The Peer Advisor Academy
Contact
Room: M-Building, M-408
peeradvisoracademy@lagcc.cuny.edu
Hours of Operation
Peer Advisor Coordinator
Julissa Camilo Valerio
The Center for Teaching and Learning
Office: M-408 | Email: jcamilovalerio@lagcc.cuny.edu
Launched in January 2015, the Peer Advisor Academy recruits, hires, and trains LaGuardia Community College students for placement in department-based advising roles throughout the college. The Peer Advisors use their own college experience and knowledge to provide support for students. They are responsible for supporting students through the process of understanding course selection, degree mapping, and a range of college services. Peer Advisors complete mandatory training and professional development workshops where they explore the College’s advisement tools, such as Degree Works, Schedule Builder, and ePortfolio. Sessions also include effective communication strategies, professionalism, resume writing, interview skills, and interactions with faculty and staff around advising strategies.
Peer Advisors are equipped to:
- Work with students to understand their program curricula.
- Share knowledge and resources that will assist students in navigating the college environment.
- Assist advisement team faculty and staff with events, communication, and other important work connected with team activity.
To learn more about the qualifications and responsibilities of a Peer Advisor please or review the Peer Advisor Job Description for a complete description.
Dear LaGuardia Students,
Whether you’re just starting or continuing your LaGuardia journey, we want you to know that the Peer Advisor Academy is here to support you!
The Peer Advisor Academy can help you throughout your time at LaGuardia, including:
- Supporting students around course selection
- Assisting students in using LaGuardia’s digital advising tools
- Meeting with students to check in about their academic plans and progress
- Referring students to resources as appropriate
Peer Advisors are available both in-person & remotely to answer your questions and help guide you along your LaGuardia journey.
Please also note: while Peer Advisors continue to be available to help you learn College Resources and Digital Tools, you will be advised by Professional Advisors and Faculty. To see your assigned advisors or faculty mentors, log in to your My LaGuardia page.
Need helping accessing your My LaGuardia page? Check out this brief instructional video!
If you have any questions about College Resources or your major, feel free to contact us at peeradvisoracademy@lagcc.cuny.edu. Please make sure to state your major in your email so that we may best help you and connect you to the appropriate Peer Advisor.
Check out these helpful tips from your LaGuardia peers!
Lastly, we also want to share some links to resources that you may find helpful as a distance-learner:
Peer Advisors are current LaGuardia students who strive to support their peers in designing and achieving their academic goals at LaGuardia, and beyond. Placed in the program or department of their major, they work one-on-one with students who have completed their first semester, using their own experiences as successful college students, to offer guidance in academic planning and navigating important college resources.
If hired by the Peer Advisor Academy, successful candidates will attend training sessions in which they will develop valuable communication, professional and teamwork skills as well as strategies for helping students pursue their academic goals.
Ideal candidates should possess: knowledge of the curricular requirements for their specific major and an understanding of key systems and digital resources, including CUNY First, Degreeworks, ePortfolio and the LaGuardia’s website. Finally, prospective Peer Advisors should demonstrate good communication skills and demonstrate the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
For information about faculty and staff responsibilities when working with a Peer Advisor, please review our Supervisor Guidelines
Peer Advisor Academy’s Professional Development
Peer Advisors are required to commit to attending all of the scheduled professional development sessions. During these professional development days, Peer Advisors will learn (or brush up) on technology skills, including Degreeworks, CUNYfirst, and ePortfolio. Sessions will also include practicing effective communication strategies, utilizing LaGuardia’s many advising resources, and working directly with faculty and staff to begin learning how advising teams function and what specific roles the peers will play in them. All new Peer Advisors must attend the scheduled training dates.
In addition to the professional development sessions, Peer Advisors are required to attend monthly debriefing meetings, dates to be announced. We encourage faculty and staff to identify and recruit promising candidates in their academic areas to work as Peer Advisors. Please share information about the program with potential Peer Advisors, encourage them to apply, assist them with the process if necessary, and (if asked) provide the required recommendation for them.
