It’s been an exciting year of growth for the PeerForward in College (PFiC) program, with new data from Broward College in south Florida and California State University, Los Angeles showing strong early indicators of program efficacy. At Broward, the more than 1,000 mentees served by Peer Leaders have a 71% higher two-year degree completion rate compared to all students. At Cal State LA, students who connected with a Peer Leader and engaged with the program showed statistically significant improvement, compared to their peers, in GPA achievement and credit accumulation.
With the PeerForward Method proving effective in these pilot programs, PFiC expanded to three new community colleges in Kentucky. Through our partnership with Prosper Appalachia, we now have Peer Leader teams at Hazard Community and Technical College, Southeast Community and Technical College, and Big Sandy Community and Technical College.
The spring semester was an especially busy one for our PFiC teams. At Cal State LA, Peer Leaders engaged with one of PeerForward’s most dedicated partners, Deloitte, and invited mentees to participate in Deloitte’s Communication Matters event on March 25th. This session offered tips to students on how to navigate interviews and other professional settings, while giving them the opportunity to network with industry professionals. On April 22nd, Peer Leaders held Peer Talks, an event where Peer Leaders hosted a virtual platform to speak with their mentees about upcoming events, announcements, and semester challenges. An end-of-year Peer Leader Ceremony honoring the team’s hard work was held on May 13th.
Meanwhile, the PeerForward team in Kentucky hit the ground running with their first in-person team bonding experience in February. Peer Leaders received acknowledgements, encouragement from leadership, and a delicious meal from La Pena restaurant.
A training camp was held in Kentucky on March 11th, and at the end of the Peer Leaders’ first semester of mentorship they hosted a Meet & Greet for their mentees. During the event the Peer Leader cohort presented various final exam study tips and interview prep questions.
Broward College’s Peer Mentors held a jam-packed schedule of events, including an open mic night, a financial awareness pop-up workshop, and a team-building event at Tiger Tail Lake. Check out the photos below for some of their semester highlights!
Broward’s Peer Mentors held a financial awareness pop-up workshop on March 17th. The aims of the workshop were to give students an opportunity to learn about different kinds of financial assistance, learn about scholarship opportunities, and meet and sign up for a Peer Mentor:
The team also held a food distribution drive for the Broward community:
On March 14th the team held a Gaming Tournament where students bonded over ping pong, video games, and free food:
Peer Mentors also conducted a rock painting event on March 23rd with the Kindness Project, where students spread positivity around campus by decorating Broward’s First Gen Rock Garden:
An Open Mic Night on March 29th entitled “Trivia with a Twist” drew in students from around campus eager to share their talents, bond with classmates, and win some prizes:
The team was sure to regularly table around campus to connect students with the mentorship program’s resources:
The Peer Leader team enjoyed a little sun and a lot of fun at their team building event at Tiger Tail Lake on May 27th:
We are so proud of the work our PFiC teams have put in this year. We hope you enjoy a well-earned summer, Peer Leaders!
