Empowering Students through Paid Peer-Based Programs: Ideation to Year Two
Includes a Live Web Event on 06/17/2025 at 12:00 PM (EDT)
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Sylvia Rangel-van Bred Vriesman, M.A. LMFT
Assistant Director of Student Services / Student Counselor
Washington State University Tri-Cities
Sylvia Rangel van Breda Vriesman, M.A. LMFT, is a licensed Marriage, Couple, and Family therapist, who specializes in the treatment of co-occurring disorders, who serves as the Assistant Director of Student Services / Student Counselor at Washington State University Tri-Cities since July 2020. She is passionate about social justice, advocating for student mental health, peer education, mindfulness, and using the Cultural Context Model in her clinical work. When not at work, she loves spending time at her house, gardening, cooking, and enjoying spa/movie nights with her family. Her goal is to continue working with the collegiate population and pursue a doctorate in Psychology.
Laura Sanchez
Director of Student Services / Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Washington State University Tri-Cities
Laura Sanchez has dedicated over 20 years to the higher education and non-profit sectors in central and eastern Washington State. As a proud first-gen Chicana, Laura maintains a steadfast commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice within her work that includes roles within admissions, career services, alumni relations and diversity and inclusion at both state public and private liberal arts institutions. Currently, Laura serves as the Director of Student Services at Washington State University Tri-Cities, where she oversees multiple departments critical to student success.
In this webinar, the presenters will delve into the methodically crafted evidence-based program design process deeply rooted in mentoring research, anti-deficit inquiry, and the recognition of cultural wealth. Our journey will explore the preparation and launch of four student peer programs led by Counseling and Wellness, Mobilizing Opportunities for Student Advocacy, Inclusion and Culture (MOSAIC) Center, and Career Center and go into a deep dive into two peer programs as case studies that expand over two years.
Integrated into the programs, Cougs Reaching Cougs, Peer Health Promotion, EmPOWERment Fellows, and Peer Career Coaches, the respective student supervisors serve as mentors to guide students individually, and as a team, and provide ongoing training along with opportunities to apply learned techniques and tools that reinforce skill development through immediate and continual practice. The mentoring relationship allows for authentic listening and sharing that provides insight that supervisors can incorporate through activities and dialogues on topics such as identity, advocacy, mental, emotional, and physical wellness, navigating college, and career exploration.
Shared training and professional development opportunities are included for all student employees in these offices, while tailored components can be added to the experiential learning that is outlined as part of the program design. These three offices work together to create an intersectional approach to student development by focusing on personal growth, identity exploration, professional development, and holistic well-being. Using the pedagogical approach of “meeting students where they are”, we maintain a judgment-free environment where aspirations for the program needs are met, along with the personal, professional, and academic goals of the student employees. As we launched three new peer education programs at the same time, we provide and receive systemic support and advice to continuously improve and grow our programs, preventing burnout as student affairs professionals.
Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005)
Stereotype Threat (Steele, 1995)
NASPA’s Certified Peer Educator Training, The Cultural Context Model (Dr. Rhea Almeida)
Eight Dimensions of Wellness (SAMSHA)
MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership (2005)
The Case for a Conceptual Base for Minority Mentoring Programs (Haring, M. J.,1999)
Learning Outcomes
1. Understand the process for crafting an intentional program design that includes (1) development through a social justice lens, (2) an anti-deficit framework, and (3) a research-based mentoring approach
2. Gain awareness of the considerations for launching and managing peer-based programs that includes best practices for capturing data and analysis for program evaluation and improvement.