Academic Resource Center

Front Desk Receptionist

June 2022 • Riverside, CA

What I liked

I appreciated the fact that I was offered a job due to my participation in the Academic Resource Center's services. I enjoyed utilizing their tutoring, supplemental instruction, and R'Success workshops, which all helped me during my first academic year at UCR. Thus, many of the professional staff members were already acquainted with me, and were willing to offer me an interview for the opportunity to work and utilize my work-study offer.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had begun working sooner in order to utilize my work study benefit from FAFSA; however, I was asked to wait due to slow traffic during the 2021-2022 academic year. I completed an interview in Fall 2021, but did not begin working until late Spring 2022. Although this did give me an opportunity to meet other employers across campus, it did take much longer to be on-boarded than I previously anticipated.

Advice

If you're anything like me, then you probably did not realize Handshake was a service before applying to your first job at UCR. However, because I waited so patiently to be on-boarded to work at the ARC, I was able to utilize Handshake in order to explore additional work-study exclusive offers. It is a great tool for students looking to inquire about their first entry-level job, which can open even greater opportunities in the future.

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Highlander Early Start Academy - Peer Mentor

July - September 2023 • Riverside, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed assisting first-year students transition from the semester to the quarter system. There was advice that our team of peer mentors and instructors disseminated during our HESA 001 College Success Course that I wish I had taken the opportunity when I was an incoming first year. It was also insightful working with other fellow graduates and Ph.D. students because our team was a diverse mix of majors with varied experiences. For instance, prior to starting this position, I had just finished studying abroad in Oaxaca, MX., whereas another fellow peer mentor was a current undergraduate research assistant with ambitions to apply to medical school. Having these different, yet relevant experiences allowed us to share with one another and offer not only our mentees advice, but each other as well!

What I wish was different

One thing that I wish had been different was the eligibility for the participants within the program. Students had to be to be enrolled in either ENGL 4, MATH 5, or MATH 6A, which limits the outreach that we have to students who do not have to take those courses. Meaning the early start academic is in some ways catering to students who scored low on the AWPE or the MAE. And the university expects students to stay on track to graduate in four years; however, that does consider students who have tested out of those courses that may want to take advantage of an early start to potentially pursue opportunities through research, internship, or even leadership and advocacy work.

Advice

The knowledge you have of our school's campus is invaluable; however, experience and understanding of our college campus is not enough to be a supportive peer. In this instance, and in many relationships, it takes unconditional positive regard and empathy to truly connect with someone. This particular experience allowed me to take a step back and consider whether or not a person needed an immediate solution to their issues or simply an active listener. I hope to take this experience and apply it to future mentorship roles that help serve marginalized communities.

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