peer mentor focus issue no. 4

Peer Mentor focus

Issue 4 Feb-May 2013

LA T ES T N E W S FR O M TH E P E E R M EN T OR C O MM UN I TY

March 3rd was the night of the Peer Mentor Dance Social. The

social was an overall success! Many leadership students and peer men-

tors attended. There was an assortment of desserts and beverages to

choose from. Some very interesting desserts to choose from actually,

such as, maple cupcakes that were topped with bacon bites! Very Yum-

my! Many seem to enjoy the desserts and beverages provided.

The dance

social gave the

Fourth Generation

peer mentors the

chance to meet the

incoming Leader-

ship Students of 2013. Building a bridge between the two

generations strengthens the community and bond

amongst the peer mentor program. The night was filled

with dancing and having fun! There was even a dance

battle between the current/past peer mentors and the lead-

ership students. The leadership students ended up win-

ning and overall it was an excellent night and we all en-

joyed the evening.

Dance

the Night Away

On Thursday, February 14, 2013, the Peer Mentor Program held

Mock Weddings where students could get “married” on Valen-

tines Day. Throughout Monday February 11 - Wednesday Feb-

ruary 13, students were able to stop by the Peer Mentor Office

and buy their Valentines Grams, to have the faux wedding of

their dreams. On the day of the Mock Weddings, students also

received a wedding certificate and rings to seal their mock mar-

riage.

Love is in the Air: Valentine’s Day Faux Weddings!

Night

Karaoke Night this year was full of singing, dancing,

and of course, plenty of laughter. It was a huge suc-

cess and it took a whole team of people to make it

work. We not only had to plan the event, but we also

had to plan out when to notify design team, market-

ing team, and we also needed to let all the students

know about the event as well. Some of the more ob-

vious things that needed to be done included book-

ing a room, getting the karaoke machine, ordering

food, and buying decorations. However, there was

also a lot of behind the scenes work as well, such as

filling out a program form with Student Life &

Leadership and applying for ASI funding, just to

name a few. Teamwork played a huge part in mak-

ing this event successful. When the Peer Mentor

Center plans an event, multiple committees are in-

volved in the whole process and each one has a spe-

cial part in it. For a simple event, we need to have 3

committees involved, so you can only imagine how

many we would need for a complex event. Karaoke

Night could not have been possible without the stu-

dents who attended and the people who helped out.

Being the first big event of the Winter Quarter I think I

placed a ton of pressure on myself hoping this event

would go well and that it would keep the ball rolling for

the Peer Mentor Club. To be honest, this was the first

time I have ever hosted an event and I based everything

I did off of what I learned about hosting during the

training and a little bit from that guy that yells, “Let’s

get ready to RUUUMBLE!” They say the hardest critic

is you and I feel like I could have done exponentially

better being the host of the event. However, from what I

hear from the L/PMs and students that attended they had

a great time and really enjoyed the event. Talk about an

esteem boost, right? This event turned out so well be-

cause we incorporated an interactive atmosphere with

something fun and it got people to come out of their

shells. Singing in front of a crowd is not an easy thing

we do and promoting confidence is something we as a

club wanted to see at the Karaoke Night. The most

memorable moment of the night had to be the awarding

the championship belt to the winner of Karaoke Night. It

was nice to see teachers and their students come out to

the event and sing. They were rewarded for their effort

in an extremely awesome matter made it memorable.

People wanted to win that belt and enjoyed the competi-

tion. Awarding them for their competitiveness was just

the cherry on top.

By Smitha Machanickal and Justin Francisco

Fundraiser Tournament June 5th & June 6th 4pm-10pm Location: Old Union Room 311

$5 Down payment for each team due on May31st FB URL: Facebook.com/csuebloltournament

All forms available on FB page Submit all forms to PM office (sa1700) by May 31

Sign up deadline: May 31st

Come stop by in front of the bookstore for a temporary tattoo!

5/23 10 AM - 4 PM Small design—$3

Medium Design—$5 Large Design—$7

Did you happen to see students walking around with cute little red boxes last quarter?

The week before finals the Peer Mentor office handed out Finals Survival Kits to our freshmen students. Kits

contained various items such as scantrons, snacks, pencils, and much more to aid freshmen in preparation for

winter quarter finals. We had a great time meeting all the freshmen who came by during the two days and we

hope everyone did well on their finals!

Surviving

Finals!

The Bucket

List Don’t have any summer plans yet?

Here are things you can do to fill the next sunny 12,960 minutes of your life!

