College Work Study Student - Peer Leader - First Year Experience

FEDERAL WORK STUDY - PEER LEADER MENTORING PROGRAM

DALEY COLLEGE

City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), the largest community college system in Illinois, is made up of seven colleges and five satellite sites, providing more than 70,000 students each year access to a quality, affordable education.

The Federal Work Study Program (FWS) is a federally-funded financial aid program that provides subsidized part-time employment for eligible students in order to assist them with postsecondary financial needs. City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) complies with the Department of Education’s regulations regarding the FWS program and allows students to benefit from this opportunity.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

The FWS program encourages students to gain experience in their prospective fields by placing them in areas and departments aligned with their area of study whenever possible. Students are able to use their wages towards educational and living expenses. FWS jobs are available in areas such as academic departments, laboratories, libraries, administrative offices, student centers and several off-campus locations.

The mission of the Peer Leader Mentoring Program is to create and connect students to an affirming, validating, and culturally responsive campus environment that will assist with their academic, social, and cultural transition to Daley College. 

The Goals 

The goals of the Peer Leader Mentoring Program are: 

• To Develop students' deep feelings and sense of belonging and campus community. 
• To Motivate and Inspire students to achieve scholarly excellence. 
• To Provide new students with information about campus programs and resources. 
• To Connect students with campus support services. 
• To Inspire students to embrace college life through campus engagement, participation, and leadership opportunities. 

The Peer Leader Mentoring Program empowers students to create positive change in their environments, is student-led, and thrives within the Office of First Year Experience and the First-Year Academy for Student Success & Leadership at Daley College. In addition, the Peer Leader Mentoring Program provides potential student leaders with opportunities to refine and build upon their leadership skills, gain new knowledge, develop new attitudes, and gain experiential practice in their role as leaders. 

Peer Leaders are undergraduate students who possess leadership qualities and are student advocates. The Peer Leaders are selected due to their exceptional display of leadership abilities and positive impact both on Daley’s campus and off-campus. Peer Leaders provide student support during the academic year. 

Peer Leaders are committed, hardworking, intelligent, resourceful, and enthusiastic students who possess a fervent desire to work with a diverse population of new students. Through training and development, they continuously gain the skills necessary to enhance the educational quality and experiences of first-year students. 

Peer Leaders must integrate their roles as college representatives, community builders, programmers, and student advocates. Peer Leaders ensure the social and academic adjustment of newly admitted first-year Daley College students. In addition, Peer Leaders serve as mentors and guides for first-year students. Peer Leaders model and teach effective academic success behaviors, study skills, and time management practices and refer students to appropriate campus and community resources as needed.

Peer Leaders will be trained on the CliftonStrengths, motivational interviewing and appreciative inquiry.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Peer Leaders must:

• Applicants must be 16 years or older, have work permit consent, and eligible to work in the United States
• Applicants must be actively attending one of the City Colleges of Chicago
• Applicants must be enrolled in a minimum of 11 semester hours of credit classes with a minimum of 6 graduation credit hours completed
• Applicants must be pursuing an approved educational degree
• Applicants must have and maintain a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA (waived for first semester new students)
• Applicants must be in “good standing” – no City Colleges of Chicago academic restrictions
• Applicants must not be current Full or Part-time employees of the City Colleges of Chicago
• All positions are “employment at-will”

 Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma, or GED, and currently enrolled at Daley College required.
• Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher by the end of the Summer 2022 semester. (WAIVED-if you are a first-semester student at CCC with no GPA, we will take that into consideration.)
• Have earned a minimum of 6 credit hours by December 2022. (WAIVED-if you are a first-semester student at CCC with no GPA, we will take that into consideration.) 
• Exhibit knowledge of issues impacting students who are from populations that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, first-generation students, and first-generation citizen students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds
• Articulate and provide evidence of growing leadership portfolio.  
• Adhere to a strong code of ethics.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Exhibit strong communication skills.
• Be able to work with a diverse group of people including students, faculty, and staff.
• Be in good social standing with Daley College.

 City Colleges of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Thank you for your interest in City College of Chicago