Striving to Impact Students’ Lives
Shortly after arriving on the Pleasantville Campus, Jamie DelToro ’19 participated in StrengthsQuest—an assessment that pinpoints personality strengths—and found that her greatest strength, development, has truly defined her journey at 91Ƶ.
“I am passionate about making everyone and everything better—from helping students get involved, seeing a student you mentored blossom full speed, taking advantage of everything on campus, and learning as much as possible—and then using that to better yourself,” DelToro says.
During her first year, DelToro dove into her academics as a childhood education major while realizing the importance of getting involved in the dozens of clubs, activities, and organizations 91Ƶ has to offer. She started working at the Center for Student Development and Campus Activities (SDCA), which she says helped her grow and develop into the strong leader and mentor she is for other students each day.
“I learned the system of how organizations work without having to be on an executive board just yet, and everything the school has to offer,” DelToro says. “If I didn’t have that experience, I probably would have been a little lost or more to myself.”
Her job gave her the inside scoop on upcoming events, and she and her friends began finding their favorites such as Homecoming, Greek life galas, and Programming Happy Hours in the Boudreau Lounge, and she found several opportunities that sparked her interest.
She is active in Future Educators Association, and she became a mentee in the African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American (AALANA) program—a peer mentorship program designed to assist first-year students with their transition to college life. She now serves as a mentor in the program, helping students adjust to college life on the Pleasantville Campus.
“Mentoring is about being there for your peers and helping them with whatever issues they might be facing, and learning from them, too,” says DelToro. “It is a give and take relationship. You can learn from everyone because we all have different life experiences, which is something I learned my freshman year as a mentee in AALANA, and what I hope to teach my mentee as a mentor.”
Becoming an Orientation Leader is an experience that DelToro says will stay with her forever. Applying her passion for development, she helped students get acclimated to the Pleasantville Campus and enjoys seeing the impact she made as they grow into successful members of the 91Ƶ Community.
“I think the most eye-opening thing I learned through this experience is that you truly could make an impact on someone’s life without even knowing it,” DelToro says.
Outside of 91Ƶ, she helps first-generation Latino students achieve their goals and navigate FAFSA through Latino U College Access, an opportunity she discovered at the Pleasantville Campus Job and Internship Fair.
On her journey as a childhood education major in the five-year combined master’s program for special education in 91Ƶ’s School of Education, DelToro has developed through the 91Ƶ Path, which combines academic and real-world experiences through purposeful planning and mentoring.
“The 91Ƶ Path helps you think about and plan the next four years without completely setting it stone,” she says. “A lot of people don’t plan ahead, and it is a great way to make you sit down, picture yourself in the future, and then plan how to get there. It is helping me plan everything out and understand that this is one way—but not the only way—to get there.”
As an education major, DelToro has access to the Mursion avatar room, which is a computer program that simulates students in a classroom setting. She can teach the students coursework, ask them questions, and practice scenarios that can arise in real life so she is prepared when she student teaches during her junior year.
Through her journey on the 91Ƶ Path and her success in academic and extracurricular opportunities, DelToro is considering working in student affairs after she graduates, or she would like to teach second graders or students with special needs.
“I want to help students with special needs develop to their full potential, and become a teacher that makes an impact on students’ lives,” DelToro says.