Peer Advising Leaders

Peer Advising Leaders (PALs) provide peer mentorship, welcome first-year students to campus, and help them “find their spark” and ignite their passion for UNC Asheville. PALs create a transformational experience for new students and facilitate community-building and belonging for the entire campus community. PALs develop leadership competencies related to communication, planning, teamwork and collaboration, critical thinking, equity, consulting, and interpersonal skills. This position is ideal for any student who wants to build leadership and employability skills and be a change maker at UNC Asheville. 

The PAL position supports the IGNITE First Year Experience Program through facilitation of the 9-week IGNITE curriculum for a cohort of 20 first-year students in the Fall semester.  

 

Additionally, PALs have the OPTION of continuing in their role in the Spring semester and leading a cohort of first year students through experiential learning pathways and critical reflection.

IGNITE Fall Semester 

PALs are trained to support incoming first-year students as they navigate the transition to UNC Asheville student life and learning. Each PAL leads a cohort of approximately 10 new students who also share a class through the First-Year Seminar program.

IGNITE cohorts will meet eight times throughout the Fall semester ( every other week) during their normal first-year seminar class time. PALs will be assigned a cohort based on their availability and will be responsible for community-building and facilitating the established curriculum and lesson plans. Topics will include values clarification, identity development, perspective-taking, inclusion and belonging, communication, skills and strengths, and conflict management. 

IGNITE Spring Semester

PALs who choose to continue in their positions will meet with first year student cohorts biweekly throughout the Spring semester.  IGNITE cohorts will rotate through experiential learning pathways such as equity and inclusion, community engagement, career exploration, and undergraduate research.  During spring meeting times, PALs will be responsible for leading cohorts through self-reflective activities about the experiential learning opportunities and supporting students in identifying a passion area or area of interest that they would like to explore during their time at UNC Asheville.