NW Missouri Times

A peer mentoring initiative at Northwest Missouri State University, known as the Jump Start program, has entered its fourth year this fall. The program is aimed at helping first-year students adjust to college life by providing early access to campus resources and opportunities for community engagement.

Jump Start participants arrive on campus before the general student body and take part in activities designed to build connections and introduce them to academic and social support systems. These activities include information sessions, skill workshops, team-building exercises, and group events such as canoeing and bowling.

The university has expanded the program in recent years to connect students with additional campus resources that can assist them throughout their college careers. This fall, 30 first-year students participated in Jump Start.

Latonya Davis Harrison, a coordinator of engagement and community connection at Northwest Missouri State University, described the program’s focus: “One of the main goals of our program is developing leaders on campus. It’s a mentoring program that we have for our students, and we track our students’ progress throughout their time at Northwest, to ensure they are successfully matriculating and involved on campus. We want them all to graduate. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Peer mentors—sophomores, juniors, and seniors—are paired with new students during Jump Start and continue supporting them throughout their time at Northwest. Some mentors have been involved since the inception of the program.

Students who took part in this year’s Jump Start shared positive feedback about their experiences. Hadley Cline, a freshman agricultural business major from Maryville, said: “I really liked all the teamwork building activities they did, like whenever we went to , that was a lot of fun. It really helped us get to know each other by doing engaging things and having fun.”

Olivia Hayes, a freshman early childhood education major from Kirksville, Missouri noted: “I was really nervous about moving in and just integrating into college life. So when they were like ‘You get to move in early and we’ll help you with all this,’ I was like ‘Sign me up.’”

Brannon Taylor, a freshman psychology major from Kansas City, Missouri added: “I feel like it changed who I was as a person, because before I came, I was antisocial and unfriendly, but I feel like they forced me to be social, and I made a lot of friends while I was there.”

The university states that Jump Start aims not only to ease the transition into college but also seeks to improve student retention rates through ongoing mentorship.

For more information about Jump Start or related support services at Northwest Missouri State University contact Latonya Davis Harrison or Dr. Jessie Peter through university channels.