Insights:

What LPP helped me learn was to go out on limb and put myself in uncomfortable situations. As an educator, you are going to have introductions quite often, and you want to make a good impression. This comes with being welcoming to the students that need help, if they are comfortable asking for your assistance, then you can continue to mold that mentorship with the student(s).

What helped me learn this lesson the most was my community building activity I had to create for the students. This required me to go to each and every student and ask if they wanted to participate in the activity, which got a great response. I did a Kahoot on the history of the city of Poughkeepsie and it got great reactions from the students. They were all engaged in the activity and exclaimed the fun and learning it provided them.

Nuggets of Advice:

A great piece of advice I have is to always remember your role as a mentor. It can be easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be liked by the students, but you cannot act as their friend. This does not mean you cannot joke with students and build strong relationships, but it does mean you must be aware of the dynamic. This will help you not only in LPP but your future academic career!

But, the best advice I can give to anyone interested in this amazing program is to be yourself. The students can sense if you are no being authentic and will not want to connect with you. This can show the students that they themselves do not have to put on an act and can be their true selves without judgement.