To help new students adjust to university life, a team of current American University of Sharjah students have been trained to act as their mentors during their early days on campus.

Sixty current AUS students attended a training session for the Peer Leaders Program on June 5, organized by the Student Leadership Program (SLP). The Peer Leaders Program helps newly admitted students transition from high school to university life by training current students to serve as role models, guides, mentors and friends. Peer leaders “adopt” between 5 to 10 students during orientation and guide them during their first three weeks at AUS, helping them learn about the range of activities and organizations available on campus.

SLP’s team provided the peer leaders with vital information about the rules, procedures and steps that are required to complete the registration for new students during orientation week and first week of classes. During the training, SLP’s current active Team Leaders Hawazen Diab, Mohd Al Atallah and Nidal Sherif conducted role-play activities and ran through various scenarios that peer leaders may face during the New Students and Parents Welcome Session. 

Hames Sherif, sophomore student majoring in mathematics, said:

“What motivated me to become a peer leader in the first place was that I received help from a peer leader when I was a freshman. The training session made me even more excited for the program. The welcome kits we recieved were a great way to remind us of the qualities a peer leader should have.”

Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Dean of Students, said:

“We are very happy to see students wanting to take part in the Peer Leaders Program and lending a hand to new students. During the training, many of the students spoke about their positive experience with peer leaders upon joining AUS, and this encouraged them to join the program. Starting with the New Students and Parents Welcome Session, peer leaders play an important role in helping new students discover the range of services that can improve their lives at AUS.”