HONORS100 PF

It was such an honor to be a peer facilitator for HONORS100 during Autumn 2024. From the moments of personal fulfillment to the joy of seeing your students succeed in their goals, I found myself filled with pride, confidence, and nostalgia while leading my Section. I led Section BI, which met in Sieg. This was convenient since HONORS100 lectures were also held in Sieg, but it was inconvenient because Sieg has to be one of the oldest buildings on campus. While I went to check out my room for Section ahead of time and everything looked great, I showed up on Day 1 of Section and the HDMI cable I needed had disappeared! Right off the bat, I had to think on my feet. This was one of my goals for leadership this quarter, but not necessarily being thrown right into the fire on Day 1. I quickly decided to email out my slides to all my students so they could follow along with me, which ended up working really well! Instead of me being up front lecturing/talking at them, we all sat and looked over the slideshow, activities, and information together. Our room was set up so the tables were all in a circle/square where everyone was facing each other, which I actually really enjoyed for fostering community and connections. For future sections, I decided to sit with them even when I had a proper cable to connect to the TV instead of standing at the podium. This encouraged more community, conversation, and questions. It also nicely distinguished our Section as smaller and more casual compared to lecture which was big and formal. 

 

I found myself filled with pride, confidence, and nostalgia while leading my Section.

The first Section involved a lot of getting to know each other, but by our second Section, I could already see friendships forming as people were walking to Section together, chatting about classes, and asking me more specific questions. During our panel, which had three upperclassmen UW students, one of my students asked about Honors Chemistry and Honors Organic Chemistry. She was really stressed about how rigorous it was and wanted advice. This was exactly what I was hoping for as a peer facilitator! I took these courses in my freshman and sophomore years, and I also remember feeling so overwhelmed by Honors Chemistry. I always wished I had someone to ask for advice. While none of the panelists could answer her questions since they had not taken the series, I told the student to chat with me after class. I was able to provide reassurance, resources, and advice. She told me she felt very seen and was much less stressed after our conversation. This was more than I could ever ask for as a peer facilitator and I achieved one of my biggest leadership/mentorship goals of helping my students avoid the mistakes I made as a freshman. 

 

I was able to provide reassurance, resources, and advice. She told me she felt very seen and was much less stressed after our conversation. This was more than I could ever ask for as a peer facilitator.

By our third Section, I felt very comfortable leading my students through assignments and activities. I allotted some work time for them to finish assignments, and, instead, they wanted to do a Q&A with me about UW Honors and UW in general. I was so honored that they wanted to chat with me and hear about my experiences, advice, and resources for them! They always had such great questions, such as how to actually apply for experiential learning and how to find study abroad opportunities. We went through a sample experiential learning application together, and they told me it was very helpful. At the end of our third and final Section, I had several students come up and tell me about their new internships, jobs, or other opportunities that they applied for after hearing from panelists or me in our Section. It was such a wonderful feeling to know our Section played a role in their journey and in their success. ​The biggest takeaway I have from being a peer facilitator is the importance of creating a space. Somewhat by accident, due to not having the correct cable during Section 1, I was able to create a casual and collaborative space. This atmosphere led to each of my students engaging and asking questions in every Section. No one was left out or “in the back” since the organization of our room and tables did not have a “back.” I saw how creating this casual, engaging, conversational space allowed my students to be their authentic selves, build connections, and get answers to their questions. I also really learned the value of hands-on practice. I had hands-on practice with leading a Section, but also the importance of hands-on activities to teach my students things such as applying for experiential learning! They told me that actually going through the steps really helped them imagine what they would use, and some of them are planning to apply for experiential learning next quarter! 

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I saw how creating this casual, engaging, conversational space allowed my students to be their authentic selves, build connections, and get answers to their questions.

At the end of the quarter, Lilian emailed me the feedback my students had for me, and I think it really speaks to my takeaways. My students said, “AWESOME JOB! Best section ever,” “N/A, continue staying true to yourself,” and “I don't think I have any? I felt and still feel very supported. Any and all questions I had were answered thoroughly and thoughtfully. Thank you!” This last one really stuck with me. I’m so glad I was able to lead 10 new Honors students, support them, answer their questions, and send them on their journeys with the hope that they’ll keep in touch! I feel much more equipped to publicly speak, organize a facilitation plan, create an engaging space, and problem-solve as a leader. If I had another year at UW, I would 100% be a peer facilitator again. ​​

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My students said, “AWESOME JOB! Best section ever,” “N/A, continue staying true to yourself,” and “I don't think I have any? I felt and still feel very supported. Any and all questions I had were answered thoroughly and thoughtfully. Thank you!”