SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Evidence #1: Testimonial from Holly Swain-Harvey, one of my mentees from the ARTSED Peer Mentor Program and PASS program.

Molly Herd was both my PASS Leader for ALL153 and Peer Mentor throughout Trimester 1, 2018 at Deakin University.

I had just moved from Tasmania to Victoria to pursue a Bachelor of Arts after taking two gap years and was greatly struggling to integrate myself into the educational setting. I knew no one, had no family or friends to help me, had only just managed to find a place to live and was struggling financially without a job. Molly managed to assist me spectacularly in all aspects of my life.

As a Peer Mentor, Molly introduced me to some like-minded creative students, of which I am still friends with to this day. Their undying support helped me through some very rough times at the start of my university journey. Molly also took the time to make sure I knew where all my classes were so I would not get lost on campus, and helped me navigate the Deakin class sites to avoid getting lost online. Molly went to great lengths to ensure that I was happy, comfortable, understood my classwork and had as little stress as possible while adjusting to the big transition. She even went out of her way to search for job opportunities for me, guaranteeing that the stress and pressures of searching for a job did not impact my classwork.

As a PASS Leader for ALL153, Molly took great care to make our time together both fun, informative and entertaining. I was struggling to get back into an educational mind frame and found it difficult to understand the essay requirements in my assignment. There was a lot of reading involved in the class and I found it tough to allocate my time effectively. Molly was easily able to resolve all the issues I was having quickly and successfully. She assisted me in creating a study planner, explained my assignment briefs in more simple terms and used fun and engaging activities to help me understand the unit content better. Without Molly’s support, I would have been very likely to drop the subject all together.

Throughout my first trimester at university, there were a great many times where I considered dropping everything and going back home. Without Molly’s immense support, I would not have been able to create a life for myself here, nor would I have gained the focus and passion for my classes that I currently have. I have a great appreciation for Molly and everything she has done for me. She went above and beyond her role, becoming my friend and lending her support and expertise wherever needed.

I wish Molly well in all her future endeavours and look forward to seeing her succeed in future leadership roles.

Holly Swain-Harvey.

Evidence #2: Testimonial from Robyn Mather, one of my mentees from the ARTSED Peer Mentor Program and PASS Program.

Molly was both my Peer Mentor and my PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) Leader during my first year of uni.

I was very anxious when I began uni, as I am a mature age student, who is usually quite introverted and completely hopeless with anything technology related. As my Peer Mentor, Molly patiently helped me to navigate my way online on Deakin Cloud and around the enormous campus. Without her assistance and advice, I would have literally been lost. She also facilitated a budding friendship with a fellow writing student, offered practical advice and relevant knowledge regarding what to expect in class, and tips on how to manage my time and workloads, which in turn enabled me to settle into the school easier and build more confidence. She gave us multiple contact details for herself and told us not to hesitate to contact her if we had any questions or needed any advice. She was very responsive to us, returning calls and emails promptly. Even after our allotted time for Peer Mentoring was up, Molly encouraged us to keep in touch and to feel free to reach out to her if we had any questions or needed advice in the future.

As PASS Leader, the sessions she led were well planned, fun, and easy to understand and retain. She focused on the most relevant and pivotal points of our classes and lectures, ensuring we completely understood the main points of the subject matter we were learning, and I honestly understood more and retained more from her sessions than from most of my classes and lectures. She stepped us through the details of assignment briefs and encouraged our ideas and arguments, supporting us to ensure they were essay worthy. Due to her constructive and diligent leadership, I received very good marks for this class and one of only two HD (high distinction) marks that I’ve received so far.

Molly was instrumental in enabling me to easily slide back into a school setting after 15 years. Without her direction, I may not have had the confidence to participate in classes as actively as I did, and as a result would not have delivered the same quality of work.

I wish Molly the best of luck when she graduates, but with her drive, out of the box approach and leadership skills, I know she doesn’t need it.

Robyn Mather.

Evidence #3: Testimonial from Jess Daniel, Victoria Center Manager for AIME.

To Whom It May Concern,

I’m writing to communicate the significant impact that Molly has had on the Deakin Geelong AIME program as a mentor over the past 3 years.

Molly has performed admirably as an AIME volunteer mentor since 2017 till now. In that time giving over 100 hours of her time to immerse herself in program days, tutor squads, mentor recruitment drives, cultural and child safety workshops and other school engagements such as graduation ceremonies and school assemblies.

Molly is an enthusiastic, bubbly and outgoing achiever. She shows initiative and drive in all aspects of her life.I admire Molly’s contributions to the AIME movement as she embodies our mission; to reach our hand back to those striving for positive post-school pathways and a successful secondary school experience. I applaud her generosity and heart.

