Sometimes an individual can be “bigger” than a system. When students start college, it’s easy to feel lost in the system. Navigating new hallways, technologies, and procedures can be daunting, but having a guide who has walked the path before can help turn that overwhelming newness into excitement. That was the message that stood out to us last month at the 54th Annual SEEK  Awards Ceremony at Baruch College. The theme this year was , “Empowered by Mentorship, Elevated by Opportunity,” which featured speeches from the President of Baruch College, Dr. David Wu, and the Director of the SEEK program, Dr. Kristy Perez, as well as partner faculty and students.

It was a joy to see many of the peer leaders we’ve helped train celebrated with Peer Mentor Appreciation Awards, and the CARA College Allies team was also honored to be given an Excellence in Mentorship award. But even more exciting is the commitment Baruch College is making towards peer mentorship. Next year, SEEK and CARA will collaboratively train all 20 of their peer mentors to ensure all incoming students have a well-trained guide!