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Assignment 2

Reflection on Interview Experience


Summary of Interview:
The respondent, who I will call Chad, and I discussed his involvement in high school

activities and some of the reasons he participated. He mentions in several different ways that the

sense of community kept him involved despite the sparse time he had. For example, he said I

think a lot of it was seeing a large group of people come together and create this final finished

product that no one really stands out from the crowd. Its a lot more of a team effort. This

feeling of community came up several times. Chad continues on to talk about some of the

individuals who he felt helped or shaped him into who he is today. He speaks of having teachers

who are very involved in projects outside of the normal class day. These teachers, Chad explains,

stick out because he feels, It's less that theyre teaching us what they want us to do. It's more

theyre developing us for who we are.

Another theme appeared throughout the interview. This theme was the concept of paying

it forward. Chad experienced several challenges during his first year at KU and explained that

his peer mentor and members of the band helped to keep him there. One story explains this well.

Chad says his peer mentor sat down with him and talked about the situation and helped him

decide on what scholarship hall to move into during his freshman year due to a conflict he had

with his roommate. Because of this and other conflicts, Chad considered leaving KU all together

and going home. The involvement in band and other activities helped him to remain at KU and

succeed. Due to these positive experiences, Chad wanted to give back to the communities which

helped him so much. He decided to become a peer mentor and a rank leader in the Marching

Jayhawks to pay it forward to those freshmen who may encounter similar issues their first year.

The original research aim was to determine what causes students to take on the additional

activity of being a peer mentor. In the final moments of the interview, I asked a few questions
about possible reasons for becoming a peer mentor such as the scholarship or resume building.

Chad rejected these as the reason, but he recognized that these were certainly side effects of

participation. I finished by asking what was the biggest reason for becoming a peer mentor and

Chad cemented that which he had already detailed: he wants to pay it forward.

Self-Reflection on Interview:
To understand the motivations of business students to become peer mentors, I

interviewed a peer mentor about his involvement in different activities in high school and

college. I theorized that the level of involvement of students during their younger years would

reflect into college. This seemed to be true, but it did not fully explain why students choose to be

peer mentors.

During the interview, I felt like I was not always prepared for follow up questions. At

times, I was too focused on asking most my questions that several of the questions ended up

having the same answers. Looking back, I did notice a marker. Chad explained that he thought

band kept him at KU. He mentioned a few times that he had a difficult time his freshman year.

By asking him about what happened and why he felt he stayed at KU, I could get very

personalized information in regards to why he felt compelled to become a peer mentor. Although

the information he gave tended to focus on the marching band and those types of experiences,

the content is easily transferable. The closeness of individuals in the band could be reflective of

the type of environment he strives to create for the students he mentors. Based upon his answers,

Chad was very interested in ensuring that the freshmen are looked after since his own

experiences showed a need for this kind of assistance.

At one point during the interview I realized that Chad had led me away from my original

line of questioning as I followed up on statements he made. Because of this, I became flustered.

Knowing that for this interview I was simply practicing, I felt comfortable opening with him and
letting him know that I had lost track. He laughed along with me and helped me to relax while

getting myself refocused.

The interview overall, I feel went well. Transcription was the hardest part. Trying to get

every word down right while working quickly proved challenging. I experimented with different

ways of playing the interview while transcribing. At first, I would play a few second, type, and

then play a few more seconds. This was time consuming and difficult when I missed a few

words. Then, I tried to use Audacity to slow down the audio so I could play it while transcribing

at a speed at which I could type. This was easier at times than others as I found Chad speaking

more quickly at times. Truly, the time I spent fiddling with Audacity was longer than it would

have taken me to finish the transcription with my first method; though, as I move forward with

interviewing individuals, the latter method may prove usefulsince I now know how to properly

adjust the audio to fit my needs. In the end, I feel that this experience was beneficial despite the

errors on my part, as I had never truly done a research interview such as this.

