There is a mix of student tutors and caring ambassadors at UIC Personal Growth and Counseling Centre (PGCC). They pay attention to the study, college life, and mental health of younger students.
The 25 May is National College Students' Mental Health Day. On this day, 142 PGCC student volunteers and interns were awarded recognition certificates, rewarding the efforts and contributions in the past year.
Student tutors providing academic support
PGCC Academic Tutorial Group aims to provide first-year and second-year students with academic guidance using an English teaching environment.
Tutor groups are formed with senior students, and by giving extra tutorials and one-on-one learning counselling, they help students. This semester, nearly 540 students attended the seven courses and ten tutorial classes that the Academic Tutorial Group offered. In addition, 105 one-on-one interviews were held to help students solve their academic problems.
UIC Provost, Prof Chen Zhi, expressed his gratitude to the student tutors for their contributions at the commendation ceremony. He said they had performed the UIC college motto of "In knowledge and in deeds, unto the whole person". Their spirit of selfless dedication has set an excellent example for other students.
Prof Chen Zhi
Fourth-year Accounting student, Zheng Ruizhe, has been a student tutor of courses such as Principles of Accounting since his second year at UIC. This year, he has also become the president of the Academic Tutorial Group.
In addition to imparting professional knowledge, Zheng Ruizhe will also share the current political and economical hot issues with other students and his experience in postgraduate application. He said that as an academic tutor, his most tremendous sense of accomplishment comes from the recognition of his students.
Caring ambassadors offering emotional support
College students' mental health has always been a hot topic. PGCC has been training students in becoming caring ambassadors, and this year, there are a total 45 of them. They organise physical and mental health activities and cooperate with psychological counsellors, providing emotional support to students in need.
Mental care activities
UIC Vice President (Administration), Prof Mao Yaqing, said that caring ambassadors shouldered the mission of spreading care and promoting mental health knowledge on campus. As a result, they have successfully helped to create a campus with a positive and caring atmosphere.
Prof Mao Yaqing
This year is the second year of being a caring ambassador for second-year Finance student, Fang Yujing. Fang Yujing said that during her two years as a caring ambassador, she gained rich skills in mental counselling, improved her planning activities, and got the opportunity to help others in the one-on-one Body-Mind-Self Health Plan.
Caring for both students' physical and mental health
In addition to training student tutors and caring ambassadors, PGCC also organised a Body-Mind-Self Club (BMS Club). The BMS Club carried out various activities and courses to help students stretch their bodies, express emotions and relieve stress to achieve their physical and mental pleasure and self-growth.
Instructor of the fitness class-leading teachers and students doing relaxation exercises
Associate Vice President (Student Development), Prof Stella Cho, said that UIC aims at cultivating students' strong resilience. A series of BMS courses are designed to create a friendly environment that is beneficial for students' physical and mental development. This enables students to solve various difficulties in their lives.
Prof Stella Cho
Third-year Applied Translation Studies student, Huang Siyuan, is a tutor of Chinese painting. However, instead of simply teaching other students how to paint, she uses the characteristics of a brush and rice paper. This method lets the students experience the subtle changes made by the different ratio of ink and water, thus realising her unique way of practising meditation.
The awarding ceremony also commended the interns of PGCC. Their efforts are indispensable to the smooth operation of departments and the holding of various activities. For example, Fourth-year Applied Psychology student, Xian Zijing, has worked as an intern in PGCC for one year. He said that he had gained plenty of practical experience in psychological counselling through his internship at PGCC. In addition, Zijing has also been provided with much training, such as mental first aid.
Group photo of the participating guests, teachers, and students
Some say that only when we love ourselves can we better pass our love to others. By providing academic counselling, physical and mental care, PGCC peer mentors conveyed the idea of "love yourself" and realise the mutual help between UIC students for many years.
Reporter: Xia Meng
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He, Zhang Fan
