The Holmes Cultural Diversity Center prepares to conduct interviews for positions on staff taking place Feb. 18-28.
The interviews that will be held are for the positions of peer counselors and peer ambassadors at Mississippi State University.
Ra’Sheda Forbes, assistant director of the HCDC, said the peer counselor and peer ambassador positions are similar, although the peer counselors get paid and peer ambassadors are on a voluntary basis.
“The peer counselors and peer ambassadors are responsible for working with all freshmen and transfer students in order to make sure they are making a successful social and academic adjustment,” she said. “They do that by programming as well as mentoring.”
Each counselor is assigned about 50 counselees to mentor.
Forbes said the HCDC is looking for approximately 30 candidates who stand out among the crowd and want to make a difference.
“We’re looking for students who are not afraid to set a good example and be a good role model, and we’re looking for students who are not afraid of hard work,” she said. “With 50 counselees sometimes it can be hard work to make sure they’re excelling academically. They’ll be responsible for assessing their growth throughout the year. They need to be committed to helping other students excel.”
Bianca Tatum, sophomore peer counselor, said she got involved with the program when one particular peer counselor for the HCDC told her about his work.
“Troy Yarbrough, who worked there last year, was always telling me about different opportunities on campus, and I became interested,” she said. “My friends would always ask me what’s going on because I usually try to keep up with what’s going on around, so I thought it’d be a good fit.”
Troy Yarbrough, MSU alumnus and previous peer counselor, said the position was a good fit for him, as well, because he always was looking for ways to open up and get involved.
“Once I got in, I began working immediately to help develop programs to try to help freshmen and transfer students adjust to university life. I also got to do a number of community service projects with the organization,” he said. “HCDC also helped to bring me out of my shell because at one point I was a tad shy, but with HCDC I was forced to work with many different diverse people in different organizations.”
Tatum and Yarbrough agreed anyone applying cannot be afraid of hard work.
“If you don’t want to take the time and do the work this isn’t for you because we take pride in our events,” she said. “It’s tedious work, but if you don’t mind a challenge and putting forth an effort to see a change bigger than yourself, it is a job for you.”
She said the interview will consist of two rounds. The first interview round will be an individual round, and based off that score the HCDC will bring candidates back for the second round, a group interview.
“We have a group interview because one of the things they’ll be responsible for doing is working in the groups and planning program,” Forbes said. “I want to see how they do in a group. Based on their scores, we choose our new staff.”
Applications to be a peer counselor or peer ambassador for the HCDC are due Feb. 8.