My name is Morgan Fullmer and I am the GEAR UP Ambassador at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I graduated from University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Currently, I’m a graduate student at UNLV pursuing my Masters of Education in Higher Education. I have enjoyed my time at UNLV and as the GEAR UP Ambassador! I oversee the GEAR UP Mentoring program, meet with students to check-in and refer them to different resources on campus, and throw events to celebrate our GEAR UP students.
At UNLV we have the GEAR UP Mentoring program and it has helped our first-year GEAR UP students connect with second-year UNLV students. Mentors meet with the GEAR UP students in a one-on-one setting, once a month, and are able to connect with students on an individual level. The relationships that have been built because of the GEAR UP Mentoring program have been beneficial to both the mentors and mentees. Students have been able to not only receive guidance and support, but many have bonded and found a real connection with someone on the UNLV campus. I hope these connections will extend past this first-year and continue on for the entirety of the student’s time in college.
With the start of March comes the start of Daylight Savings, midterms, and Spring break! Although it is important to study and continue to work towards getting A’s in your classes, scheduling time for self-care is a necessity! Here are a couple of self-care tips to remember:
- Schedule time off! It’s important to keep a schedule for work, classes, and studying but don’t forget to add in some time for yourself. Even if it is just an hour or two a week, schedule some time to watch your favorite show, meditate, sit outside and enjoy the weather – whatever helps you to relax, do it, and don’t feel guilty about it after!
- Get plenty of sleep. Did you know that sleep is necessary to allow information to stick in your memory so that you can recall it later? A lack of sleep impairs a person’s ability to focus and learn. That being said, recognize when studying may not be working anymore, and get into bed in order to reset your brain.
- Use positive language and self-talk. If you don’t understand or grasp something right away, avoid negative self-talk. You got this. Be positive. You will understand it eventually.
- Feeling burnt out? Stop, slow down, do something creative. This will inspire fresh ideas and help you to get back to work with a new attitude.
- Last but not least, pace yourself and set realistic (S.M.A.R.T.) goals!
I hope you all are having a great Spring semester and will make a little time for self-care!
