We have a lot of acronyms at UNH Manchester; CAE, OL, CIS, EET and much more, but what about PAL?
At UNH Manchester, a PAL is known as a Peer Assistant Leader. A position under the First Year Experience Department (FYE), a PAL works closely with first year students helping them transition from into college.
Dr. Karlea Brunelle-Joiner, coordinator of the First Year Experience Program, explains the PAL program as a program that “is about helping new students transition into the academic and social life of the college….We want them to persist, meaning we want them to achieve their goals at UNH Manchester.”
Specifically, PALs are student leaders that are linked with a first year seminar class that each first year student will be enrolled in during the fall semester. They act as a mentor and a resource for these students as they integrate into the academic and social community and begin making connections with faculty, staff and peers.
The first year seminars range from themed freshmen classes, to classes geared towards transfer students and veterans. They are all designed to help build community, connect the students with upper classmen, develop both academic and career goals, acquire knowledge about the campus, and gain insight into their own goals and purposes. The transfer and veterans seminars focus on some of the same concepts as the freshmen seminars, but tend to have an emphasis on networking and creating connections, goal setting and their journey beyond graduation.
The FYE Department consists of mainly student leaders. While there is Dr. Brunelle-Joiner and a graduate assistant, Dr. Brunelle-Joiner enlists the help of student leaders to outreach to students. “Student leaders are an important part in carrying out work,” Brunelle-Joiner remarked. Currently, there are six PALs and eight orientation leaders for the 2014-2015 school year.
I got to sit down with two PALs from this year’s team, Alyssa Paquin, and Paige Tobin.
Alyssa Paquin, a graduate of Campbell High School, is a senior in the psychology program. Paquin joined the PAL team because, as she explains, “I like to mentor students. Also because a PAL can make a difference.”
Paquin looked at the PAL role as someone who helps students make connections and helps make the transition easier. Her biggest goal for her first PAL year is to get the students engaged within the school’s community.
“If they are engaged academically and socially they begin making connections,” she said. She recalled how she became involved on campus saying when she began to get involved “everything sort of clicked” and she wants that to happen for all of the incoming first year students liked it happened for her.
Going on her second year in the PAL role, Paige Tobin, a graduate of Manchester Memorial High School, is a junior in the business program. Tobin wanted to become more involved with the campus and use her bubbly and outgoing personality to her advantage.
“My biggest goal for this year would to be to connect with my student more than I have in the past,” Tobin said,” I still find it difficult to connect with students who distance themselves. I hope I can learn to break barriers like that and become more helpful to them.” Tobin continued to talk about the excitement of the new school year, “I'm looking forward to this year is meeting a bunch of new people, and seeing what new and exciting opportunities come my way.” The excitement extends to meeting her students and beginning to help them with their goals and time at UNH Manchester.
Brunelle-Joiner says that her favorite part of the job is August. Smiling and adding that there are so many things to choose from, she went on to say that August is a fresh start; that it is filled with meeting new students, training the new PALs and seeing what the team will look like.
She recalled the PAL end of the year event where past PALs come and celebrate with present and incoming PALs. “It’s a good time to reconnect and look at how our year has been,” Brunelle-Joiner said, reflection being a key component in the First Year Experience Department. Of course she enjoys everything about her job, but nothing comes close to connecting with students whether they are past, present or future.
Speaking as a student who has been in the PAL role for two years, I can say that this leadership position has opened so many opportunities for me and the other PAL members. It is a position that not only helps others, but also allows for growth and goal achievement for the PALs. I can probably speak for all the PALs when I say that this position has allowed us to become more involved and knowledgeable about the campus, and to become invested in the school and the students and begin to really care.
With a great collection of faculty, staff and student leaders, the First Year Experience Department and the PAL program will continue to make a difference in the campus’ community and the college careers of many students to come.
