Arianna Carriel ’23 described herself as “not exactly outgoing” when she arrived at Barnard in 2019 with the goal of breaking out of her shell. She’d gravitated toward Barnard because of the College’s ethos of support and empowerment. During her first year, though, the educational studies major struggled to find her footing on campus as she juggled going home to Queens each weekend, a 20-hour workweek, and her studies.
By connecting with students she met through the Access Barnard Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., Carriel found her way and grew a sense of belonging.
“Barnard is home to me now,” said Carriel. Last year, when she became a peer mentor through Access Barnard, Carriel used what she learned about finding community on campus to help guide her mentee, Sherlyn Rojas ’25. It also led the two to form an solid friendship. Now, in the second year of their mentor/mentee relationship, Carriel is thrilled with Rojas’ progress.
“I am so proud of her,” said Carriel of Rojas. “It [is] nice to see her establish herself and figure out her identity and schoolwork this year. I’ve really seen her bloom.”
This alchemy of guidance and friendship is at the heart of the Access Barnard peer mentoring program’s mission. Since it launched in the fall of 2020, the program has matched 353 mentees.
“The goals of the Peer Mentoring Program are to support the transition to Barnard, to promote help-seeking behavior, like reaching out to advisers and speaking to professors, and to share both on- and off-campus resources,” said Gianni Lopez, senior associate director of Access Barnard. “The point is to build community and nurture positive relationships — goals that Arianna has hit with her mentee, Sherlyn.”
For these reasons and more, Carriel was named Peer Mentor of the Year last spring. The honor came as a big surprise to Carriel.
“That was a wow moment for me,” said Carriel.
Rojas, who nominated Carriel for the honor, wrote:
“She helped me set goals for myself in regard to classes. For example, she helped me set goals for when I wanted to get [course] requirements done, and this has given me more structure. [She] encouraged me to reach out to my professor when a grade didn’t reflect the work I had put in. I got a higher grade and started to advocate for myself more. She saw that I enjoyed conversing with people, so she told me about the Barnard Speaking Fellows program. Through our chats, I realized I wanted to apply. That’s how I became a Speaking Fellow!”
“I always think about how we complement each other in such a great way. While I’m not the most outgoing person, [Rojas] will talk to anyone,” said Carriel. “We’re a really good balance, and I always tell Gianni [Lopez] that I don’t think there could be a better mentee-mentor pairing.”
From helping Rojas select her first-year courses to including Rojas in her own circle of friends, Carriel achieved a foundational goal of the peer mentoring program and of Access Barnard: to help a mentee develop a sense of belonging on campus.
“With Arianna’s support, Sherlyn has been able to find her space on campus, navigate tricky situations with peers, and involve herself in opportunities that support her growth,” said Lopez. “Sherlyn has already mentioned that she can’t wait to apply to be a mentor next year because of how amazing her experience was with Arianna. That is the evidence of a successful mentorship.”