Molly has been central to our program in 2019 and has faced every task and challenge with a positive and solution-oriented mindset.

Last year she undertook significant leadership roles and was responsible for the planning and implementation of a large part of our program. I was extremely impressed by her drive, initiative and ability to work autonomously. So much so that Molly was awarded Deakin ‘AIME Mentor of the year’ for her commitment to contributing to change.

Molly is a brave young woman who connects with the kids on a human and relatable level. She is a wonderful role model and gives true meaning to our number rule, ‘No shame at AIME’. We are incredibly thankful that Molly is a part of the AIME team and family.

Sincerely,

Jessica Daniel

AIME Vic Center Manager

Evidence #4: Testimonial from Fiona Anderson, PASS Supervisor.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Molly was employed at Deakin University as a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) leader in mid-2017 up until the end of 2018. The PASS program is a peer-led group study program for all students, helping them develop effective study skills, develop communication and problem-solving skills while interacting with academic content.

Molly facilitated PASS sessions in AIA105 - Visions of Australia: Time and Space from 1700 to 2010, and ALL153 – Literature for Children and Young Adults.

Molly demonstrated an underlying passion for her role. She not only understood the student-centred methodology behind PASS but she delivered her PASS sessions in a communicative and collaborative way, implementing dynamic learner-centred activities. She always made sure her students were connected with the unit content in an interactive and fun way. Molly put in a huge amount of effort into planning engaging sessions to keep students actively learning such as the Harry Potter Cup activity.

Molly mentored her students well in independent learning and she encouraged them not to rely on her own knowledge of the unit content, but directed them to find answers independently, for example she facilitated an activity where the students were the teachers. In her sessions she displayed great skill in re-directing questions the students put to her, which allowed her to elicit rather than dominate or teach. She actively listened and encouraged students to share and discuss ideas, which enabled them to develop confidence in their own academic abilities.

Molly developed in confidence since she began working in PASS in mid-2017. Through her experience as a PASS leader, she is able to present confidently to large cohorts of students to promote and talk about the PASS program. Participant feedback from Molly’s PASS sessions was overwhelmingly positive with many regular attendees telling us how much they valued Molly’s sessions. Molly has the ability to create a comfortable, casual and inclusive atmosphere for students in sessions. She was proactive and creative with her session plans and made sure students’ were not only consulted but their needs were addressed, such as when she introduced a referencing activity to help the students who found this requirement difficult.

Molly displayed excellent leadership, communication skills and organisational skills. She established a great rapport with the academics in the units and communicated with them regularly and clearly. She was a very thoughtful, reflective and enthusiastic PASS leader, and we valued her contribution to our team.

Please feel free to call me if you require any further information.

Yours sincerely,

Fiona Anderson

Peer Support Programs Supervisor (Geelong)

Ph: 0352-273530

Evidence #5: Testimonial from Emma Ludeman, Deakin Students Helping Students staff member & my supervisor in the Success Coach and PASS programs.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have had the opportunity and pleasure to work with Molly Herd during her studies at Deakin University. Molly has worked as a Success Coach throughout 2018 and 2019 and is recognised as a valued member of our mentor group.

Throughout my time working with her I have observed how she has confidently taken on the task of learning about our extensive services and resources we use to help our Cloud Campus students transitioning into studying at Deakin. Molly's diligence, bright mind, inquisitive nature and unwavering commitment to helping her peers has enabled her to achieve this success.

Molly has demonstrated an ability to empathize, establish rapport and reach a very broad range of students from diverse backgrounds. Molly’s work as a peer mentor has seen her cultivate respectful and supportive relationships with her mentees encouraging them to feel comfortable to approach her and seek assistance during the important transition period.

Molly displays active listening skills and conveys information clearly and effectively to individuals and groups. Her attention to detail and research skills enable her to find information for students and provide a thorough level of assistance.

Molly’s work as a student mentor has seen her recommended on numerous occasions to work as an ambassador for Students Helping Students. Additionally Molly has also held the position of a Leader within the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program.

I hold Molly in very high regard within our Students Helping Students community and would confidently recommend her for a Deakin Leadership Hallmark. Molly’s contribution to our Students Helping Students suite of programs is highly appreciated by both staff and students at the university.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions emma.ludeman@deakin.edu.au or 03 5563 3502

Sincerely,

Emma Ludeman

Peer Support Projects Officer (Students Helping Students)

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE

Here's some certificates from my leadership roles. Please note that I don't have access to all my certificates so I've just provided what I have. :)