week 6

This week was a particularly interesting class just because we were all asked to further examine ourselves and how we are self aware. It was more of a personal class for me when we were asked to share something significant in our lives that made us who we are now. It was hard to pinpoint a specific occurrence in my life that made me to who I am because there are lots of things that have happened in my life that have shaped me.

This exercise helped clarify what I will need to do as a peer mentor to help my mentees become more self-aware as they grow into their college experience. I was told that in order to help someone else become more self-aware, I need to be able to be self-aware as well. Activities like the one we did and consistent self-reflecting are all ways that I can allow myself to be more self-aware and then in turn have the ability to talk to my mentees about their issues and occurrences that have formed them.

In my recitations this fall with my mentees, I can incorporate ‘self-awareness’ activities that will allow them to have the opportunity to self disclose what they feel. Since this is a method that helps me become more familiar with aspects about my life, I hope that they can reflect on their past experience to put things together about how they are as a person today.

The types of questions that I could ask my mentees to make them reflect more and become self aware are all questions that make them think. Questions such as asking them to look back to their childhood and remember things that may have affected their disposition in scenarios today, just as Allison had said that she was always told as a child to never speak unless she was spoken to so now she relates that to her current issue with nervousness during interviews. Another reflecting-type question could be about my mentees reflecting on their past and present relationships with people in their lives, important to or unimportant.

Three goals I have to improve self-awareness rest within the areas I have to most weaknesses which are the areas of emotional awareness. I want to be able to become more confident with myself and the way others see me. I want to be able to adjust to changes in my life with more ease. And I want to be able to have a more positive and uplifting attitude towards everything in my life.