First Year Mentor

Help Incoming Students Transition into College Life.

Students can become First Year Mentors (FYM) to help new students ease into academic and collegiate life. FYMs help new students connect with faculty, staff and resources available on campus. Being an FYM can be a catalyst for personal growth and enrichment while providing you with a rewarding leadership opportunity.

The mentor positions are paraprofessional positions within the Division of Student Affairs. The Senior Coordinator of Student Life supervises FYMs.

FYM appointments begin in August with Welcome Week and continue through the spring semester.

Submit your application today.

Students sitting on cement steps outside on main campus, some in discussion, one turning to smile at the camera.
To apply and be considered for an FYM position, students must:
  • Have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA
  • Want to positively impact and encourage student success
  • Be able to perform job duties, including returning to campus 7 to 9 days prior to the start of the fall semester
  • Be enrolled full time on the traditional campus in Columbia, Missouri
Three students outside in front of a tree, with two students standing and one sitting on a cement retaining wall.
  • Perform duties in accordance with Columbia College's vision, mission and values
  • Collaborate with Foundations faculty to assist in the facilitation of course curriculum
  • Meet with the foundations instructor on a regular basis
  • Return to campus 7 to 9 days prior to the fall semester for training and event preparation
  • Facilitate and Assess Welcome week programs
  • Coordinate and implement half-hour long one-on-one meetings with each student enrolled in the FYM's assigned Foundation Class outside of class time to provide support
  • Help recruit and train students for the FYM program
  • Fulfill additional duties as assigned

because a future built by you is a future built for you.

Too many people have been made to feel that higher education isn’t a place for them— that it is someone else’s dream. But we change all that. With individualized attention and ongoing support, we help you write a new story for the future where you play the starring role.