LSU Shreveport Student Accepted Into National Peer Education Leadership Project

From Louisiana State University Shreveport:

January 15, 2021

Louisiana State University in Shreveport is proud to announce that Alyssa Garza, undergraduate sociology student, has been accepted into the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Peer Education Leadership Project. She is among only 6 students chosen across the nation to participate for 2021.

Garza is the first Certified Peer Educator on the LSUS campus, working in her role to promote mental health awareness to other students. The CPE training was designed by NASPA and includes 12 extensive training hours on peer leadership, motivating behavior change, listening skills, response and referral skills, how to take action and intervene, recognizing the role of diversity and inclusivity, programming and presentation skills, self-care, and group dynamics.

“Being accepted into the Peer Education Leadership Project is very personal to me,” said Garza.” Being given the opportunity to reamplify the importance of mental health at LSUS and prioritize the needs of my peers who are struggling with their mental health as I have, is something I am passionate about and hope to accomplish.”

Much of the research around successful mental health support has shown the importance of using trained peers in wellness programming, as students are the key curators of change and primary support systems for their peers. Garza’s participation in the NASPA Peer Education Leadership Project will allow her to receive professional support from this reputable organization to implement her ideas on the LSUS campus.

“I am truly excited for Alyssa, our students, and our campus as a whole to be able to see her ideas come to fruition for everyone’s benefit,” stated Angie Pellerin, Director of Counseling Services at LSUS.”

This press release was produced by Louisiana State University Shreveport. The views expressed are the author's own.