College is definitely not cheap! As Virginia Tech students, we all know this. We all know how easy it is to rack up a ton of debt through college, making it common for students to work on the side in order to earn money to pay for schooling. As a freshman, I was well aware that I wanted to be able to contribute to funding my own education, so I searched through Handshake and applied to several jobs.
One day, while walking through McBryde as a shortcut to get to class, I saw a poster indicating that the Hokie Wellness’s IMPACT team was hiring. After sending in an application, completing an interview, and a lot of waiting, I received an email saying that I had gotten the job!
I have been an Initiating and Motivating a Positive Alcohol Culture Together (IMPACT) peer educator for almost two semesters now, and it has been such an amazing experience. I am on a team with students from a variety of majors and my two supervisors are the sweetest people I have ever met.
As an IMPACT peer educator, I facilitate Party Positive classes that promote alcohol harm reduction for student conduct, athletics, Greek life, and drug education classes. Because of COVID-19, we have been conducting all of these classes online through Zoom, but on a normal basis, these classes are run in person.
I also help run the 21st Birthday Project, which is an initiative that provides students that are about to turn 21 with ways to celebrate their birthday safely along with harm reduction tips. After a quick informational session, students receive a coupon book to redeem at restaurants in downtown Blacksburg. I have also participated in some outreach at different outdoor events, where the IMPACT team helps inform students about social norms at Virginia Tech involving alcohol consumption and gives out free swag for participants.
Each week, I genuinely look forward to our weekly, one-hour, Wednesday meetings, since I always learn something new. The scheduling is flexible, allowing me to work shifts that best fit my academic schedule, giving me the opportunity to work more or less depending on my schoolwork each week.
Overall, I have met some awesome people through being a peer educator and I would not trade my job for the world. It is amazing that I am able to make a small difference in many people’s lives on a daily basis, all while earning funds toward my education.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming an IMPACT peer educator, feel free to reach out to me! We are currently recruiting new peer educators for the next school year. Learn more about the IMPACT peer educator team and find the application at this link: https://hokiewellness.vt.edu/students/outreach/Peer_Educators/IMPACT.html. Applications are due on March 29!
Stay happy and healthy Hokies!