Go to the beach and have a picnic lunch there

Go to a nearby water park Play volleyball on a sunny day! Hang out on someone’s rooftop until

sunrise Compile a Summer 2013 playlist Explore a new area nearby Go to a museum Read a book in the park Visit your former high school Reconnect with your childhood friends Go to the mall and take advantage of

the AC Take your dog for a walk Go to a sporting event Ride a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge Throw a pool party Have a bonfire at the beach Pick up a new hobby

Go out of town Host a potluck BBQ with friends Go on an internet hiatus. How long can

you last? Attend a free event Go to a county fair and eat a funnel

cake! Go camping, sleep under the stars. Visit the zoo Plant flowers or trees Fly a kite Meet a new friend! Disneyland! Deep clean your room Save up money and get a summer job Adopt a pet from the pound Swimming! Go sightseeing in San Francisco Santa Cruz boardwalk

Catch our next issue for a list of events you can attend this summer!

Peer Mentor on the Spotlight

This issue’s questions:

1. Where are you from? and what's your major?

2. Why did you decide to join the program?

3. Words of wisdom for freshmen. (could be to your students or freshmen in general)

4. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

5. Whom do you look up to? Why?

6. Name a cause that you are willing to fight for.

7. If you were a crayon, what color would you be and why?

8. What did you want to be when you were little?

9. If you could choose your own name what would you call yourself?

10. Something you have always wanted to try but never have the guts to do?


1. I hail from the lovely town of Fremont, California. I am a proud

History Major.

2. I wanted to be a Peer Mentor so that I could work to help make the GS program at CSUEB rel-

evant and valuable to freshmen.

3. Balance is everything. You can pass your classes, have a social life, and get enough sleep. It is

all a matter of choosing how best to spend your time. Do the important assignments first, always

relax before a test, and take breaks. Cramming isn't all it's cracked up to be.

4. I'd like to be finished with school, speak seven languages, have a convertible helicopter, lots of

ice cream, ten kids, a documentary about my life. Wait, was I supposed to say where I see myself,

or where I will actually be?

5. I look up to anyone who is taller than me. Especially my dad. He is pretty tall.

6. I'd really like to see grocery store lanes labeled “Ten items or fewer.” rather than “Ten items or

less”. You see, “less” refers to an amount, while “fewer” refers to a quantity. Using “less” implies

that I could have 9.745 items. Impossible!

7. I would have a white crayon, so that nobody could read my secrets. Unless the paper is color-

ful. Then I would just seem boring.

8. When I was little, I wanted to go to college and never stop. I thought I would be able to keep

taking classes till I had learned everything. I never outgrew that one.

9.I would add a single exclamation point to the end of my name. It would be honorific, like

“PhD.” or “Esq.”. It would not be pronounced.

10. I have always wanted to write a book. I just don't know if I would want to read it.

Alex Wentworth


1. Hayward, Ca. / Psychology

2. I joined the program for the hell of it. Sounded like a fun thing

to do and when I found out about the rigorous application process I decided to test my luck.

3. The sign of true intellect is the initiative to question the status quo, to scrutinize what is real at

first glance, and the willingness to surrender dearly held beliefs for immutable evidence and ob-

servation. The universe is everlastingly changing and growing and so are you.

4. In ten years I see myself living in downtown Portland, walking in the rain on my way to

lunch.

5. I look up to Henry Miller, a brilliant author and thinker who showed so much dedication to

writing as an art form and as a form of expression through the censorship of his many works. He

was ahead of his time and throughout his personal life he illustrated what accomplishments

come from tenacity and daring.

6. I would be willing to fight for any cause that obstructs peoples ability to connect with each

other. With 6 billion people populating this planet there is no reason why anyone should be in-

stilled with the belief that we are maneuvering through this human experience alone.

7. I would be a maroon crayon. Maroon has its intensity and its calmness, like me.

8. When I was little, I wanted to be the philosopher king Plato preached about. It seemed

like a pretty sweet gig.

9. If I could choose my own name, it would be Roberto.

Brian Arguello


1. I’m from Hong Kong and grew up in Alameda. I’m currently

majoring in Geography.

2. I joined because getting involved on campus seemed like

something that would benefit me in the future and I wanted to be cool like my peer

mentor Lauren!

3. The tough times will pass, just do what you can and try to stay calm. The key to suc-

cess is staying healthy, so make sure you get enough sleep!

4. I see myself in the mountains somewhere scribbling research notes and wondering if

this was what I had expected 10 years earlier.

5. I don’t look up to anyone because most historical figures have disappointed me as I

learned more about them.

6. I believe that everyone should be able to pursue their dreams.

7. I would be sea green simply because I like the way that color looks on a crayon.

8. I wanted to be an artist because I was one of the only ones in elementary school that

was good at drawing.

9. I would call myself Katrina because I like the spelling of that name.

10. I've always wanted to go hiking by myself but that probably isn't the wisest idea as

I always get lost and end up at a cliff.

