At Illinois Valley Community College, a relatively new initiative is quietly making waves in student support services. The Peer Mentor Program, launched in collaboration with Transformative Growth Counseling (TGC), offers students a unique resource—guidance from fellow students who have undergone specialized training to help with everything from academic stress to social isolation.
Danica Scoma, one of IVCC’s two peer mentors, discovered the opportunity while still in high school. “I found a job description and application on the IVCC campus in my last semester of high school, and it struck my interest,” Scoma recalled. The psychology major went through an intensive training process before beginning her role. “The training process was long and extensive,” she said. “My coworker and I would meet on Zoom with our supervisor to go over topics of conversation, confidentiality, toolbox building techniques to help students, and much more.”
Stephanie Castañeda-Arteaga, Mental Health Program Director for TGC at IVCC, explained the program’s structure and goals. “Peer mentors offer their support, resources, and a listening ear for IVCC students,” she said. “They also help promote mental health awareness.” The program specifically looks for mentors who have “a passion to help students through tough times and also have had their own mental health experience,” Castañeda-Arteaga added.
Unlike traditional counseling services, the peer mentor program takes a more casual, accessible approach. “We are not assigned students—we are simply here for anyone who would want to use us as a resource,” Scoma emphasized. “The purpose of this program is not to force students to come talk to us about their problems but to offer them the option and safe space to do so if they choose.”
The mentors have noticed common themes among students seeking support. “What I’ve noticed here on campus is that many students have difficulties making friends or having the skills to reach out and create connections with their peers,” Scoma observed. This insight has shaped the program’s outreach efforts, which include regular campus events and giveaways designed to foster connections.
Castañeda-Arteaga detailed the careful selection and training process for mentors. After meeting basic requirements like maintaining a good GPA, candidates undergo Mental Health First Aid training and study a manual covering topics like stress, anxiety, depression, and academic-life balance. “Peers are also trained on FERPA, which mandates confidentiality for students,” she noted.
The program maintains strict boundaries to ensure student safety and mentor well-being. “Peer mentors are trained to know when to properly hand off a student to a mental health professional when they believe that a student needs clinical support,” Castañeda-Arteaga explained. Weekly supervision meetings provide ongoing support for the mentors themselves.
For Scoma, the most rewarding aspect has been seeing students engage at events. “The most rewarding is hearing students having fun at our events or even just expressing interest in what we have to say or giveaway,” she said. “I love creating connections with everyone who comes by, and it is so nice to see people light up when they feel that someone genuinely cares about their well-being.”
Despite its successes, the program faces challenges. With only two mentors currently available, scheduling can be difficult. “Sometimes both peer mentors have class when we have a student who needs to talk to someone,” Castañeda-Arteaga acknowledged. Budget constraints limit expansion possibilities, though organizers hope to grow the program. “Currently, because of the budget, we are only limited to hiring two peer mentors at a time,” she said. “I would love to see this program grow where we can have up to five peer mentors who can offer different times so students have more opportunities to talk to peers.”
The program collects feedback through surveys distributed at events, often offering incentives to encourage participation. This input helps shape future programming. “We adjust each year to make sure we use those funds the best we can,” Castañeda-Arteaga said, referring to state mental health grants that support the initiative.
Scoma appreciates the program’s flexibility. “Being the first peer mentor program on campus, we learn as we go,” she said. “I love having the space to mold it to students’ needs.” She suggested one potential improvement: “In the future, the peer mentors could be assigned to do more around the counseling office, such as greeting students when the office gets busy.”
For students considering becoming peer mentors, Scoma highlights the personal and professional benefits. “I loved the opportunity to use my leadership skills to help others on a daily basis,” she said. “It is an incredibly rewarding job, knowing that I can make at least a small impact on my peers’ experiences here at IVCC. I also wanted to explore potential career options that relate to this job.”
As the program continues to evolve, its leaders remain optimistic about its potential to strengthen IVCC’s campus community. “I hope we get to make it bigger and better each year,” Castañeda-Arteaga said. With its combination of peer support, mental health awareness, and community-building activities, the Peer Mentor Program appears poised to become an increasingly valuable resource for IVCC students in the years ahead.