2023

Summer Guides Support Incoming Students Before Orientation

These returning students lead groups at Summer Advising and stay in touch to coach first-year students through the months leading up to the start of college.

By: Meghan Kita  Wednesday, June 14, 2023 11:18 AM

A group of 11 college students in matching maroon T-shirts and one staff member in a white button down and bow tie smile and reach their arms outThe 2023 summer guides for Summer Advising with Director of Student Transitions & Family Programs Tim Black. Photo courtesy of Vishmitha Dsouza '26

Coming into Summer Advising last June, Jem Berney ’26 felt nervous. They were about to meet some of their future classmates and participate in icebreakers and group activities. What if the experience went terribly awry? What if the group didn’t get along? 

Then, Berney met their summer guide, Nicole Tahmoosh ’24: “Immediately, I felt more relaxed,” Berney says. “She was just so welcoming, and she made sure there was a place for everybody in our group. Even though each and every one of us was so different, she was able to seamlessly integrate everyone into the group for all the activities, and I just thought that was really special.”

A large red sculpture made of steel beams in front of trees and a blue sky; groups of college students gather on the grass around the sculpture
Summer advising groups meeting on the College Green June 10. Photo by Lizard Foley '24

Summer guides are returning students who lead group activities for 10 to 15 incoming students at each of the four Summer Advising sessions in June. The guides then stay in touch with the students throughout the summer, reminding them of important deadlines and fielding any questions. The idea, says Director of Student Transitions & Family Programs Tim Black, is to ensure incoming students make a connection with a returning student sooner than Orientation Weekend.

“Guides serve as a first point of contact,” Black says. “I think [incoming students] are more likely to go to a student leader with questions first than to call our office.”

For example, when Berney was having technical issues registering for classes last summer, they texted Tahmoosh, who walked them through the process. Once on campus, Berney got a job at Java Joe, working with Tahmoosh. Now, the two of them are close friends, and both of them are serving as summer guides this year.

A group of three smiling college students in matching maroon T-shirts gather together and pose for a selfie
Aidan Silvestri '25, Alyssa Kaplan '25, Berney and Tahmoosh

One of the advantages of the summer guide program is that it’s a leadership opportunity for students who may be unable to participate in Orientation Weekend. For example, Berney, a student-athlete on the cross country team, will be in preseason training by then. 

Berney says they want to work with incoming students “so they could have a friendly face [during Summer Advising], and when they came in for Orientation, they’d immediately know who I was, and if they had any questions, they’d know who to reach out to,” they say. “I wanted to be that person because for me, Nicole was that person, and I knew how much she helped me ease into college.”

A large group of incoming college students stand in a row and smile while two college students and matching maroon T-shirts sit and smile in front of them on a lawn with trees in the back
Two advising groups with their guides during Summer Advising. Photo courtesy of Vishmitha Dsouza '26