Peer Academic Leaders | New Students

Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) serve new students as advocates, teaching assistants, and mentors in the FYE 101: Succeed at the G class, a MAC Foundations course. PALs have a distinct leadership opportunity to help students transition during their first year.

Peer Academic Leader (PAL) Position Description

Help students adjust and excel academically and personally by becoming aware of resources in order to appropriately connect students
Serve as a peer mentor for academic, co-curricular, and leadership involvement through communication of events and initiatives on campus
Assist their FYE Instructor(s) in engaging students and classroom management
Independently teach/instruct at least one class session on a topic relevant to first-year student success and transition
Serve as a liaison for first-year students and the FYE Instructor to create an open and honest dialogue
Attend all class meetings for their assigned FYE 101: Succeed at the G course
Conduct 1-on-1 meetings with all students enrolled in your assigned FYE 101 course
Plan out-of-class experiences for students to connect with the UNCG community

FYE 101: Succeed at the G is a three-credit, 15-week transition seminar for new first-year in their first semester at UNC Greensboro. This course gives students the opportunity to explore personal development opportunities, gain skills essential to academic success, and discover and connect with their new community. You can learn more about the course here.

Qualifications

PALs are students who are organized, resourceful, responsible, and flexible. They must be passionate about helping new students succeed in their first semester here at UNCG.

PALs are chosen based on their interpersonal, academic, and leadership skills, along with their campus involvement.

PALs must maintain a minimum of a 2.75 cumulative grade point average; with a 3.0 GPA is preferred. PALs must also be in good standing with the University.

PALs must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours at UNCG by the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.

Application & Interview Process

Applications will open up in November 2024.

For any questions, please contact Ana Castillo-Alaniz, Coordinator for First Year Experience, at amcastiloa@uncg.edu

Do you know of a student who you think would make a great PAL? Please click here to nominate them using our Microsoft Form.

FYE 201: Lead at the G

FYE 201: Lead at the G is a training course designed to help our PALs develop the leadership skills needed to foster academic success and serve as effective peer mentors for new students in transition. PALs will learn about key resources and explore topics related to student development theory, leadership theory, pedagogy, and personal development.

This course is a requirement for PALs in the Spring Semester occurring weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:15 PM beginning after spring break.

FYE 201 thoroughly prepares PALs to confidently enter their role in the FYE 101: Succeed at the G classroom!

100% of PALs agreed being in the FYE 201: Lead at the G course was a positive experience.
100% of PALs agreed being in the FYE 201: Lead at the G course was a rewarding experience.
100% of PALs believed the FYE 201: Lead at the G course had a positive impact on them.

“One key takeaway was how important my role is. I am here to lead students and give them the information they need to have a good first year.” – 2023 PAL

“I enjoyed the course very much. It was a fun learning experience and it makes me more excited to enter the school year in the Fall as a PAL.” – 2023 PAL

“I loved it! I really enjoyed getting to know all the new PALs and it made me even more excited to continue being a PAL.” – 2023 PAL

Hear from Current & Past PALs

Fast Facts

96.5% of students believed that their PAL genuinely cared about them as a student
100% of PALs would recommend the position
100% of PALs reported feeling supported by their FYE 101 Instructors
100% of PALs reported having a high level of satisfaction in their role
100% of PALs agreed that they were properly equipped to do their jobs well

“Being a PAL has changed my life in so many ways! It pushed me to do better as a student, professional, and person. Not only have I been able to grow as a professional with the skills I developed, but I really found my calling for working with students. The PAL role has let me connect with some really amazing people, including some of my closest friends. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity (and the privilege) of being a PAL for the past 2 years!”
-Alex Little, Returner PAL

“As I learned more about what a PAL was and the impact I would be making on first-year students, my reasons for wanting the job completely changed. My goal was to make students feel as comfortable as I could possibly make them with the class, University, and me as a PAL.”
-Jonathan Awa, Returner PAL