Transcription (some portions removed for the sake of space)


Interviewer: [Discussed ethical issues and structure of the interview]

Respondent: Alright.

Interviewer: Do you have any questions before we get started?

Respondent: Nope. Lets do it.

Interviewer: So, the first thing I would like to ask is what extracurriculars were you involved in

during high school?

Respondent: Lets see. I played in the band. I sang in choir. I was involved in theatre quite a bit.

Really it was mostly arts kind of stuff. Thats what I was into its what I am passionate about. So,

its what I really put a lot of my time into.

Interviewer: What was most rewarding about those experiences?


Respondent: I think a lot of it was seeing a large group of people come together and create this

final finished product that no one really stands out from the crowd. Its a lot more of a team

effort. [For example,] we have a musical that is a hot mess a week and a half before show time

and in that we and a half everyone bares down and makes it this great production by show time.

Interviewer: What are you involved in now?

Respondent: Im involved in the marching Jayhawks, the men's basketball band, and the

women's volleyball band here at KU. And I play guitar and sing for a couple different church

organizations in Lawrence.

Interviewer: When you were younger did you have, any trouble balancing all those different

activities?

Respondent: Maybe a little bit. My high school for me made it very easy to do everything. It

wasnt something you had to pick between going to football practice and going to rehearsal. So,

the school made it very easy for me and accommodated all the different stuff I wanted to do and

everything I was interested in.

Interviewer: Is there anything that particularly engaged you within those organizations? Outside

of the final finished product you kind of talked about.

Respondent: One of the biggest things for me is having a teacher who you see a lot outside of the

classroom, outside of a normal class period, or outside of school. Theyre more involved than a

regular classroom teacher is; and, as a student, you get the sense that, yes, they care about the

final finished product, but they also care about all of us individually. It's less that theyre teaching

us what they want us to do. It's more theyre developing us for who we are.

Interviewer: What are some specific traits you feel they developed in you?

Respondent: To take an example, my choir director was also my private vocal teacher and he
instilled in me a lot of relational qualities and to understand different viewpoints and

understanding people where theyre at rather than just trying to take people for face value.

Interviewer: Is that something feel KUs instructors do as well, specifically in BUS 110?

Respondent: Yeah, Id say so and I really think that a lot of me developing that hasn't been so

much teachers in specific classes but more of being exposed different views. Here at KU, I am

exposed to a lot of different viewpoints and a lot of different opinions. Im forced to deal with

them and forced to say hey this is different from what I believe, but this is still worth listening to

and still worth taking into consideration. BUS 110 has changed since I was in it. When I was in

it, it was more focused on lets get you prepared for the business school and lets get you

prepared for this a little bit more rigorous kind of curriculum than someone in say the college of

liberal arts would have.

Interviewer: So, was there anything your peer mentor did that stuck out to you?

Respondent: I remember I was having a really rough first semester in terms of my housing

situation. My roommate and I didnt get along at all and he was willing to sit and listen and talk

me through some of it. I considered moving to a scholarship hall; and, when I was going to be

looking at the room I was going to be moving into, Wes happened to be the prefect. He actually

called me the day before I was going to go looking at it and said Hey Im the person in charge

of this floor of this hall or something, so I am looking forward to you coming by and if you

have any questions or anything you can call me or text me or whatever. He was someone to go

talk to that was my age that was not a teacher. You know what I mean?

Interviewer: Yeah, I do. So, what things that he did do you try to emulate with your mentees?

Respondent: I think he was very open very willing to listen and I try to make myself available

for my students if they have any kind of problem they can come to me and not be intimidated
and to be willing to come and talk to me rather than be so scared to talk to an advisor or talk to a

professor or someone in an office somewhere.

Interviewer: As a peer mentor, what has been most rewarding?

