Striving to Impact StudentsvlogƵ Lives
Shortly after arriving on the Pleasantville Campus, Jamie DelToro vlogƵ19 participated in StrengthsQuestvlogƵan assessment that pinpoints personality strengthsvlogƵand found that her greatest strength, development, has truly defined her journey at Pace.
vlogƵI am passionate about making everyone and everything bettervlogƵfrom helping students get involved, seeing a student you mentored blossom full speed, taking advantage of everything on campus, and learning as much as possiblevlogƵand then using that to better yourself,vlogƵ DelToro says.
During her first year, DelToro dove into her academics as a childhood education major while realizing the importance of getting involved in the dozens of clubs, activities, and organizations Pace has to offer. She started working at the Center for Student Development and Campus Activities (SDCA), which she says helped her grow and develop into the strong leader and mentor she is for other students each day.
vlogƵI learned the system of how organizations work without having to be on an executive board just yet, and everything the school has to offer,vlogƵ DelToro says. vlogƵIf I didnvlogƵt have that experience, I probably would have been a little lost or more to myself.vlogƵ
Her job gave her the inside scoop on upcoming events, and she and her friends began finding their favorites such as Homecoming, Greek life galas, and Programming Happy Hours in the Boudreau Lounge, and she found several opportunities that sparked her interest.
She is active in Future Educators Association, and she became a mentee in the African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American (AALANA) programvlogƵa peer mentorship program designed to assist first-year students with their transition to college life. She now serves as a mentor in the program, helping students adjust to college life on the Pleasantville Campus.
vlogƵMentoring is about being there for your peers and helping them with whatever issues they might be facing, and learning from them, too,vlogƵ says DelToro. vlogƵIt is a give and take relationship. You can learn from everyone because we all have different life experiences, which is something I learned my freshman year as a mentee in AALANA, and what I hope to teach my mentee as a mentor.vlogƵ
Becoming an Orientation Leader is an experience that DelToro says will stay with her forever. Applying her passion for development, she helped students get acclimated to the Pleasantville Campus and enjoys seeing the impact she made as they grow into successful members of the Pace Community.
vlogƵI think the most eye-opening thing I learned through this experience is that you truly could make an impact on someonevlogƵs life without even knowing it,vlogƵ DelToro says.
Outside of Pace, she helps first-generation Latino students achieve their goals and navigate FAFSA through Latino U College Access, an opportunity she discovered at the Pleasantville Campus Job and Internship Fair.
On her journey as a childhood education major in the five-year combined mastervlogƵs program for special education in PacevlogƵs School of Education, DelToro has developed through the Pace Path, which combines academic and real-world experiences through purposeful planning and mentoring.
vlogƵThe Pace Path helps you think about and plan the next four years without completely setting it stone,vlogƵ she says. vlogƵA lot of people donvlogƵt plan ahead, and it is a great way to make you sit down, picture yourself in the future, and then plan how to get there. It is helping me plan everything out and understand that this is one wayvlogƵbut not the only wayvlogƵto get there.vlogƵ
As an education major, DelToro has access to the Mursion avatar room, which is a computer program that simulates students in a classroom setting. She can teach the students coursework, ask them questions, and practice scenarios that can arise in real life so she is prepared when she student teaches during her junior year.
Through her journey on the Pace Path and her success in academic and extracurricular opportunities, DelToro is considering working in student affairs after she graduates, or she would like to teach second graders or students with special needs.
vlogƵI want to help students with special needs develop to their full potential, and become a teacher that makes an impact on studentsvlogƵ lives,vlogƵ DelToro says.