“I became attracted to the PAL position because of the leadership opportunity. After hearing from fellow peers about the amazing impact PAL has had on their leadership ability and confidence, I knew I had to be part of this great opportunity. I remembered my first year and how difficult it was to become accustomed to college life and a new setting. PAL would provide me with an opportunity to help other students who were once in a similar position and be a kind mentor to them.”
-Maggie Seye, Returner PAL

“The PAL role has definitely helped me grow personally and professionally. I am much more confident in myself in how I present myself in front of people and I feel better prepared going forward in my education and in my future profession. The PAL role has a focus on transferable skills so no matter what you end up doing, being a PAL can help you to be successful!”
-Ivan Tarpley, Returner PAL

“I have seen my public speaking skills improve tremendously. I have also seen my capacity to grow connections with people from many different backgrounds increase. Professionally, I have learned how to identify the transferable skills in the PAL role as well as others. I have also learned what it looks like to be a mentor and leader, someone who people actually desire to follow.”
-Karis Sustar, Returner PAL

“I have grown in my ability to increase engagement with the university for myself and others while also gaining the ability to handle adverse situations. Professionally this has built my resume and helped me give back to UNCG!”
-Andreeck Aguilar, Returner PAL

Meet the 2023-2024 PALs

My PAL was a great pal. She was super kind to the class and also helped us with any problems she has seen or experienced herself. She helped a lot making a transition into college.

– Fall 2022 FYE 101 Student

I think that the most satisfying aspect of being a PAL has been connecting with my students and truly watching them grow this semester. I’ve also enjoyed building relationships with my students and being able to serve as their mentor as they’ve navigated their first year at UNCG. It’s been amazing getting to know my students and creating that peer relationship, especially since most of my class was on the quieter side. Thus, breaking down those walls and getting the privilege of having some students open up to me has been so gratifying, and I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate it.

– 2020 Peer Academic Leader

My PAL was the greatest, genuine care and positivity was always present around here. Not to mention it was always wonderful to have a chat with her, no matter what it was I always felt comfortable to talk to her about anything. It was truly an amazing experience having her as my PAL, it could not have gotten better than that!

– Fall 2020 FYE 101 Student

Having a PAL that has been in the position of us freshmen creates a bond that wouldn’t exist if it were with an instructor. It allows us to ask her about her first year and she has given us a lot of valuable advice on how to handle our first year.

– Fall 2020 FYE 101 Student

This was one of the best experiences that I’ve had thus far during my time at UNCG. It allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and network with outstanding faculty on campus!

– 2020 Peer Academic Leader

Having a PAL that was very understanding made me look forward to attending the class. She continued to encourage us throughout the semester and give us all the support we needed. She made sure no one was feeling left out and made sure all of us were doing okay.

– Fall 2022 FYE 101 Student

As a PAL I am granted the opportunity to be apart of service-based learning while providing the direct service of mentorship and guidance to first-year students.

– 2021 Peer Academic Leader

My PAL was very enthusiastic and always made the class lively. He showed us that he really cared about how we were doing and brought everyone together as a class.

– Fall 2022 FYE 101 Student

I’ve loved being a PAL this semester and it’s really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and grow as an individual. While I know that PALs are there for their students, I think PALs are almost even more benefited from this job/student-mentor relationship than their students due to the growth that we have gone through and various skills we have gained. It’s been a truly rewarding experience and I’ve enjoyed it even more than I thought that I would.

– 2020 Peer Academic Leader

My PAL is super fun and extremely understanding. He always found away to give us good advice or help when we needed it. He always found a way to share some positive tips when he could see a lot of us had doubts, when it came to different things.

– Fall 2022 FYE 101 Student

Being a PAL allows me to be a mentor and advocate for first-year students as they navigate and adapt to the community here at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, to help student excel academically and personally through engagement inside and outside of the classroom, knowledge of resources, and promoting student involvement, and to use my position as a student leader to further connect myself on campus, develop meaningful relationships with peers and faculty, and enhance my professional skills.

– 2021 Peer Academic Leader