Respondent: I think, especially this year being my second year, to come back and see my

students who were freshman last year be sophomores this year and be...kind of found what they

like or be more on that path or be really passionate about it be excited about it its really cool for

me to come and see hey, I was a part of preparing them to be a part of the business school and I

helped them find what they really like and are really excited about what they want to do and they

have a better picture of what their future looks like.

Interviewer: Would you say that was the biggest push to come back for another year?

Respondent: Id say so. I would say its pure altruism for me. Its just I like to help people and I

like to be a sound board for problems and add a different perspective for someone who might be

so honed in. So, I think the biggest thing for me is to continue preparing these freshmen so I

guess you could say in a way it is. But to continue to prepare freshman for life in the B-school

Interviewer: Whats the biggest piece of advice you give them?

Respondent: Try anything that interests you and dont be afraid to get out of your comfort zone

Interviewer: So, what are some of the activities that you do within the university which have

reflected that mentality?

Respondent: [Details story about wanting to join basketball band as a freshman].

Interviewer: So out of all these different demands made it difficult to balance everything?

Respondent: Maybe a little bit. I mean I think if I had to pick something that has probably taken

a hit I would probably say that my social life has taken a bit more of a hit but at the same time

band is its own social life in and of itself. And I mean I have friends in the band and thats
probably one of the things that kept me coming back to it was the fact that at the beginning of

every school year I have two hundred eighty friends already. And I dont know I would say I

wouldnt say it was particularly challenging I havent every had a problem of I feeling

overwhelmed, but Id say there have been times when I had to make decisions and say okay this

is at the same time as this and theyre both nonnegotiable obligations and I have to pick on or I

have to skimp on one to make it on time to the other so it has been a lot of prioritizing for me

Interviewer: So, have your academics taken a hit or do they always take priority?

Respondent: I like to say that academic always take priority not always practiced try to always

practice it a lot of the time it's things like the band obligations for the band arent exactly

negotiable; so, I cant say no Im not going to do that I'm going to stay home and study. I think

my academics could have been better had I been doing nothing; but, if I was only here for

academics I think that I really wouldnt be here. I really wouldnt be here. To be completely

honest with you, the marching band and having friends in the marching band, the other things

that I do has kept me here at KU. It's a much different culture than I was used to during high

school. I think that if I hadnt that in school I wouldnt still be here and the academics are a

major component of that; but, at the same time, it's not always the first priority, but it definitely

should be.

Interviewer: Can you elaborate a little more on why that would have made you leave the

university if you were only focused on academics?

Respondent: Yeah, I mean I just Ill give you an example so I had a really awful roommate my

first semester we didnt get along two different kind of people he would bring girls back and I

was trying to sleep because tomorrow is game day and we did just didn't get along very well.

That put a lot of stress on me and my academics took a hit because of that and I was actually put
on probation from the business school my first semester fun fact. Being in the band, I was on

campus a week before everyone else was in the summer heat of Kansas, why am I doing this.

And I was with a bunch of other people I didnt know but we were all doing the same thing we

all got to know each other really quickly because of that. It's sort of that camaraderie aspect of it.

And because I knew very well 30 people in the section on campus already and there was

leadership in the section that was looking out for all the freshman, honestly, that's why I wanted

to be in leadership with the marching Jayhawks now is because what they did for me. I want to

do for the freshman this year and the reason I say the band is why I am still here is because I had

those people around me who were willing to take the time and listen to my problems and help me

solve them. If I wasnt doing anything in the band I didnt have that sort to group of people to

support me, I think I would have left KU and gone back home or looked for someplace.

Interviewer: Do you think that is reflective in wanting to be a peer mentor?

Respondent: I think so I mean a lot of my desire for being a peer mentor and being a rank leader

in the marching Jayhawks both of which deal with freshmen a lot of the time was this is what

these people did for me when I was a freshman and I want to pay it forward for these new kids

who are in

Interviewer: thank you thats all great information. [Discussed a few possible motivations for

becoming a peer mentor and closed out the interview].


