Discovery Center Peer Advising Program
The Discovery Center Peer Advising program provides current and past exploring students at the University of Missouri with leadership, networking, recruitment, and community building opportunities.
Peer Advisors will participate in recruitment events and share their experiences as an Exploring student with prospective students and their families in addition to educating prospective and current students about the resources available to exploring students. Peer Advisors will have the opportunity to network with other exploring students and build community within the Discovery Center.
Peer Advisors will hold regular peer advising office hours each week during the academic term. Peer Advisors will be expected to participate in staffing recruitment events and attend weekly team meetings. Peer Advisors may also assist with the planning and execution of Discovery Center community events. Opportunities to travel for recruitment may be available.
Essential Skills
- Professional Communication, both written and verbal
- Problem-solving
- Collaboration
- Community-building
- Ability to work with a diverse population of students
- Adaptability to changing situations
- Willingness to take initiative on team projects
Eligibility
Students who are currently or have previously been an Exploring student in the Discovery Center are eligible to apply. Students must have completed a minimum on 12 credit hours at the University of Missouri and be in good standing. Preferred applicants will have completed SSC 1150 College Success Seminar, section: DISCOVER.
Application
The Discovery Center is not taking applications for our Peer Advising team at this time.
Questions? Contact Samantha Brandeberry at brandeberrys@missouri.edu.
Peer Advisors
Sebastian Ashman
Major: Spanish
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
My favorite thing about Mizzou: My favorite thing about Mizzou is the people. The professors, advisors, students, etc., all want to see you be successful and are willing to help you along your path to success.
How did you select your major? I picked my major after thinking about the classes I enjoy and the things that are valuable to me. Resources such as SSC 1150 helped me a lot with this decision.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming first-year students, what would it be? Getting involved helps a lot. Mizzou is a big school, but getting involved in clubs, organizations, Greek life, and connecting with people over shared interests makes it feel smaller.
Ella Besson
Major: Business Administration with an Emphasis in Marketing
Hometown: St. Joseph, IL
What piece of advice would you give to an exploring student? My piece of advice to incoming freshman would be to always say, yes! You will encounter so many new opportunities and if you think you might be interested in it, try it out. You never know the people you could meet or the connections you could build!
How did you choose your major? What helped me choose my major the most was the resources we used in the class SSC 1150. I really found out what I truly like to do and also what I don’t want to do. I also tried out a lot of different classes during my first two semesters to find out what I enjoyed learning about.
Tyler Blodgett
Major: Public Health
Hometown: High Ridge, MO
What piece of advice would you give to an exploring student? I would tell them not to worry about exploring majors and embrace it. Being an exploring student allows you to discover what you really want to do and gives you the resources to do so.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming students, what would it be? Take your first year slow and explore as many classes as you can. This will really help you find what you want to do and find what you love.
Carolyn Chapman
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Fair Oaks, CA
My favorite thing about Mizzou: The friends I made here and my rugby club.
How did you choose your major? I was drawn to Political Science because of my interest in the government and the many career options after graduation.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming students, what would it be? Put yourself out there and try new things!
Hannah Dominique
Major: Psychology
Minor: Human Development and Family Science
Hometown: Chillicothe, Missouri
My favorite thing about Mizzou: Mizzou Homecoming! Everyone gets together to celebrate a place that so many call home.
What piece of advice would you give to an exploring student?
Use the resources Mizzou offers to narrow down what major is right for you! So many people want to help you, so don’t be scared to reach out and ask for help!
Maddi Ehmen
Major: Accounting
Hometown: Quincy, Illinois
My favorite thing about Mizzou: Homecoming!
How did you choose your major?
I knew coming in that I potentially wanted to be a major somewhere in Business. When I took my first accounting class, the concepts just clicked. I felt like it was a class that I was very interested in and wanted to take more like it in the future. I decided, even though I never saw myself going into accounting, to take a chance and go for it! I have loved my major ever since.
Lauren McQuade
Major: Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
Hometown: St Louis, Missouri
My favorite thing about Mizzou: All of the study spots on campus. (Second floor of the Student Center 😊).
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshman, what would it be?
As someone who was unbelievably terrified to leave home and go to college, I absolutely dreaded the idea of college for years. But, once I got to Mizzou, I realized how amazing college was for growth and independence. My advice for incoming freshmen would be to treat everything new and “scary” as an opportunity for growth. Focus more of your energy on being excited about what could happen rather than being afraid of it.
Jennifer Skonesey
Major: Business Administration with an emphasis in Management
Hometown: Mokena, IL
My favorite thing about Mizzou: All the friends I’ve been able to make by joining different clubs and attending events at Mizzou!
How did you choose your major?
I had to do a little research regarding my major. What I really like about the Mizzou Majors website is that it has a 4-year plan for each major. So, you can get a general idea about what kind of classes you would need to take. After that it is just narrowing down what you like and dislike. I’m not the best at math so I knew I could not be any Math or STEM major, that helped cut down my options.
Alexia Vollmer
Major: Human Development and Family Science
Minor: Psychology, Leadership and Public Service
Hometown: Troy, Missouri
My favorite thing about Mizzou: The number of opportunities we have to make our experience here unique and our own.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshman, what would it be?
Step out of your comfort zone and into your growth. This is the perfect time to try new things. I’m usually very wary about new settings, but my best experiences come from doing things I was nervous to do. Mizzou has so many opportunities to learn more about yourself, and you should really take advantage of them.
Olivia Walsh
email ocwbh9@missouri.edu
Major: Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communications
Hometown: Columbia, MO
My favorite thing about Mizzou: Football games and a beautiful campus.
How did you choose your major?
I had a great teacher while taking SSC 1150. In a one-on-one meeting with her, we discussed my exploration, and she suggested that I look into strategic communication. I did some research on careers in this area and felt like it would be a great fit for me. I also had an informational interview with someone who graduated with a journalism degree, and it was so helpful!