Honors Mentors
Our Students
Our students come from all over the United States, each with a unique background. The transition to college can be difficult and the Honors Peer Mentor team, a group of current Honors students, is an additional resource to support students as they go through this process.
The Honors Peer Mentorship program came out of 2022 Honors grad and former mentor lead, Silvia Leija’s student advocacy in Honors Students of Color Board (HSOC). HPM is student-led and dedicated to increasing equitable access in Honors and WWU. We’re doing this by mentoring new Honors students in their first year using a holistic and responsive approach and by partnering with resource centers and programs across campus. We’re a team of culturally conscious Honors students that want to use our lived experiences and skills to make a difference!
Students who wish to connect with an Honors mentor can either email them or schedule a meeting during their office hours.
Jayden Robles - Mentor Lead
On-campus activities/clubs: Honors Students of Color Board (HSOC), Indigenous Student Collective, Western Academic Workers Union, Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC), Native American Student Union (NASU), Ecological and Cultural Change Research Collective
Jay (he/they) is a Sociology and comparative cultural studies student who takes an interdisciplinary approach to their studies, research, and advocacy. As a disabled trans multiracial Indigenous student, intersectionality, multiplicity, and community are core to his practice and being. After graduating this upcoming spring, Jay will continue on to law school to study race and social justice law and earn a graduate degree in Indigenous studies.
After spending 2021-22 as an Honors peer mentor, he is back to lead the program this year! Jay spends most of their time connecting with students, staff, and faculty across campus to work on complex student issues. Through all of his work on-campus, he hopes to bring more energy, attention, resources, and community to underserved students, especially those with intersecting identities. In their free time, Jay likes going on walks, binge-watching K-dramas, and playing Fortnite.
Hailey "Share" Bridges
On-campus activities/clubs: Lavender Menaces, Mixed Students Organization (MSO), and Honors Students of Color (HSOC)
Share (she/her) is a twenty-year-old, junior-standing student with a passion for understanding and working with people. She is part of the Honors Students of Color, Mixed Students Organization, and Lavender Menaces campus clubs. Alongside being a peer mentor, Adelaide works at the Writing Studio on campus and has a love for guiding and advising other students through a variety of challenges, tasks, and schoolwork. In her free time, you can find her researching the Human Design System, Enneagram, or clinical psychology and neuroscience.
Zoe Pais
On-campus activities/clubs: Honors Students of Color (HSOC), Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC), Black Student Union (BSU), Black LGBTQ+ Thriving Collective (BLTC), Ethnic Studies Collective
Zoe (she/her) is a fourth-year student majoring in Political Science. She is minoring in Spanish and Honors, as well as Sociology focusing on criminology and Latin America. She works two part-time jobs as a peer mentor and as program support for the Ethnic Studies Collective which is working towards restarting the ethnic studies program at WWU. Last year, she was also a peer mentor and is excited to return this year.
In her free time, Zoe enjoys weightlifting, swimming, reading, and going on walks. She spends as much of her time in the sun when Bellingham allows it, either walking around the arboretum or laying in the grass at Fairhaven Park.
Yareli Barragan
On-campus activities/clubs: Outback Farm, Latinx Student Union, Honors Students of Color, and Backcountry Squatters
Yareli (she/her) is an Environmental Studies major who hopes to emphasize the necessity for coexistence between humans and the environment with her career.
She was mentored during the 2021-22 school year, an experience that was incredibly helpful and something she hopes to share with future students. As an out-of-state and low-income student, she had to navigate university life whilst working and living off-campus. As a mentor, she'd like to help students make the most of university regardless of any hardships that may arise. During her free time, Yareli loves joining work parties at the Outback Farm, having picnics at a park, or stuffing her nose into a good book! She's excited to join more of the amazing clubs that Western offers during her sophomore year.
Olivia Dong
On-campus activities/clubs: Honors Students of Color Board (HSOC), Mixed Students Organization (MSO), Chinese Students Association (CSA), Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC), Salsa and Bachata Club, Molecular Bioscience Club, Pollard Research Lab
Olivia (she/her) is in her fourth and final year at Western. She worked as an Honors Peer Mentor during the 2021-22 school year and is looking forward to returning! Olivia is passionate about improving equity and increasing support for underserved students, which drives much of the work she does as a Mentor and leader of HSOC. She is also highly involved in the Biology Department and serves as a Student Ambassador to help give a voice to student needs at the administrative level. In addition to being dedicated to her on-campus activities, Olivia loves going to coffee shops, hiking, watching movies, crocheting, and painting!
Allyson Roller
On-campus activities/clubs: Honors Students of Color (HSOC), Chinese Student Association (CSA), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Glee Club
Allyson (she/her) is an applied mathematics student who is excited to be mentoring for the first time this year. As a first-generation student, she knows how tricky navigating college can be and wants to ensure that all students enjoy their time at Western.
When Allyson isn't hitting the books, you can find her at home watching Criminal Minds or jamming out to some Kendrick Lamar. Allyson also enjoys dog watching in Red Square and playing tennis (when the weather is nice).
Guadalupe Venegas
On-campus activities/clubs: Honors Students of Color (HSOC)
Guadalupe Venegas (he/they) is a first-generation student, media enthusiast, and writer. This is his second year at Western and he's studying Creative Writing and Latinx Studies through the American Cultural Studies program. In his free time, you can find him playing video games, reading or writing stories, and watching movies.