Reflection on Observation Experience

Going into the observation of Chad, I was a little hesitant. He told me that there would

not be many opportunities for me to truly observe him in action. I was limited though due to the

once a week meeting time. I went into the observation completely in the dark on what peer

mentors do during Business 110which is a required seminar course for freshman admitted

students to the business school. Because of Chads warning, I knew that this particular class

would have a guest speaker followed by a video due to the normal instructor, a staff member in

the advising center, being out.

I showed up to the class early to see how he interacted with students as they came into the

classroom. As a former teacher, I understand the importance of greeting students as they arrive to

class as a tool to build rapport with students. During the course of the interview, Chad explained

that he desired to be open for students and easily accessible to them with their problems. He

talked with them before and after classwith those who needed to complete their required peer

mentor meeting and those who had issues with assignments.

While I observed these meetings and Chads actions during the guest speaker, I felt as

though I would have nothing to write in my field notes; and, now that I am writing a reflection

on them, I feel as though my summary and reflection will overlap in a few areas. I did feel that

no one really cared that I was there despite Chad announcing to the class that I was observing

him for a project. So, little did they seem to care, that they acted as normally as I would have

expected freshmen to act.

During the actual observation, I wondered what to write and what I was even looking for

from Chad. The thing was I just wrote down anything I found interesting from a classroom

management standpoint also how he developed rapport and modeled effective engagement.
Interestingly, I observed him like I had been observed as a teacher. I finished the transcription the

night after I had observed Chad. It wasnt until then that I connected what I was truly looking for

from watching him.

As I go into the next observation of a peer mentorwho I have already interviewed, I

think that transcribing the interview prior to observing her will help me in the same way it did

with Chad. Looking back at my field notes I think I can say with some authority that Chad did

try to create a sense of openness with his students as he said he does. To truly understand Chads

actions in class, I would like to observe him again on a more involved day to see if the day I

observed was a normal amount of engagement with students or a fluke. I crafted the research

question, what motivates students to become peer mentors specifically for this assignment, but

I feel that this questions could easily become a larger case study of peer mentors. This

hypothetical study could answer questions about the impact that peer mentors have on the

mentees and argue for their value in seminar courses.

Summary of field notes

I walked into the class about fifteen minutes early. Chad was sitting at a desk at the front

of the classroom talking with a student who needed to finish their mandatory peer mentor

meeting. He was asking the student about their about how the semester has been going and how

things had been going in her personal life. The student gave him very short answers and didnt

go into much depth with him. Perhaps this is because there was an audience in that a few other

students were in the classroom at the same time or maybe the student didnt feel comfortable

with him or maybe she just didnt have much to share.

Chad finished speaking with the student who took a seat at one of the pods. The classroom

was arranged into seven pods each made up of two two-person tables. I was seated in the back
of the classroom to try and get a full view of the classroom. As students walked in, Chad counted

them and would announce how many more students needed to show before everyone was in

attendance. With about ten minutes before class, Chad began asking the students what they

planned on doing on the weekend. Specifically, he was asking about the football game and who

planned on attending. As he mentioned in our interview, Chad is heavily involved in KUs bands

like the Marching Jayhawkswhich play at the football games. Several of the students joked

that an eleven oclock game is far too early on a weekend to get up. Chad said eleven isnt early

for he must be on the field at 5:30 am for practice. The students he was talking with numbered

probably five and they were near him. One student asked what his best experience was with the

band. Chad told a story about a time that he flew with the basketball band to a game. Their flight

was also with the basketball team. He explained that because they were flying with the basketball

team the flight was more luxurious than he had flown previously. The students seemed genuinely

interested in the story and Chad talked for several minutes about the band and its exciting times

and opportunities for experience. He then asked, unprompted, a student who he knew played

softball how things were going. After some small talk, he began preparing those students who

were present about the days class. He told them that their current event assignment was due and

that they could turn it in up front. Several students were surprised that it was due, but Chad told

them that he would be flexible. As some of the student turned the assignment in, Chad continued

with small talk shifting the conversation to what he should be for Halloween seeking feedback

on his costume ideas. Just before class started the softball player asked if she could meet after

class to discuss with Chad.

