I wanted to become a Peer because I was looking for a way to become more involved on campus in a way that would help others and also help me work on skills relevant to my future goals. 

As a Learning and Writing Peer, spending time with the other L&W and EAL Peers in our common room has been a wonderful experience overall. I always show up for my shift with the intention of getting work done, but I almost always start chatting with my fellow Peers about everything and anything. This could be seen as negative, but it's become the highlight of my week!

My first repeat client was a great experience for me (and for them as well, I hope!). During our first meeting, I helped them with a recurring problem in their paper. The next time we met, they said, "Look! I made sure I didn't make the same mistakes as last time!" The fact that they listened to me and applied what they learned in my mini-lesson to their writing was extremely heartwarming and it showed me that I was doing something right. 

All the positive connections I made surprised me. All the other Peers are wonderful people who, like myself, have a desire to help others. Many of us became fast friends!

I've become more confident in my abilities and I've also become more outgoing as an individual. I've learned so much from this position and I know it will impact my future in a big way. 

There have been so many great times I've shared with my fellow Peers. Whenever we're in the same room, we all start chatting and swapping stories and experiences, and this has been such a positive experience for me. Having a group of people who are willing to listen and contribute and just be there for me as a person has been a fantastic experience, and one I'll definitely miss when I complete my degree at SFU.