Peer Mentoring: The Ethics and Boundaries

• After reading through the different roles listed in the article, I would have to say my leadership lends itself best to the student advocate role. I constantly find myself working with students for them to be the most successful versions of themselves. I listen and I care but I work with them to watch them grow and find themselves. This is why I think I am the student advocate role.
• First, I think this article did a good job recognizing the risks of peer mentoring. I think there are risks such as the mentee or the mentor getting too attached. There are risks for the mentor, as mentioned, like not being regarded or spending too much time to not have that noticed by a student. There is the risk for the student of becoming too dependent on the mentor and not learning how to adjust to life as a university student or how to grow as an individual.
• I think three values that are important to the peer mentor role are commitment, understanding, and professionalism. I believe these are important because it creates a healthy rapport with your students. You show them you are committed to their success and transition to the university. Understanding allows you to treat each student fairly with no bias. You may not completely relate or understand their story or background, but you can understand who they are and why they approach certain hurdles the way they do. Lastly, professionalism allows for the relationship to remain in the mentor/mentee relationship. It keeps students from possibly crossing boundaries or mentors from making poor choices.