The 2004 student mentors at CQU Mackay were rewarded for their efforts at last Friday’s special award presentation.

All received a Certificate of Appreciation for the voluntary support they have offered to first-year students.

Second-year Bachelor of Learning Management students, Caryl Turpin and Sharon Grubb, and third-year Bachelor of Information Technology student Leanne Comelli, were chosen from the 38 mentors to also receive Mentor of the Year Awards and prize money for exceptional assistance to first-year students in their transition to university.

This year, each mentor was allocated 10 students and award winners were chosen based on first year student nominations and consultations.

According to CQU Counsellor Ms Jocelyn Wood, the role of student mentors on campus cannot be underestimated.

"Not only do they become a friendly and familiar face, they help new students to assimilate to their new environment more quickly, thus feeling more comfortable and able to focus on their studies right from the outset." The CQU Mentor Program is not unlike an induction program in the workplace.

Second or third-year students show first-year students the ropes, including all the essentials like study tips, library usage and exam passing, and they answer all of those ‘stupid questions’ that first-year students don’t feel comfortable to ask.

Mentors provide an important link between the students and staff, and they pass on their valuable experience and knowledge throughout the first semester and often into the second.

“Orientation would not be the same without the assistance of our mentors and many mentors and first-year students form ongoing friendships,” Ms Wood said. “The mentors get a lot out of their mentoring experience, in particular they make new friends and feel a sense of achievement as they help other students.".

The CQU student mentor program has been in place for the past eight years and the program benefits both new students and the mentors.

According to one Mentor of the Year, Caryl Turpin: “being a mentor has helped develop my leadership and communication skills and I’ve become more aware of the needs of others".

Ms Wood believes “the experience of being a mentor can also add an important facet to students’ resumes when they leave university, as this kind of experience is highly valued by employers.".

Photo above: 2004 CQU Mackay Mentors of the Year (from left) Sharon Grubb, Leanne Comelli and Caryl Turpin.

Photo left: CQU Mackay Campus Counsellor, Ms Jocelyn Wood (back) with the 2004 Mentors of the Year.