The final student arrived and class began. Chad asked the class how their weekend had been--

since it was now Tuesday. Several students replied and they chatted for maybe 30 seconds. Chad
again explained that the assignment was due and several students were outraged that they were

told the assignment was due later. He reassured the students that they could send it to him in an

email, but they also needed to get a hard copy to him as quickly as possible. If any of them had

problems or forgot they could speak with him after class. This modeled the flexibility that he

stated in the interview. As the students turned in their assignments, Chad explained that they

have a guest speaker. He turned the floor over to the guest speaker. Chad took a seat at one of the

pods with a few students and listened to the guest speaker discuss the Global Business Center.

The guest speaker tried engaging the students but they did not seem very engaged. Over the

thirty-minute presentation, the students became less engaged turning to their phones for

entertainment. Throughout the course of the presentation, Chad did not seek to add on to the

discussion but merely sat and listened.

After the guest speaker finished, Chad played the video which was the other portion of

the class. By this point, students were less engaged than they were during study abroad

presentation. Chad again modeled listening and questioning. He asked them to think about what

the single story means. After the video, he reminded them to turn in their current events and to

think about the common book and reread it if they read it early. Many students met with him to

discuss questions about the assignment they were turning in. He reminded them that he is

flexible with things. When a student asked how to make up points for a lecture, he allowed them

to just answer the questions right then. Most students left and Chad remained with two students.

He met with them together to discuss how the semester has been going very like what he

did at the beginning of the class. He asked about their involvement in extracurriculars within

KU. Mostly he seemed to ask general how are things going and how are you adapting to college

life. Based upon his interview this information could be very useful to him in helping ensure
theyre doing okay; but, as before class the students seemed less open to talking with others

present. He asked both students about if theyve gone home and what they enjoyed most and

least about KU. While he was talking with them, several students for the next class started

coming in. Chad waited for the next peer mentor to come in and continued to talk with the

students not from his section and generally be relatable. Chad mentioned that he has given his

phone number to all his students showing some additional availability.


Assignment 3

Summary and Coding of Transcript

Examples from transcription Theme Number of times


mentioned

I was pretty involved. Involvement 17


Since I was so involved in high school, I knew that I wanted to
come into college and continue that.
Those experiences have helped me to realize how much is out
there at KU

It definitely made things a little easier making friends Building/Maint 18


We still have a strong relationship working in the advising aining
center. Relationships
Making those connections and giving students guidance during
their first year.
Just keeping the relationship alive has been nice about being a
pee mentor.

It was cool especially in Hayes to get people involved in the Community 9


community and others involved in Community service.
Being able to make them aware of what is out there and that
everyone is going through the same things to make them feel
more comfortable on campus has been rewarding.
They will be happy they had that connection within the
business school and a good example of a business school
student is beneficial to them.

We helped allocate funds to different organizations that needed Giving 21


it within the county to benefit children and high school age Back/Providing
students. assistance
I think just being able to give back to the community and see
the service that youre doing within the community.
Being able to pick up on when people are struggling and when
they need guidance and advice and be that person people can
talk to will be beneficial.
Knowing that they were out there trying to help us, I wanted to
be that same person doing that helping the new KU students.
As shown above, several themes developed from the interview with Sarah. For the coding

method, I decide to use in vivo first cycle coding and follow that up with focus coding for the

second cycle. I think that this method of first and second cycle coding was beneficial since I did
not go into the interview with many ideas of what to look for. I did hypothesize that students

joined in part due to their involvement during high school. Because of this theory, I developed

questions that focused around involvement. This explains, in part, why the idea of involvement

appeared so frequently. Sarah listed off probably ten different activities she was involved with, so

