First-Year Student Transition & Engagement Services and Events

• Mentor Programs
• Workshops, Trainings, & Events
• Office Hours/Individual Appointments
• Points System
• Resources

Mentor Programs

FIRST - First Generation College Student Mentor Program
As members of the FIRST Program, students will be part of a close-knit community of fellow first-generation (FGC) engineering students with access to resources and opportunities for a successful college experience in a safe and comfortable environment. This program is meant to supplement other Texas Tech University FGC programs by providing engineering-specific access and resources.

LYFE – Launch Your Future in Engineering
The LYFE Mentorship Program matches incoming first-time students to junior and senior level peer mentors in the Whitacre College of Engineering and aims to help participating students to navigate through the challenges they may encounter during their first year.

Workshops & Trainings

Workshops and trainings are offered to provide information to students on topics that are valuable to their success both academically and professionally. They are offered exclusively to first-year students to create opportunities for students to learn, make mistakes and grow in a safe environment. Workshops and trainings include:

• All About the International Experience Requirement
• Elevator Pitch and Interview Practice
• How to Communicate with Your Professor
• Interview Basics
• Job Fair Prep 
• Mentee & Mentor Training
• Preparing for Advising
• Resume Critiques
• Socials
• Study Skills
• Tell Me About Yourself: Communication Basics
• Time Management
• ...and many more!

Office Hours & Individual Appointments

Office hours are held once a week for anyone to ask questions, socialize with other attendees, and learn from each other. CPEED staff are available to help with any issue that may arise. We know that busy schedules may not allow for the student to make the scheduled office hours and that there are some personal issues students may prefer to discuss in a one-on-one setting. To help accommodate all students, we also offer the opportunity for individual appointments. Individual appointments can provide personalized help with a variety of issues, including:

• Study skills
• Time management
• Note taking
• Class issues (e.g. unable to contact an instructor/professor, poor performance in a class, etc.)
• Personal issues that are impacting academic performance

*Note: CPEED staff are mandatory Title IX reporters. If any issues arise that could cause harm to the student or others, staff are required to report. For more information: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hr/TitleIX/mandatoryreporting.php

Points System & Report

The points system is a way to encourage students to participate in academic support, professional development, and community events. These are support systems engineering students should participate in to be successful in engineering both academically and professionally. It is important to understand that it is not restricted to CPEED events. While CPEED provides engineering specific information, students can participate and submit events from other resources and programs and still earn points. Our goal is to encourage students to be proactive, participate, and create resourceful engineering students.

The report is a very important tool for CPEED staff and mentors. Not only does it help the students track events and receive points, it also includes a monthly assessment that helps them evaluate their goals, measure success or shortcomings, and create new goals. Reports help staff and mentors create additional workshops, personalize services, and improve the program in certain areas or as a whole in ways that directly benefit participants.