Freshman year can be hard with all of the new people, living away from home, homesickness, and school work. But if you are alone, you're in an even bigger heap of trouble. Thankfully, most colleges and university match a group of freshman with one or two upperclassmen.

High Point University calls these upperclassmen who volunteer their time and knowledge Peer Mentors, and I have the great joy of being one.

The whole process of being a peer mentor wasn't that hard. It involved an application, an interview or two, and that was it. There was nothing to it. But it was the summer before move-in day that was harder than the application process ever was.

I was blessed with a group of 16 incredible freshmen to whom I now call close friends... but let's just say that getting in contact with them over the summer was harder than it sounds.

Not everyone had a Facebook, and some people wouldn't even answer their phone. Let's not even talk about group messages. But that is beside the point. I saw came to know these freshmen before they came to campus. I was their one-stop shop for all the in's and out's of college. I had to make sure that I wasn't making their summer any more stressful than it had to be. I kept in contact quite liberally, but I tried to keep the required messages as stress-free as possible, knowing that they were already worried about packing, school supplies, living away from home, and any final information the school needed.

I was going to be their first ally here on campus when they arrrived in the fall. Some people may see this as a huge source of power for me, but in fact, it made me come back down to earth and step back into the shoes of being an incoming freshman.

Flash forward to August on move-in day. I wanted to make sure that I saw every single one of my "mentees" on move-in day to make myself known and introduce myself to their parents. I gave the whole nine yards of "Your child is in great hands. I'm here to help if they need anything. Here is a card with my information if you, as a parent, need any help," and then let my "mentees" continue on. Later that night, we met all together for the first time and I got a good look at what I was working with.

I found that I, and of course everyone says this about their own group, had the best group anyone could ask for. Everyone got along very quickly, even with the cringe-y ice breakers. They were already making connections and friendship that would help them through their college experience. Within days, we already had inside jokes and they were already trusting me with personal information and asking for advice on how to be successful and how to deal with personal problems that they may be going through.

Technically, I had done my job. I had gotten my freshman through Welcome Week and their first week of school. I could have stopped there, but I didn't want to. I had made bonds with these guys and I saw how much they had grown from a few phone calls to the independent young men and women they are today. I still hang out with them and occasionally we go to dinner, football games, study, and still answer questions about college.

I am not taking full responsibility for their transition, but I feel that I was a crucial stepping stone for them to move from high school seniors to college freshmen.

That is the one and only reason I do this. I don't do it for the resume, or for the power that is given. I do it to see incoming freshman develop into people who can stand on their own and do well in life. Here was a group of 16 freshmen who, despite having nothing in common except for the same housing and me as their mentor, came together and made friends extremely fast and stayed friends.

I'll say it again, but they went from high school seniors who thought they owned the school to freshman all over again, which can really mess with some people. But not my freshmen. They handled the fluctuations of power with grace and dignity and came out on the other side with a great future in front of them.