I counted every instance as an appearance of involvement. The biggest themes, though, focused

around the concepts of giving back and having relationships. These two themes were not directly

asked about. This means that these ideas are more prominent in explaining why peer mentors

take on their role. If it were for the sake of being involved, I would not expect these other themes

to have appeared as prevalently. It would appear that developing relationships with people and

the desire to give back to those who need help drives peer mentors more than any other factor. It

certainly has been true for both Sarah and Chad. Again, to determine if this hold true for the

majority, I would need to conduct more interviews with peer mentors (I chose two peer mentors

who are I think stronger example of the peer mentor group).

Reflection

As mentioned in assignment 2, I conducted these interviews to understand the

motivations of business students to become peer mentors. I asked questions about her

involvement in different activities in high school and college trying to understand how those may

influence student to become peer mentors. I theorized that the level of involvement of students

during their younger years would be reflected in college. This seemed to be true but did not fully

explain why students choose to be peer mentors.

This interview was actually the first one I conducted despite being done for the third

assignment. I did this because it fit better within Sarahs schedule to do before Chads interview

though I did them the same day. The observations were conduct a couple of weeks apart.
Going into this interview, I was quite nervous. I work with this student and did not want to come

off as stupid or incompetent. Though looking back, this was unnecessary. I chose people I felt

more comfortable with to conduct the interviews.

The interview itself went fine. I stuck to the script pretty much the whole time; though, I

did try to ask a few follow up questions. For the most part, I think my nerves kept me from

wanting to go too far off the questions I had already developed. I feel that I made a mistake

during the interview with Sarah by not picking up on a clear marker. Sarah during her junior year

underwent some extensive eye surgery to fix several issues with her vision and the eyes

themselves. This impacted her abilities to complete some of her work, school, and extracurricular

obligations. She mentioned that her advisor was very accommodating and helped her to complete

the necessary paperwork and develop a plan to accomplish everything. I, being somewhat close

to Sarah, knew about the situation and decided not to ask about it during the interview. Looking

at some of the information gathered from Chads interview, I think that asking more detailed

questions of Sarah about the impacts that event had on her and her relationships with the

Business School staff and her mentees could have provided rich information. Specifically, it

could lead to why she came back as a peer mentoras she was a peer mentor at the time of the

surgeriesand how this changed her methods of mentoring, if at all.

Transcribing the interview was significantly easier than the previous assignment. I think

this was because I was not focused on catching every single word but was more focused on

capturing what the interviewee was trying to say. Also, I was less worried about capturing the

false starts and changes in sentence direction. In the first transcription, I struggled with trying to

find a way to easily transcribe the wordsswitching between the play, pause, type, play method

and trying to use audacity. I found that using Audacity to slow down the talking speed so I could
type simultaneously proved very effective and is likely how I will continue to transcribe. As I

coded, I developed several themes that appeared like giving back and developing/maintaining

relationships. These themes were consistent across the two peer mentors. It would be interesting

to see if I interviewed more peer mentors if the themes would remain consistent.

Transcription

Interviewer 1: [Discussed the ethical issues and purpose of the interview]

Respondent 1: [Had no questions prior to starting the interview]

Interviewer 2: So, the first thing I want you to think about is what are some extracurriculars you

did during high school?

Respondent 2: So, in High school, I was pretty involved. I was really involved in Kansas

Associate for youth. I served on the advisory board for two years and was president for my

senior. Basically, the organization is a service for rehabilitation state wide in a variety of high

schools. They have summer camps and its a club that high schools have and you do community

service. That was probably my main involvement. I also did youth advisory council through the

McPherson Advisory Council. We helped allocate funds to different organizations that needed it

within the county to benefit children and high school age students. That was kind of fun. I was

also involved in National Honors Society and I was Vice President of that my senior year. And

then I also did student council at my high school and was involved in planning a Big Event type

thing for that. I think that might be it for high school. Do I need to included work or anything?

