Jordyn Rush of Glenwood helped numerous academically at-risk peers succeed at William Paterson University. (Photo by Maria Daniels/William Paterson University)
Jordyn Rush of Glenwood, a recent William Paterson University graduate, was instrumental in helping numerous academically at-risk peers succeed.
She was an honors student pursuing a three-year graduation plan for her bachelor's in psychology.
Her impressive grade point average caught the attention of the professors seeking a student to support their peers.
She academically supported peers in Applied Statistics and Research Methods. Faculty then recruited her to serve in the Pioneers and Leaders program, or PALS, in which student-mentors serve as academic and social supporters of at-risk students in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
PALS mentors not only offer tutoring but also personally check in on their students weekly, directing them to campus resources as appropriate.
Rush subsequently was given a part-time job on campus in the Academic Success Center, which provides both in-person and virtual drop-in services for students who need tutoring.
“They’d send assignments to me, and we’d work on them together, and I’d check in on them through texts and emails, asking them if they’re OK,” she said. “I worked with a student that was near-failing and ended up getting an A in the course. I wanted to see that in other students. That kept me going.”
Rush said the support she’s volunteered goes both ways. Transitioning to the on-campus experience after her freshman classes were remote because of the pandemic was a change.
“These programs, PALS and the Academic Success Center, got me more involved on campus,” said Rush, whose mother is a William Paterson graduate. “Some students I tutored, I’m still in contact with now.”
Rush recently presented her honors college thesis, which focused on how public speaking anxiety affects students academically.
She secured a full-time job in statistical analysis, working to dissect New Jersey school districts’ performance in certain areas. She began the position at the end of May.
“I feel happy to help other students,” she said. “It warms my heart that they don’t have to fall behind.”
After she gains some career experience, she plans to pursue graduate studies in statistics or experimental psychology.