Human Development and Family Studies Current Peer Mentors

Degree Program: Human Development and Family Studies Major with Concentrations in Leadership and Advocacy and Prevention and Intervention Sciences

Year in School: Junior

Hometown: Aspen, Colorado

Why did you choose to attend CSU? I chose CSU because of the opportunities and support it offers to students. I also loved the supportive community and the beautiful campus from the very beginning.

Why did you choose the HDFS major? I chose HDFS as a major because I have always wanted to help others. With this major, I can do that as it gives me a lot of flexibility on how I can use it. With the HDFS major and concentrations, I felt like it would best prepare me for various careers and different life situations.

What do you enjoy most about studying HDFS? I have enjoyed all of the HDFS classes I have taken so far. Each one is so unique and helpful as I can apply it to real-life situations. Studying HDFS has also introduced me to amazing people!

What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I like to hang out with my friends, be outdoors, listen to music, or take a hot yoga class!

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? I am looking forward to meeting and connecting with my mentee. I believe this can be an experience where we can both learn from each other. 

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? My advice is to leave your comfort zone and try new things. There will be a lot of opportunities to meet new people and attend different events, so my advice is to say yes to the things that sound interesting to you even if you are feeling scared or nervous at first! My other suggestion is to make time for yourself as well. At times, it gets busy with classes, clubs, and other events going on, so it is important to listen to your body and to take breaks when you need them!

Degree Program: Early Childhood Education Major with Teacher Licensure

Year in School: Junior

Hometown: Brighton, Colorado

Why did you choose to attend CSU? CSU was the best choice for me because it felt the most welcoming. My oldest brother went to CSU, so I appreciated knowing at least one person who could help me transition into college. I also liked that they had a lot of resources for first-generation students and students of color.

Why did you choose the ECE major? I spent a long time deciding what I wanted to study, but I knew I wanted to work in a helping profession. I started as a Social Work major, but I quickly noticed it wouldn’t be the best fit for me. I chose ECE on a whim, but after volunteering at an elementary school, I knew I was in the right place!

What do you enjoy most about studying ECE/HDFS? I love that ECE is so interactive. This semester, we are having some of our classes inside elementary schools. The best way to learn is through experience, so I am excited to dive in. As for HDFS, the classes are always so interesting and applicable to my daily life.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love cross-stitching, writing, going to the gym, and thrift shopping!

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? I am excited to meet everyone in this mentor program and do fun activities together! I can’t wait to try new things and learn about my mentee too.

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? Try new things! This can apply to many aspects of your life- maybe you want to set up a nightly routine, try a new way to organize your time, or go to a campus event. Whatever it is, college is the time to explore your interests and what works best for you. Don’t get caught up in what other people think. This is the best time to find what you love to do. And if you don’t find anyone to go with, go alone! (Or you can invite your mentor😉, but you will find cool people regardless!) Also, self-care is VERY important, especially sleep. That assignment can wait, get those 8 hours in!

Degree Program: Human Development and Family Studies Major with a Concentration in Pre-Health Professions

Year in School: Junior

Hometown: Littleton, Colorado

Why did you choose to attend CSU? I really liked the city of Fort Collins and loved how many resources CSU offered.

Why did you choose the HDFS major? I chose HDFS because I want to go into Occupational Therapy, and this is a great program to prepare for that path!

What do you enjoy most about studying HDFS? I really love learning about accessibility and how to help make life easier for people.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love to thrift, watch movies, and hang out with my friends!

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? New friendships!

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? It’s okay to not like school at first! It is such a hard transition no matter how prepared you feel but remember that everyone is also going through this and it will all work out! Stay focused but do not limit yourself. Have fun and treasure this time.

Degree Program: Human Development and Family Studies Major with a Concentration in Prevention and Intervention Sciences

Year in School: Junior

Hometown: Greeley, Colorado

Why did you choose to attend CSU? I chose CSU because it was close to my family but also far enough away. I really liked the HDFS program.

