{"id":64,"date":"2025-05-06T21:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T21:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/?p=64"},"modified":"2025-05-06T21:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T21:05:00","slug":"uw-whitewaters-hawk-squad-and-peer-mentors-foster-student-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/2025\/05\/06\/uw-whitewaters-hawk-squad-and-peer-mentors-foster-student-success\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Whitewater\u2019s Hawk Squad and Peer Mentors Foster Student Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Orientation and First-Year Support<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Peyton Walz<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the University of Wisconsin\u2013Whitewater, student success begins well before the first class is<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ever attended, and much of that credit goes to the dedicated members of the Hawk Squad and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the First Year Experience (FYE) team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a 2024\u20132025 Hawk Squad orientation leader, I\u2019ve had the rewarding experience of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

welcoming incoming students whether they\u2019re freshmen or transfers into the Warhawk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

community. From leading campus tours to guiding course registration, and teaching campus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

policies through a small group setting, our role is often a student\u2019s first connection to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UW-Whitewater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For my final project, I chose to spotlight the unsung heroes of student transition by creating a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

video featuring several peer mentors reflecting on their roles, as well as an audio project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

capturing the voices of my fellow Hawk Squad members. These projects highlight the teamwork<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and passion behind the FYE department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The structure of FYE is strategic: it\u2019s designed to support students every step of the way through<\/p>\n\n\n\n

that first year here at Whitewater. Hawk Squad members work primarily during the summer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ensuring new Warhawks feel informed and welcomed during orientation. Once orientation ends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and students are registered, the responsibility is passed to the peer mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peer mentors lead students through Warhawk Welcome, a multi-day kickoff experience, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

continue offering support through their New Student Seminar, a course that helps students<\/p>\n\n\n\n

adjust academically and socially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Hawk Squad and peer mentors serve at different stages, they are united by one<\/p>\n\n\n\n

mission: to create a smooth, empowering transition into college life. The sense of impact and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

connection I’ve felt through this role has been profound not just for the students we serve, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n

for myself and my team members as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through both projects, I\u2019ve seen how intentional support and genuine peer guidance can make<\/p>\n\n\n\n

all the difference in a student\u2019s first year. The FYE team doesn\u2019t just welcome new Warhawks, it<\/p>\n\n\n\n

helps them soar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Orientation and First-Year Support By Peyton Walz At the University of Wisconsin\u2013Whitewater, student success begins well before the first class is ever attended, and much of that credit goes to the dedicated members of the Hawk Squad and the First… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17870,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17870"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/65"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/peytonjoy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}