Hunter Peer Mentor
The Hunter Peer Mentor Fellow position is open to a junior or senior STEM major attending CUNY Hunter College, and is associated with our spring and summer high school research programs. During this time, the Hunter Peer Mentor Fellow will focus on teaching, mentorship, and providing near-peer support in both research and career capacities.
February 27, 2025 through August 8, 2025
Peer Mentorship with the Jumpstart & SSRP, at a glance:
- Combined spring and summer research program to take place on the Rockefeller campus
- Phase 1: Spring sessions (Jumpstart) meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30pm – 7pm;
- Phase 2: Summer sessions (SSRP) require up to 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday and will focus on facilitating the SSRPeer peer mentoring program.
- The Peer Mentor Fellow will participate in both phases- spanning the Jumpstart and SSRP (spring and summer).
- Selected applicants are expected to commit to both the spring and summer portions of the program.
Additional Details
During phase one (Jumpstart), the Hunter Peer Mentor will participate in the research portion of the Jumpstart program in a TA-like capacity. The style of support provided by the Hunter Peer Mentor will align with the interests of the person in the role and will be coordinated with the Jumpstart facilitators.
Examples of activities in this role include: providing students with weekly downloads of the content that was covered or providing additional instruction time for students who would like content reinforcement. The Hunter Peer Mentor will also work with the RockEDU team and Jumpstart facilitators to design and teach one or two Jumpstart sessions. Previous Hunter Peer Mentors have taught sessions on how to read a scientific paper or have given foundational lectures; however, this is flexible and would be coordinated between the Hunter Peer Mentor and the Jumpstart Facilitators.
During phase two (SSRP), the Hunter Peer Mentor will work with the RockEDU team to iterate on and run a peer mentoring program, SSRPeers. During SSRPeers they will meet 1-1 with students and advise them on triumphs and challenges that may arise in the lab. They will also help to coordinate a series of professional development activities to enhance the students’ experiences (e.g. microscopy tour, lab tours, etc.) and draft surveys, offer reflections and create programmatic write-ups. The Hunter Peer Mentor will also have the freedom to design and run sessions in the SSRP with an overall goal of enriching the experience and community aspects of the program for our student body.
This is a paid opportunity. The Hunter Peer Mentor will receive a stipend upon completion of the program.
Eligibility and Expectations
For this opportunity, we are seeking junior or senior level STEM majors attending CUNY Hunter College. This internship experience that will focus on training and hands-on experience related to mentorship and teaching. Some knowledge of basic research fundamentals is desired. Ideal candidates should be excited to teach, and also possess a desire to support entry-level scientists navigating scientific spaces for the first time. The Hunter Peer Mentor will also act as a near-peer career advocate for high school students in the Jumpstart & SSRP program.
As a Hunter Peer Mentor, you must commit to participating for the entirety of the program — this includes both the spring and summer portions. We cannot accommodate part time participation.