MSU Ignite

This past week, I had the honor of serving as a peer mentor for Ignite. Ignite is a summer bridge program that helps incoming freshmen who are interested in Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences (ComArtSci) explore campus and learn about resources and opportunities available to them. The program helps to make the transition to college easier, especially for first-generation or other minority students. The program also acts as a class, where students work on their first college group project: creating a short-form video introducing other incoming freshmen to the resources they’ve learned about on campus.

Welcoming the Cohort!

Painting the Rock is an MSU student tradition.

Cohort Graduation

Introducing myself!

My favorite moment this week? Sitting in Coach Izzo's chair!

My amazing co-peer mentors!

I was a part of this program last summer, as I headed to Michigan State. Neither of my parents had a traditional four-year university experience, and I wasn’t always sure what to expect from college. Ignite helped me feel so much more comfortable in the fall. When I had issues, I knew who I could turn to and how I could make the most of my experience as a new student. I also gained my first college community, with friends and mentors to rely on when I had questions.

This past week, I got to give back by mentoring this year’s cohort. We took them to learn from a variety of campus organizations, including Residence Education and Housing Services (REHS), Prevention, Outreach, and Education (POE), career services, and more. The students also got to experience many college firsts, from eating in the dining halls to making their first friends to seeing the stadium for the first time. It was incredibly fulfilling to be able to help ease worries and make the transition to college easier for these students. 

I loved seeing the growth of the students throughout the program. Watching them work together and get more comfortable asking questions was so rewarding. It was wonderful to see how many of them were so passionate and thoughtful about their work. I know they’ll all make excellent additions to the Spartan community. I would highly recommend the program to any incoming freshman who is interested.