Fall 2016 Mid-Semester Success Series Expands Offerings and Broadens Impact
The Mid-Semester Success Series, created by GS students, has been offered every semester since the Spring 2014 semester. Previously lasting one week, the Fall 2016 series was expanded to eight days of programming across three weeks and included a total of twenty-one workshops and events. The series is designed to give students an opportunity to address areas of personal growth, wellness, and community building in preparation to enter the second half of the semester both energized and equipped to reach their potential. The committee of student organizers, which includes three GS undergraduates and two Postbac Premed students, strives to provide a diverse series of programming valuable to students at various stages in their academic and professional careers.
The workshops led by both GS staff and student committee members ranged from stress management to creating a compelling online profile. Senior Associate Dean Sara Remedios led a workshop entitled, Turning the Semester Around, in which she laid out specific strategies for making informed decisions and building solid habits for academic success. Dean Remedios offered the session, one of the most popular workshops annually, twice during the series, once as an online forum for remote participation. The series offered opportunities to participate in fitness classes, decompress with coloring materials, and learn massage techniques to combat stress. Assistant Dean Tiffany Decker led a new student workshop on choosing an appropriate major, while Senior Assistant Dean Mike Allen and Assistant Dean Limary Carrasquillo facilitated a Postbac Premed session on medical school selection strategies.
Director of Student Life Sean Trulby, who oversaw the student organizers, stated “the Fall 2016 team was especially creative in launching new programs that were led by student leaders in collaboration with various offices at GS.” This included Building your Brand, Building Your Team, and Articulating your Trajectory; On Failure and Success: Postbac Peer Discussion Group; and REBOOT: Fitness Challenge. Over 190 GS students reserved a seat for at least one session during the Mid-Semester Success Series, with many attending multiple events throughout the series.
Perhaps the greatest strength of the Mid-Semester Success Series has been its evolution each semester based upon the current needs of the GS student body. The students co-chairing the committee work hard to be attuned to the needs of their peers. The series has proven to be a vital aspect of Student Life programming for the GS community to reflect and make note of opportunities to strengthen both individual skill sets and institutional knowledge, as well as build a stronger community and facilitate student collaboration.
As the fall semester comes to a close, Trulby is already preparing for the next series, expressing that he is “wholeheartedly looking forward to working with the student committee to continue the support for GSers for the Spring 2017 series and beyond.”