Peer Mentoring: Transition Challenges (Weeks 5 & 6)

The very first time I talked about my transition challenge, I didn’t even talk about my real challenge: social anxiety. Instead, I talked about getting lost on campus. Now, with it being my second year of telling the actual story, I feel relieved to have told it. Even though I’m graduating, sometimes it still feels like I’m the only person who went through that, and then when another student—no matter their year—tells me they’re going through something similar, it’s relieving. It’s also overwhelming that they’re willing to be vulnerable in front of me as I was in front of them. This, for me, has been one of the most personally beneficial aspects of being a Peer Mentor—I’ve been able to become more vulnerable in front of more people.

For some people, this may not be a huge deal, but even during my sophomore year, it was difficult to tell even friends and family how bad I was feeling. Hearing about others’ transition challenges made me confront my own, albeit a little late. These challenges are the most personal things we talk about as Peer Mentors, and for me to now talk about this in front about a group of 50+ people is a personal feat.