Volunteering with Students Orienting Students has been a win-win situation for Jordynne Ropat.

“You’re helping new students and in turn you get a more positive outlook on university,” says the second-year student in the behaviour, cognition and neuroscience program.

She says her duties welcoming newcomers during Head Start and the first week of each semester taught her a lot about university services and academic programs. She particularly enjoyed helping students devise a workable course schedule.

“Some of these students have no idea what classes they want to take,” Ropat says. “It’s nice to mentor them in that way.”

She says that the peer relationship is key to the program’s success: “I feel like we play a great role in representing the university in a positive way. It means a lot when it’s students relating to students.”

Students Orienting Students is recruiting volunteers for the 2012/13 year; applications are due by January 31.  Find more information and the online application on the program Web site.