Kawai Leung


1. I am from Richmond, California. My major is Liberal Studies

because my career goal is to be an elementary school teacher.

2. I decided to join the Peer Mentor Program because I have always wanted to be able to

help people. My peer mentor from last year did so much for my GS class, and I was in-

spired by her accomplishments. I received a lot of help from my peer mentor, and I wanted

to be able to give back to the freshman community by providing the same assistance I was

given.

3. words of wisdom: If you just take a moment to breathe, everything will be okay.

4. 10 years from now, I hope to see myself accomplishing my dream goals of becoming a

teacher, and teaching in a classroom with children.

5. I look up to my parents because they have always been supportive of me. They always

tell me to do the best I can, and to never give up. My parents are always there to give me

the love and encouragement I need so I can continue working to the best of my abilities.

6. I am more than willing to fight for hunger. There are so many tragedies that appear be-

cause people are not getting enough to eat, and it is even worse when we hear there are so

many children starving as well. I would like to be able to help many people get more than

enough to eat, and to make sure they are the healthy foods their bodies require.

7. I would choose to either be a blue crayon because it is my favorite color. When I look at

the color blue I think of the ocean, and I always enjoy going to the beach.

8. I have always wanted to be a teacher. Ever since I was in 1st grade, I thought of myself

as becoming a teacher. I really enjoyed my teacher from the 1st grade because she always

made the classroom fun and exciting, and I have always wanted to be able to do the same. I

thought my career goal would change as I got older, but as I kept thinking about becoming

a teacher, I realized that wanting to become a teacher was a greater passion for me, and was

something that was never going to change.

9. I don't think I would want to change my name. I have always liked my name Jessica,

and I like the nicknames that come with it as well, such as Jess and Jessie.

10.I think skydiving seems to be a lot of fun. People can be up high and see so much while

they are landing to the ground. I could never go skydiving though because I am afraid of

heights! I could never fall from such a large height.

Jessica Bowman


1. I was born in Berkeley, but I’m from Antioch, CA and cur-

rently I am a Health Science major but I’m adding on another

major which is French, just for fun.

2. I joined the program for two reasons. The first reason is be-

cause I wanted freshmen to learn from my mistakes and troubles as a freshman. Secondly, I had

three different Peer Mentors and never had that connection till I got to my third Peer Mentor.

3. My advice for freshmen is to not be discouraged to talk to instructors. As cliché as this is,

they are there to help you. Also, if you don’t like a class DROP IT! Don’t just not attend that

class, because you’ll still be enrolled in the class and by the time final grades come out you have

that big fat ugly “F” on your transcript.

4. 10 years from now? I can’t really think that far ahead, but hopefully I’ve graduated from med

school and currently working in a hospital or vacationing in Martinique with a nice cold glass of

lemonade.

5. I don’t really look up to anyone; I kind of just do my own thing.

6. There are so many things that I’m willing to fight for such as equality and peace and all that

other good stuff. I’m willing to fight for everything as long as the cause is good of course. I

want to help everyone.

7. If I were a crayon, I’d be somewhere between midnight blue and black only because those are

my favorite colors and I think the sky looks pretty with those colors.

8. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was five till I realized that I didn't really like animals to

begin with.

9. I actually wouldn't change my own name. I like my name because nobody else has it. I mean

it’s not often that you come across someone with my name, but if I had to choose I think I would

call myself Marianne because it rhymes with my middle name.

10. I’m not much of an adventurous type but I've always wanted to try like delicacies from Eu-

ropean countries. I don’t have the guts to do it because, I end up learning what the delicacy is

made of and it ends up grossing me out. Once I wanted to try escargot, but it looks gross and I

decided that trying escargot is not a good idea for my stomach or taste buds.

Markita Robinson


1. From: Fremont, CA

Major: Pre-Nursing

2. I loved my peer mentor, Nichole, so I thought that joining

would be a nice way to give back and to do what my peer men-

tor did for me.

3. Words of Wisdom: Be yourself but minus the procrastination

4. 10 Years Later: Working in the Administration side of Nursing while managing a family.

5. Look up to? Why?: My brother because he has always worked really hard for what he has.

He also taught me that you don't have to be constantly studying to get good grades, you can

have some fun too.

6. Willing to Fight For: Preventing Drug Abuse

7. Crayon: I would be purple because its my favorite color and it symbolizes royalty...so may-

be I'll be a royal crayon!

8. When you were little?: A Dancer

9. Name: Samantha, because that's what people say the first time they try to say Smitha.

10. Always wanted to try: Sky Diving

Smitha Machanickal

peer mentor focus issue no. 4

Documents