Success Coaches prepared to lead as new student orientation begins

Each summer, student success coaches representing the Office of Admissions at Purdue University Fort Wayne are asked to step forward—and sometimes backward—to set a positive tone for new students. Because of their role, it’s not an overstatement to stay the coaches can change futures.

Working as leaders during new student orientation, the success coaches are upperclassmen who are the university’s foot soldiers. They help facilitate a smooth transition to college life at PFW and also serve as mentors and friends throughout the school year.

“I got the chance to interview every single one of these new coaches, to meet them and get to know them,” said group leader Thomas Carroll. “I am so excited to see how much impact they can have on every new student that comes to PFW because I know that each of them is amazing.”

Moksha Bollapally, Elijah Solis, Michael Boyd, Parker Richardson, and Carroll are the returning coaches, and there are nine newcomers trying to follow in their footsteps. They include Riley Schmitt, Tanvi Rawtani, Navya Deepak, Mo Ne Da Be, Mandy Dyson, Benjamin Lambert, Swagath Srinivasan, Laasya Seth, and Jessica Schiel.

During NSO, the coaches guide students to sessions where they can learn about the campus, register for fall semester classes, and connect with other essential resources. This summer, admissions will host 30 orientation events of various kinds; the coaches will be directly involved in 19 of them.

It’s not uncommon for new students to battle anxiousness at the start of the orientation, wondering if they’ve made the right decision and if they can fit in. At times, it’s the parents who may be even more nervous. That’s where the coaches can really help.

“A lot of them are in a place where they know no one, and making them more comfortable is our priority as a team,” Bollapally said. “I like making that bond with them and being able to tell them, `Oh, yeah, you belong here,’ and then, `You should come here.’”

Well-timed encouragement may include coaches sharing personal stories of their orientation, or talking about their first few weeks on campus. Each coach remembers varying degrees of trepidation during the summer before their freshman year, but now they make up a core group of the most visible and active students at PFW. Part of their qualifications is due to their involvement in activities university-wide.

“I like being the face of campus in their eyes,” Boyd said, “welcoming them to the Herd, and giving them knowledge of things that I have experienced. Hopefully by the end of orientation, as a team, we should have made a connection with those students.”

That connection might include inviting new students to tag along with the coaches to early campus events during the fall semester. The coaches also serve as a resource for those who sometimes need guidance on subjects that cover all aspects of the full student experience.

“I like interacting with people and being a people person, so I like helping them out,” Solis said. “Working as a coach has taught me a lot about character building that I can improve upon myself, and helping others has made me more confident to step up into a leadership role.”

There were two weeks of training before today’s first NSO of the summer. They continue through August.

“We’ve all been there, and it will work out,” Bollapally said. “I definitely feel like the bonding among the coaches is also so strong that we don’t want the summer to end. I was just so excited to come back this year.”