The FIRST Peer Mentorship Program for first-year students at UMB celebrates a semester of growth, connection, and student leadership.
This spring, the FIRST Peer Mentorship Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) continued building meaningful connections among first-year students through mentorship, leadership development, and community engagement. This cycle of mentorship reflects the mission of the FIRST Peer Mentorship Program: empowering students not only to succeed during their first year at UMB, but also to grow into leaders who support future generations of students.
Housed within the Office of Student Affairs’ Student Success, Leadership, and Engagement unit, the FIRST Peer Mentorship Program was created to support students as they navigate the transition into graduate and professional school at UMB. Through peer connection and intentional programming, the program aims to create spaces where students can feel supported academically, professionally, and personally throughout their first year.
During the spring 2026 semester, nine peer mentors supported 11 mentees representing several UMB schools, including Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Social Work. Mentors and mentees participated in weekly check-ins focused on goal-setting, academic support, resource sharing, professional development, and student well-being.
Throughout the semester, the program hosted several opportunities for students to connect with one another and the broader campus community. Events included a Welcome Social at the beginning of the semester, a CliftonStrengths Chat & Connect session, a leadership and advocacy mini-workshop series, a collaborative trivia event, and a Mid-Semester Reset Resource Lounge designed to promote wellness and campus resource awareness during a particularly demanding point in the academic year.
The semester concluded with an end-of-cohort celebration where mentors and mentees reflected on their experiences, shared feedback, and celebrated the community they built together.
Ria Tony Kannampuzha, a mentor who is a student at the School of Nursing, reflected, “The mentor experience was incredibly rewarding for me, as it allowed me to support and guide another student while also growing in my own leadership, communication, and empathy.”
Another mentor, Kelechi Ukaoma of the School of Pharmacy, shared, “Being a mentor has taught me that listening, consistency, and genuine support can make a lasting impact on someone’s growth.”
Mentees also expressed how impactful it was to have peer support while adjusting to the demands of graduate and professional education at UMB.
One mentee shared, “Having a mentor made UMB feel less overwhelming. It helped to know there was someone who understood what I was going through and genuinely wanted to support me.”
Throughout the semester, common themes among students included academic balance, time management, self-care, campus involvement, and building confidence within a new environment. For many students, the program became more than a mentorship initiative; it became a space for encouragement, accountability, and belonging.
As the spring 2026 cohort comes to a close, the program is looking ahead. Current mentees have expressed interest in returning to the program as future peer mentors, helping establish a growing leadership pipeline rooted in shared experience, empathy, and student support.
The FIRST Peer Mentorship Program looks forward to continuing its growth and expanding opportunities for connection, leadership, and student success in future semesters, and is beginning to recruit incoming first-year students to participate as mentees for fall 2026.