NSU TRiO Student Support Services conducted a mentoring retreat on Sunday, Aug. 19 in Russell Hall. The selected peer mentors are junior and senior participants within the TRiO SSS Program. They learned strategies, techniques and skills on becoming effective and dynamic mentors to new TRiO SSS students. The speakers for the retreat were Alexis Smith, NSU Title IX Coordinator, Lavonya Malveaux, Judicial Administrator for Opelousas City Court, and Mercedes Wiles, Second Grade Teacher (TRiO Alumnae and Former SSS Mentor). The speakers were engaging and informative. They discussed overcoming mentoring challenges, effective listening for better advocacy and how being a mentor is serious business. The goals of the mentoring program is to assist freshmen with graduating within 4-6 years and becoming acclimated to NSU academics and social culture. For more information on TRiO Student Support Services, please call (318) 357-5901.

2018-2019 TRiO SSS mentors, pictured above, are Azita Rivers, China Young, Cheyenne Ware, Melina Royer, Kayla Rockett, JaKayla Lee, Dalenesha Wimley, Donna Cooper, Shalondria Rainey, Alexis Moses, Chaddrick Thomas and Mercedes Wiles, NSU Alumni Mentor. Not pictured: Darius Brock, Darrel Doyle, Ciara Gibbs Brittany Jefferson, and Imani Ricks.