BI Peer Mentors for the 2024-25 academic year
BI Peer Mentor Program
The BI Peer Mentor program is dedicated to supporting the success of BI first-year students by fostering a community of empowered individuals and creating pathways for their personal and academic growth. The first year at a 50,000+ student university may be daunting and our peer mentors seek to alleviate some of the pressures BI students can face as they transition to the UW.
Each year, every first-year BI student is placed into a peer mentor group in the fall seminar. Older BI members take on the role of peer mentors, in an effort to make the college transition as smooth as possible for BI first-year students. The peer mentors serve as academic role models and friends to all BI students, and are committed to providing mentorship, guidance, and resources that enable them to thrive in their college journey and beyond.
Meet Our Peer Mentor Leads
BI Lead Mentors play an important role in guiding and supporting our peer mentor team. They ensure that peer mentors are fostering personal connections with their mentees and the planning and development of community events. They also help with developing and facilitating the peer mentor training course, and serve as teaching assistants for the BI freshman and sophomore seminars.
Vito Mirante
Cohort 6
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Major: Real Estate and Business
In my free time: I love to play golf, basketball, lift/workout, hang out with friends and family and try new foods.
I’m a fan of: Any Seattle Sports teams, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Italian food, waking up early in the morning, bloom energy drinks/Yerba Mates, being out in nature, and the Godfather, Goodfellas, and Scarface movies.
I’m a Peer Mentor Lead because: The BI has been a place where I have found my sense of belonging here at the UW. Without the BI’s continued guidance through my four years in college and their help and support I would not be the person I am today. With that being said the reason I am a Lead Peer Mentor is because I want to continue to cultivate a positive college experience for current and future BI scholars and give back to a community that has always had my back.
Please ask me about: My faith, what songs I am currently listening to on repeat, how many siblings I have, what a day in the life looks like with me, my favorite Jordans, and my most memorable college experience.
Sebastian Pastrana
Cohort 6
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona
Major: Biochemistry
In my free time: You can find me at the gym, watching sports, trying new restaurants on the Ave, reading books, and hanging out with friends.
I’m a fan of: All Arizona and UW sports teams, reggaeton music (mainly Bad Bunny), and trying new things.
I’m a Lead Peer Mentor because: As an out-of-state student, I struggled with finding a sense of community here at UW my freshman year. This was only amplified with hard stem classes and a lack of a diverse community within my classes. The BI, both the professors and peer mentors, helped me to find that. I joined as a peer mentor to help give back to an organization that gave so much to me and to help incoming first year students find their place here on campus. As a lead peer mentor, I am contributing to the betterment of the program that helped me find a home on campus and hope to continue working on bettering myself and all the people around me in the program.
Please ask me about: The best study spots on campus, my experience as an out-of-state student, and anything about Bad Bunny songs
Brayden Jackson
Cohort 7
Hometown: Surrey, BC, Canada
Major: Physics w/ a minor in Aerospace Engineering
In my free time: I love to play pool and hang out with my family and friends
I’m a fan of: brooklyn nine-nine, the movie Collateral Beauty, Indian and japanese food
I’m a peer mentor lead because I’m committed to supporting students who face challenges similar to those I once encountered. My experience with the Brotherhood Initiative has reinforced the importance of building and sustaining a strong community, one that empowers individuals to grow, connect, and succeed together.
Please ask me about: What shows I am currently watching and my college experience.