Trinity’s Peer Advisors: A Great Resource for Students

Posted: April 06, 2018

Students social event in Seeley Hall

From helping with course selections and exam preparations, to adjusting to university life, Trinity’s Peer Advisors play an important role at our College. The Peer Advisor program consists of upper year Trinity College students who provide guidance and advice to first-year students throughout the academic year. These dedicated Peer Advisors not only act as an important student resource, but also work closely with Trinity’s Registrar’s Office and Academic Dons, creating a bridge between the student body and academic community. 

For many incoming Trinity students, life at university can be a difficult adjustment. For Senior Peer Advisor Rebecca Ng, that’s one of the reasons she thinks this role is a crucial one. “I personally found the transition pretty challenging, and would have liked to have an upper year giving me tips!” Rebecca says. “Not even just to go through different chemistry or math questions, but also being able to ask how to navigate university.”

In her role as Senior Peer Advisor, Rebecca has worked on being an accessible, approachable resource: “We want students to know that they are free to talk to us, and welcome to email us at any time. Sometimes it might seem a bit intimidating, but we’re students too. Not everything we’ve done has been the perfect way, but because of that we can talk on behalf of our experiences.” Often, they also act as facilitators, directing students to the many academic resources both Trinity and the University of Toronto offer.

The benefit of this program is also clear to Trinity’s Associate Registrar Jerome Chang. “The Peer Advisor program is a great opportunity for upper year Trinity students to share their experiences and expertise with their peers,” he says. “Not only do the students in our community benefit from this program, but the Peer Advisors themselves gain valuable volunteer and event management experience.” 

With exams approaching, student resources become even more important, especially for first-year undergraduates who have yet to experience the rigours of finals. Thankfully, there are many ways students can reach out. “We have a profile page on the Trinity website, listing all of our specialties and email addresses,” says Senior Peer Advisor Stanley Chia. “If students have specific program questions, they can look for people in similar fields. We have a wide breadth of students studying a number of different things, from life sciences, community, humanities, social science. Even if it’s not the exact topic, our Peer Advisors will be able to help.”

This year, our students were supported by an incredible group of student leaders. Thank you to our amazing 2017-2018 Peer Advisors:

  • Farbod Abolhassani
  • Sydney Bradshaw
  • Stanley Chia (Senior Peer Advisor)
  • Amanda Cutinha
  • Joshua De Sousa Casal
  • Katie Harris
  • Waleed Khan
  • Andrew Liu
  • Madalina Maxim
  • Terra Morel
  • Talha Naeem
  • Rebecca Ng (Senior Peer Advisor)
  • David Oliver
  • Erinne Paisley
  • Alexandra Pavel
  • Stephen Riegler
  • Mariah Stewart
  • Preet Walia
  • Quin Xie

In addition to the Peer Advisors, there are many other academic supports available to help students through this last leg of the academic year. Take a look at the resources available through the Registrar’s Office, the Embedded Learning StrategistTrinity’s Academic Dons, and more.