Why did you choose the HDFS major? I chose Human Development and Families Studies because I really wanted to learn about people and to be able to apply it to my personal life. I was also really interested in the careers with HDFS.

What do you enjoy most about studying HDFS? I really enjoy everyone within the major; students and staff are very kind and understanding. They are always really nice and welcoming, especially for first-gen students.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love doing crafts and reading books in my free time.

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? I am looking forward to gaining experience as a peer mentor and giving knowledge, but also learning even more from others.

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? The advice I would give to an incoming first-year student would be that they are enough and that they deserve to be here even through imposter syndrome.

Degree Program: Human Development and Family Studies Major with a Concentration in Pre-Health Professions

Year in School: Junior

Hometown: Mililani, Hawaii

Why did you choose to attend CSU? I chose CSU because the people on campus, ranging from staff to peers, were all genuinely helpful and caring. There’s such a beautiful community here on campus, and I always feel like everyone has my best interest at heart.

Why did you choose the HDFS major? During my transfer process, I wanted to be a speech pathologist and was recommended the HDFS major. I was told there would be a lot of opportunities for me with this major and I believe that with my whole heart to this day. In addition, the HDFS 277 class opened my eyes to how like-minded everyone involved in this major is, which helped me find my place.

What do you enjoy most about studying HDFS? I enjoy how easy it is for me to understand the material that is covered in the various classes. It excites and motivates me to know that I am in a major that I understand on a deeper level.

What do you like to do in your free time? I like to just relax and be in nature. I like listening to the sound around me and really just being able to ground myself after a hard/hectic day.

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? I’m looking forward to connecting with others in my major who may have had similar experiences to my own, both growing up and navigating through the HDFS major here at CSU.

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? Just be gentle with yourself. The first year of college brings a lot of changes, and it’s okay if you can’t be everything all at once.

Degree Program: Human Development and Family Studies Major with a Concentration in Early Childhood Professions

Year in School: Junior

Hometown: Commerce City, Colorado

Why did you choose to attend CSU? I chose CSU because it was really important to me that I stayed in state, but it was also important to me that I feel independent from my parents, and CSU was the perfect distance away for me to feel that.

Why did you choose the HDFS major? To keep a long story short, I actually started off as a health and exercise science major, and last summer I had the beautiful opportunity to teach and get in the classroom and I quickly realize that HES wasn’t for me and I wanted to do something that centered kids in young people in HDFS. This was where I ended up and it was the best decision, and I could’ve made for myself.

What do you enjoy most about studying HDFS? What I enjoy most about HDFS is that I feel like I’ve learned so much about people, but through that, I’ve learned so much about myself, and I feel like the more I get closer to graduating the deeper and deeper I get into it and the more excited I feel

What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I like to hang out with friends or chill at home. I’m kind of a homebody, but I also really like hanging out and having fun with my friends.

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? What I’m most looking forward to about being a peer mentor is creating memories and a really strong connection with my mentees as well as just being there for my mentee and a source of guidance, support, and motivation.

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? The advice I would give to an incoming first-year student is to ask for help when you need it as well as lean on people. You can’t do this alone, but there are always people there to help you along the way and to encourage you, and don’t ever forget that, but you can do it. You are doing it and that means a lot. You should be proud of that.

Degree Program: Human Development and Family Studies Major with a Concentration in Prevention and Intervention Sciences

Year in School: Senior

Hometown: Commerce City, Colorado

Why did you choose to attend CSU? I chose CSU because they have a great diverse community and it was far yet close to home.

Why did you choose the HDFS major? I chose HDFS because the classes are really captivating and there is a wide range of work opportunities after graduation.

What do you enjoy most about studying HDFS? I enjoy building connections with my peers as well as the faculty that work with us.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love spending time with my friends and going out to Downtown Denver!

What are you looking forward to most about being a Peer Mentor? I am looking forward to being able to help a first-year student feel connected to the CSU community and campus!

What advice would you give to an incoming first-year student? My best advice is to participate in events on campus and to not be scared of branching out to meet new people.