UP Connections creates community
Lauren Seynhaeve
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Living
Adjusting to college is difficult for everyone. And it can be especially demanding when students are particularly far away from their families or when they feel set apart because of ethnic background.
UP Connections is a peer-mentorship program that helps primarily multicultural students make the steps into college life with peer friendship and advice. All first-year undergraduate students are welcome into this program, though.
"At a predominantly white school, some students of color are going to face adjustment issues," said Bethany Sills, assistant director of student activities and multicultural programs coordinator. "UP Connections tries to bridge the gap so the multicultural students feel an extra gift of friendship."
Affiliated with the OHANA program on campus, UP Connections assigns first-year undergraduate students to a mentor. These mentors have usually been a part of the program before, and the mentor's job is to help the underclassman feel welcome in addition to giving help whenever necessary.
Oscar Villicana, a senior, is the OHANA/UP Connections Coordinator. As a freshman, he joined the OHANA program, and he liked it so much that he wanted to be a mentor himself in his sophomore year.
"It was really interesting," he said. "I met a ton of friends through it, and I wanted to be more involved by helping people to have as good of a time as I did."
UP Connections began as a continuation of OHANA in 2007. It has become a yearly cycle, beginning with OHANA in August, UP Connection mentorship in the fall, and hiring and training new mentors in the spring.
"It's like Big Brothers Big Sisters at the college level," Sills said.
Sophomore Yaneira Romero became a mentor this year because she had such a great experience in the program last year.
"I love connecting with students and making them feel welcome," she said. "I love waving at all the students who are in it when I'm walking around."
The mentors often think of themselves more as friends than mentors. Although there are socials for the entire UP Connections group at least once a month, the mentors meet with their groups of four to five about once a week to keep up with each other and have fun.
UP Connections is a peer-mentorship program that helps primarily multicultural students make the steps into college life with peer friendship and advice. All first-year undergraduate students are welcome into this program, though.
"At a predominantly white school, some students of color are going to face adjustment issues," said Bethany Sills, assistant director of student activities and multicultural programs coordinator. "UP Connections tries to bridge the gap so the multicultural students feel an extra gift of friendship."
Affiliated with the OHANA program on campus, UP Connections assigns first-year undergraduate students to a mentor. These mentors have usually been a part of the program before, and the mentor's job is to help the underclassman feel welcome in addition to giving help whenever necessary.
Oscar Villicana, a senior, is the OHANA/UP Connections Coordinator. As a freshman, he joined the OHANA program, and he liked it so much that he wanted to be a mentor himself in his sophomore year.
"It was really interesting," he said. "I met a ton of friends through it, and I wanted to be more involved by helping people to have as good of a time as I did."
UP Connections began as a continuation of OHANA in 2007. It has become a yearly cycle, beginning with OHANA in August, UP Connection mentorship in the fall, and hiring and training new mentors in the spring.
"It's like Big Brothers Big Sisters at the college level," Sills said.
Sophomore Yaneira Romero became a mentor this year because she had such a great experience in the program last year.
"I love connecting with students and making them feel welcome," she said. "I love waving at all the students who are in it when I'm walking around."
The mentors often think of themselves more as friends than mentors. Although there are socials for the entire UP Connections group at least once a month, the mentors meet with their groups of four to five about once a week to keep up with each other and have fun.
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