Interviewer 3: Anything that you think would be beneficial for me to know.

Respondent 3: Well, I also worked during the summer at a waterpark, but I dont know if that is

important.

Interviewer 4: It could be. What was most rewarding about those activities?
Respondent 4: I think just being able to give back to the community and see the service that

youre doing within the community and within my high school since its a small town you can

really see those youre benefiting from what youre doing. So, it was cool especially in Hayes to

get people involved in the community and others involved in community service.

Interviewer 5: Can you think of a specific time that you felt fully engaged in one of those

organizations?

Respondent 5: I would say seeing the Big Event to the end. I was on student council for two

years; so, because the whole high school has to do it, we get a day off of school and everyone is

involved and seeing everyone engaged in giving back and hearing the feedback on how much

they enjoy it--all of our service--was really great and really rewarding getting to see how

impactful it was.

Interviewer 6: Would you say that those experiences have influenced your KU Experience?

Respondent 6: Definitely, since I was so involved in high school, I knew that I wanted to come

into college and continue that. Luckily, I was able to get involved pretty early in my college

career. And, I think that it definitely made things a little easier making friends and transitioning

to college life. Also, keeping that up and continuing to give back to the Lawrence community.

Interviewer 7: Switching toward your experiences in BUS 110. Who was your instructor?

Respondent 7: It was Georgiana both semesters.

Interviewer 8: Can you tell me about your relationship with her at the beginning of BUS 110/120

and how it is now?

Respondent 8: Yeah. My situation is unique because my brother worked here, so I was familiar

with the staff coming into college, which was fortunate; because, Georgiana helped me with the

enrollment process when I came to college. We maintained our relationship through BUS 110. I
really enjoyed that, so I enrolled with her for BUS 120even though it wasn't a requirement to

do that. I have kept her as my academic advisor for all four years and go to her for all my advice,

which has been nice, because she knows where I am at with things. So, I would say last year

when I had my eye issues she was very accommodating and talked me through what I should do

in regards to my academic performance and schedule so that was really beneficial. Getting

involved with being a peer mentor, she is in charge of the First-year experience program, so

talking with her about being a peer mentor and what all that involved so she encouraged me to

apply. We still have a strong relationship working in the advising office. I havent had her as my

instructor that I am a peer mentor with but just having that relationship with her to go to if I have

any questions about being a peer mentor has helped and now she is writing my letter of rec for

the MAcc program.

Interviewer 9: Can you think back to who was your peer mentor during BUS 110/120?

Respondent 9: His name was Wesley, but I cant remember his last name off the top of my head.

He was my peer mentor for BUS 110; and, for BUS 120, it was Shannon, but I cant remember

her last name of the top of my head either.

Interviewer 10: Is there anything that they did that sticks out with you?

Respondent 10: Being very open and down on our level more than obviously our instructor

would be. It was nice having someone to go talk to if we needed it or shoot an email to was

beneficial to have freshman year.

Interviewer 11: What things did they do that you try to emulate with your mentees?

Respondent 11: Having that openness that you can come to if you have questions at all. I try to

make that apparent to my students. School related, not school related, whatever it is I am a

person you can talk to. Also, being that familiar face on campus. Like if I see one of my previous
students in the business school, I will still say hi and ask how theyre doing and trying to

remembering everyones name as well is really beneficial and that's what they did. Its kind of

fun to emulate that.

Interviewer 12: Is there anything they did that you try to avoid doing?

Respondent 12: I dont know if its necessarily what they did, but Summerfield wasnt very

accommodating to meeting space for peer mentors. We didnt have an office, so it was hard to

have office hours available to students. Since I didnt have place to go for them, it was

challenging for them and me last year to meet; so, it was like shoot me an email if you want to

meet. I dont think that is a very open way to be with students to pop it. Thats something I tried

to avoid, but it was hard to be open in that way. I still tried to be open with them. I think they

struggled with that too. There was a time I tried to go into office hours and no one was there. So,

that is something I tried to change from my experience.

