Peer Mentor Program Creates Student-to-Student Connections

A new program in the College of Letters and Science helps first-year and transfer students thrive by matching them with the experts on navigating life at UC Davis — upperclass students.

More than 600 students have participated in the Peer Mentor Program since its launch last fall — two-thirds of them as mentees and the remaining third serving as mentors.

“We are pleased to have offered a new platform for our students to connect with their peers,” said program coordinator Rashonne Founts-Saenz. “Our mentors have offered a strong support network for their mentees that has created a powerful sense of belonging for our students this year, cultivating connections to our campus, the greater community, and college and career goals.”

In the program’s first year, mentors and mentees logged 2,728 conversations and sent each other more than 14,000 text messages. Feedback for the program has been positive. Both mentors and mentees gave high ratings for their own academic self-efficacy and sense of belonging — with mentors giving averages exceeding 4 on a scale of 5, and mentees an average close to 4.

In planning for next year, the program has begun onboarding mentors. Mentee recruitment will begin this summer. Both mentees and mentors will have the option to take courses next year that will support their goals and leadership development, Founts-Saenz said.