force us to have a good opinion of ourselves, let us know they believe in us. They make us get more out of ourselves, and once we learn how good we really are, we never settle for anything less than our very best.

The Prometheus Foundation

The Program

The Peer Active Leader Program is a peer mentoring program designed for incoming students at Adrian College. We focus on commuter, transfer and first-time students who may need help finding resources at Adrian College. This program fosters an environment that identifies and nurtures the strengths that students bring to Adrian College, while simultaneously working to build and enhance skills for college success. This exploration of strengths and development of 21st-century skills provides practical means for college students to achieve success in a supportive college environment. It was developed based on the following research-based claims: an asset-oriented approach in education leads to greater success and persistence (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2018), and peer mentoring is a powerful and effective strategy for support of retention and persistence at the college level (Bankston, 2019).

Benefits of Participation

Mentors	Mentees
Ongoing attention to personal development Satisfaction from imparting wisdom and experience to other college students without a large time commitment Enhancement of coaching, mentoring, leadership, and management skills Exposure to diverse thoughts, styles, personalities, and cultures	Access to a support system during critical stages of college Insider perspective on navigating your college career Enhanced understanding of the importance of mentors Exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences Direct access to resources at Adrian College Greater knowledge of college success factors

Mentors

Mentees

Ongoing attention to personal development
Satisfaction from imparting wisdom and experience to other college students without a large time commitment
Enhancement of coaching, mentoring, leadership, and management skills
Exposure to diverse thoughts, styles, personalities, and cultures

Access to a support system during critical stages of college
Insider perspective on navigating your college career
Enhanced understanding of the importance of mentors
Exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences
Direct access to resources at Adrian College
Greater knowledge of college success factors

Matching Process

The following criteria will be taken into consideration when matching a mentor to a mentee:

Major/Minor
Current and Past Activities
Top 5 CliftonStrengths (https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx)

The Mentorship Events

PAL Parties: PAL Parties are informal social events that bring together mentors and mentees at specific times throughout the academic year. They serve as a “touch-point” during the program and also an opportunity to interact with other mentors/mentees within the program.