Interviewer 13: What experiences have as a peer mentor have been most rewarding?

Respondent 13: Making those connections and giving student guidance during their first year. I

was in their shoes and know how tough it can be adjusting to college, studying, making friends

and knowing what's out there at Ku. Being able to make them aware of what is out there and that

everyone is going through the same thing to make them feel more comfortable on campus has

been rewarding. I hope that I am able to do that for them.

Interviewer 14: Have any of them come back from last year and said you were helpful?

Respondent 14: I havent gotten direct feedback. At the end of the semester they answer a survey

that rates the professor and the peer mentor and I havent seen that yet. Seeing them around and

them wanting to say hi or striking up a conversation. Just keep thing relationship alive has been

nice about being a peer mentors.


Interviewer 15: One requirement to be a peer mentor is to be involved within the B School. What

activities are you involved in within the University and B-school?

Respondent 15: University-wise freshman year I got involved with Greek life and held several

leadership positions within my sorority. I also got involved with Student Alumni Leadership

Board which helps run Student Alumni Association. I got involved with it my freshman year and

held several leadership positions within it. I also got involved with Beta Alpha Psi the accounting

fraternity for a year and also work within the B-school in the advising office as a front desk

assistant. I have also gone to several leadership conferences. One of them was Leadershape. I got

to attend that freshman year. It was a good experience getting exposed to the different supports

on campus and all the diversity that was really beneficial. I also got involved with KUnity a

Greek retreat basically for all four councils, so that was also training on diversity and inclusion

which was great. I am involved in KU Mortar Board which is an honor society which does

community service. I was also involved in the Big Event planning committee for a year and

attended the Big Event for three years. I was also involved in the Judicial Board for a year where

we helped the guiding rules with Panhellenic and the different chapters. That also assisted with

recruitment. I was also in Rock Chalk Revue which is a big giving organization production

where giving organizations can pair up and do a show. It has singing and dancing and benefits

habitat for humanity.

Interviewer 16: So, have these experiences shaped how you act as a peer mentor?

Respondent 16: Yes. Those experiences have helped me to realize how much is how there at KU

and to help my students to see it all too. As I said, I also had those diversity trainings and being

able to have those hard talks on those topics. Those things have been beneficial in helping guide

them. Being able to say hey I know it's hard to balance time and helping them with the time
management aspect of everything. All my involvement has helped me to know when I can do

certain things. So, helping them realize that kind of schedule has been beneficial. Being that

person they can talk to who knows whats going on, on campus has helped.

Interviewer 18: Earlier you mentioned that Georgiana influenced you to apply to be a peer

mentor. Are there any other people who have influenced you?

Respondent 18: Seeing my peer mentors when I was in business 110/120 really had an impact on

me. Knowing that they were out there trying to help us, I wanted to be that same person doing

that helping the new KU students.

Interviewer 19: Are there specific aspects that as a peer mentor you think will benefit you in the

future?

Respondent 19: Mentorship is always going to be a huge part of my career whether I am being

mentored or I am mentoring someone else I think it will always be a big part of my life not just

in a career but in life in general. Youll always have mentors for different aspects and be a

mentor in different aspects. I think it will be beneficial knowing those skills and be able to pick

up on when people are struggling and when they need guidance and advice and be that person

people can talk to will be beneficial.

Interviewer 20: So, if you had to say one thing, because there have been many, that influenced

you to be a peer mentor what would it be and why?

Respondent 20: Probably my experience in business 110/120 because I think it is a really great

program and I think it is really beneficial to students whether they see it right away or not. I think

down the road they will be happy they had that connection within the business school and a good

example of a business school student is beneficial to them.

Interviewer 21: [Closed the interview out]

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