Addison Vaughn

EDLP Final Essay

December, 5 2022

EDLP Final Reflection

Hi Peer Leaders of 2023! My name is Addison Vaughn, and I am now finishing up my

term as a peer leader. I am a junior at USC studying Operations and Supply Chain, and I am from

Nashville, TN. I chose USC because it was a new opportunity. I wanted to leave Tennessee for

college, and I didn’t know anyone here, so USC represented a completely fresh start without

moving too far away from home. I wanted to be a Peer Leader because of the mentorship

opportunity. As an Orientation Leader after my freshman year, I learned of my love and interest

in mentoring and watching students grow and succeed in college. I thought that Univerisity 101

is an even greater chance to watch students grow over the length of the semester, and provide

advice whenever issues arise.

My experience as a Peer Leader was great! Overall I feel as if my students learned a lot

and felt as if they could reach out and open up to me and my co-instructor. My relationship with

the students has grown immensely as the semester has come to a close, and I have even enjoyed

seeing my students outside of class. My relationship with my co-instructor has also grown

significantly. I consider Ashley a mentor for my future endeavors and a resource for anything I

need. Developing our class together has been a fantastic experience! At first, I really struggled to

speak to the class in a casual or relaxed way, and was afraid that they wouldn’t enjoy our lesson

plans. I also struggled with understanding there is only so much I can do for our class. My class

isn’t the closest and while they are vocal, there isn’t always discussion or side conversation.

Although this was an obstacle, I understand now that while bringing the class closer together is

my job, there is a limit to my contribution. However, some of my accomplishments include my

students expressing to me they feel comfortable with whatever they need. For instance, in our
1-1’s and in my feedback, they shared that they see me as approachable and resource for

whatever they need. I think hearing this may be one of the most fulfilling parts of my peer leader

experience! I would recommend students focus on their relationship with their co-instructor, and

really focus on bringing the class together through activities in class, or even activities outside of

class.

I have grown immensely as a result of my peer leader experience. I believe that being a

peer leader is one of the best ways to both learn more about yourself and to develop a deerp

connection to the school - which was something I never expected. Some of the goals I had set for

myself in the beginning of the semester included making myself available to my students, being

a quality parter to my co-instructor, and and to grow comfortable facilitating instruction. I think I

accomplished the goal of making myself available about class topics, but I am not sure if my

students felt I was available for personal issues they may have had. I had students text and call

regarding class assignments, but never about personal struggles. I think because of the nature of

a business section, this can be difficult to accomplish because of the lack of time available for

more personable class discussion and activities. I think in the future I would prioritize these types

of activities and even share more personal notes about my college experience. I think I was able

to be a quality partner for Ashley, my co-instructor. At the end of the semester, she gave me good

feedback and said I was great to work with! I also now consider her to be a great mentor, which I

think shows our partnership progression over the semester. Finally, towards the end of the

semester, I grew comfortable facilitating discussion in class. I unfortunately missed some of the

difficult conversation lessons, so facilitating deeper conversation is something I could still work

on. I think my leadership has grown immensely. I think I have gained empathy and

understanding, especially for first-year students.

 I think some of the skills I have gained include public speaking and overall reading a

room or group of students. As I mentioned earlier, I struggled at first to speak to the class and

adjust lessons if necessary. At the end of the semester, I feel confident talking to our class and

editing lesson plans depending on the state of the class. This was one of my main goals, so it is

satisfying that I think I have also grown in an empathetic perspective. I think this will help me in

most aspects of my life, whether personally or professionally. I think gaining this perspective

was exactly what I needed as I am growing to be an upperclassman and am beginning my job

search. Frankly, I feel as if I forgot about the freshman experience up until this fall. I

remembered the struggle that your freshman year can be, and being a peer leader helpe me

understand and sympathize with their experiences. In terms of EDLP, I honestly think I gained

the most meaningful experience. I see the conversations we have in EDLP throughout my daily

life - and I think I am better of for it. For instance, classes where we are honest and share

personal stories or struggles, I feel as if I can connect these to either my life, or connect them to

others lives, further understanding the experiences of those around me. This has been so valuable

to me!

I am so grateful for my experience as a peer leader, and more importantly, my experience

of meeting other peer leaders. In the future - know that EDLP is so valuable! My truly investing

my time there I watched myself grow in U101 and outside of the classroom. I am so happy to

have been a mentor for my students, and I hope they continue to see me as one.