To learn more about the qualifications and responsibilities of a Peer Advisor, please review the Peer Advisor Job Description for a complete description.
We hope to provide you with all the necessary information about the Peer Advisor Academy program and its role in advisement at LaGuardia Community College.
For information about the Peer Advisor Academy, please contact: peeradvisoracademy@lagcc.cuny.edu
Find the Peer Advisors on Instagram
@peeradvisoracademy
Find the Peer Advisors on Facebook
LaGuardia CC: Peer Advisor Academy Program
Peer Advisors At Work
Peer Advisors are a friendly face for students, skilled in the use of LaGuardia’s advisement technologies, and a source of practical campus knowledge. They also help the programs or departments in a wide range of ways. Here are some activities the peers are conducting under supervision of faculty and staff:
- helping to plan and deliver advisement events;
- referring students to service areas;
- conducting outreach to select groups of students within majors;
- developing a social media presence for the major and the team;
- visiting classes to talk about their experiences and their academic progress;
- helping students build schedules after faculty have helped them select courses;
- assisting at New Student Orientation and program-specific events;
- providing information to students about internships;
- helping to recruit for clubs;
- connecting student advisees to program faculty.
Peer Advisors gain valuable professional skills, get paid to do meaningful work, and help LaGuardia students succeed. Below is a video created by the Liberal Arts department and Student Affairs staff to promote the Liberal Arts Block Program project. Liberal Arts Peer Advisors Rachel Chambers and Barrette Andrew performed the voiceover heard in the video.
Contact A Peer Advisor
Peer Advisors have been strategically placed in the program or department of their major. Using their own experiences as successful college students, they work one-on-one with students who have completed their first semester. Not all programs have Peer Advisors, but all Peer Advisors are trained and experienced to guide students to the appropriate channel or resources that will assist them through their academic journey.
To learn more about LaGuardia’s Peer Advisors, or to contact the Peer Advisor within your discipline, please feel free to look below and locate the Peer Advisor who works within your program.
Main office: M-Builsing, M-408
Not sure which peer advisor to contact? Please contact the peer advisor academy: peeradvisoracademy@lagcc.cuny.edu.
Academic Advising Teams
Office: B-305A
Tenzin Pelchok | tpelchok@lagcc.cuny.edu | Computer Information Systems
Jigmi Sherpa | jisherpa@lagcc.cuny.edu | Business Administration
Office: B-114
Karlline Delacruz | kdelacruz@lagcc.cuny.edu | Human Services: Mental Health
Office: B-234RR
Niajah Greene | ngreene@lagcc.cuny.edu | Early Childhood Education
Office: E-103
Catherine Cortes | ccortes@lagcc.cuny.edu | Journalism
Emily Ramos | eramos@lagcc.cuny.edu | Journalism
Office: E-300
Kena Araneta | karaneta@lagcc.cuny.edu | Nursing
Cinthia Cruz | ccruz@lagcc.cuny.edu | Nursing-RN
Elizabeth Silverio | esilverio@lagcc.cuny.edu | Human Services: Mental Health
Chiomadoris Ezeasor | cezeasor@lagcc.cuny.edu | Undeclare Health/Nursing
Robert S. Boyce | rboyce@lagcc.cuny.edu | Physical Therapist Assistant
Office: C-745
Maya Demby | mdemby@lagcc.cuny.edu | Comparative Literature & Music
Office: E-223
Anthony LaMattina | Alamattina@lagcc.cuny.edu | Mechanical Engineering
Ivana Kragul | ikragul@lagcc.cuny.edu | Mechanical Engineering
Anthony Remolina | aremolinaalvarez@lagcc.cuny.edu | Computer Science
Office: B-117
Erick Zaca | ezacatlahueta@lagcc.cuny.edu | Business Administration
Office: M-408
Gentjana Gurraj | ggurraj@lagcc.cuny.edu | Criminal Justice
Office: C-459B
Nick Hetherington | nhetherington@lagcc.cuny.edu | Political Science
Office: B-215
Antonio Perez | antperez@lagcc.cuny.edu | Accounting