Hi everyone!
I’m Hudson Thomas, a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas double majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) and Program in the Environment (PitE). I’m also Peer Advisor for MRADS! MRADS has a number of built-in support systems for our first-year students, and one of them is our amazing team of Student Leaders!
What Do Student Leaders Do?
As an MRADS student you actually live alongside three types of Student Leaders that will help you throughout your first-year journey:
- Resident Advisors (RAs): For the most part, MRADS RAs have a similar role to regular RAs at Michigan, but they have also been trained to offer unique support for students facing the various trials and tribulations of having a research project. MRADS students (including me!) get to sit down and meet with their RAs once a semester to get some advice on all things MRADS and beyond.
- Peer Mentors (PMs): The role of our PMs is to build community within MRADS. PMs lead small group connection events throughout the semester to help students relax and get to know some fellow MRADS students (shout out to my fellow PA Eve for being my PM group buddy last year!) They also put on community-wide celebrations for major events and holidays!
- Peer Advisors (PAs): Finally got to my role! Your PA is your first point of contact for all things research. At the beginning of the semester, we walk new students through the entire research application process, from writing a resume to sending cover letters to having your first interview. Once students get settled into their projects, we have monthly meetings to make sure everything is going smoothly, as well as offer advice on classes, extracurriculars, and more! And of course, when our Research Symposium rolls around, we help our advisees with putting together a stellar presentation.
How Do You Become a Student Leader?
You might’ve been able to guess, but (nearly) all Student Leaders are former MRADS first-years! If you think you might be interested in being a Student Leader, my main piece of advice is to just be an engaged member of the MRADS community. Make the effort to connect with your MRADS peers, your own Student Leaders, and our wonderful staff leadership team. Our most important job, by far, is to make everyone feel at home here at MRADS, so just do your best to show how you will do that!
What’s it Like to Be a Student Leader?
Every role is a little bit different, but my experience being a PA has been rewarding since the first week. It’s a weird transition at first, going from a normal MRADS student to having 16 new advisees. But with MRADS orientation starting a few days before classes even begin, you have no choice but to settle into your new position pretty quickly. It can be difficult to predict when things might go wrong in your advisees’ projects or personal lives, but you have to learn how to roll with the punches and show up for your advisees when they need you. I’ve loved getting to know all of my first-years, and I can’t wait to see them show off their accomplishments at their symposium!
