At Suffolk County Community College, it is not uncommon for students to apply and work on the campus. Not only is the job convenient, but it also serves as a great way to get involved with the school.
Jose Murillo, an 18-year-old liberal arts major from Holbrook, is currently in his fourth semester and has been working on campus since fall 2023. He worked as an orientation leader during the 2023 summer break and plans on transferring to Stony Brook University for pre-med.
“It kind of all just fell into place by accident,” Murillo said. “I had a job at Dunkin’. I was pretty sad there. It’s always fast-food places and customer service that gets you. But I found the flier for orientation, and I was like, ‘Oh, I walk around campus, I know what I’m doing,’ and by the end of orientation they were referring jobs – the Peer Mentor program, which was pretty new – and I just took it.”
Murillo’s boss, Lorraine De Leon, supervisor of the Peer Mentor Program, said Murillo is doing an excellent job. “Jose is an absolutely phenomenal peer mentor. He is very bright, smart, with a great personality, great sense of humor. I was very impressed with his ability to hit the ground running,” De Leon said.
Students may be hesitant to work on campus for many reasons. One major concern is that they would not have the time to work with their schedules.
However, Murillo said the school is flexible. He said the students are provided a schedule to fill out to match their classes, “and then they fit your work schedule around your life schedule.”
There are currently 26 members enlisted in the Peer Mentor Program, and the job pays minimum wage, or $16 an hour.
Some students may just not know where to apply to work on campus. Kreiling Hall is home to Career Services, where they can help you get hired here on campus as a Peer Mentor. Even then, Career Services can also help students look for alternative jobs as well, so any student that wants to work should pay them a visit.
As for the job itself, being a Peer Mentor means helping the students around campus. “If it’s the Ammerman Building or the Babylon Student Center, it’s pretty easy. They both revolve around helping students find what they need,” Murillo said.
“In the Info Booth specifically, you do rounds, which means you have to check and be acquainted with the Babylon Student Center. You have to check each room to be locked, how many people are in each room – stuff like that. You also have to help out with any type of activities going on, you have to be willing to help them out. Setting up tables, preparing for events that may happen the next day. And of course, answering questions for students.”
“As a peer mentor, [Murillo] has been a huge help with our programs and events, setting them up and putting them away,” said De Leon. “I’m really excited for him in terms of where he’s going to go in the future and who he’s going to become.”
Being a Peer Mentor takes leadership, confidence, and communication skills.
“I just like the idea of being able to help someone, even if it’s just a little bit.”
