Icebreakers and Teambuilding (Werth 011)

Sophia Rotondaro, FYE Supervising Teaching Assistant

Beyond Academics: Centering Community and Well-Being in Classroom Culture (Werth 013)

Andrea Ybanez, HESA Graduate Student & FYE Instructor

This interactive session explores innovative strategies for promoting holistic student well-being through community-centered learning in first-year programs. By addressing mental, emotional, social, and physical aspects of well-being, participants will discover how fostering a supportive classroom culture enhances students’ motivation, resilience, and academic success. Aligned with the conference theme of Innovation for First-Year College Students in Transition, this session provides practical tools for building inclusive, culturally responsive, and connection-driven learning environments. Through collaborative discussions and a hands-on activity, attendees will leave equipped with adaptable strategies to enhance classroom well-being and strengthen community among first-year students.

First and Foremost: Supporting First-Generation Students in the FYE Classroom (Werth 115)

Leo Lachut, Interim Director, FYPLCAACIZ & Director, AAC

First-generation students bring resilience, motivation, and unique perspectives into our First-Year Experience classrooms—but they also encounter hidden curricula, systemic barriers, and social dynamics that can complicate their transition to college.

This workshop invites FYE instructors to reflect on how classroom structure, content, and culture can either foster or hinder belonging for first-gen students. Drawing on 30 years of experience in higher education and leadership in First-Year Programs and Academic Support, the presenter will offer practical, inclusive strategies to engage first-gen students more intentionally—through assignment design, community-building exercises, instructor transparency, and identity-affirming practices.

Participants will explore how to reframe “college readiness” by meeting students where they are, and how to partner with campus resources and peer mentors to create a more equitable and empowering first-semester experience.

Huskies Helping Huskies (Werth 116)

Dr. Fany DeJesus Hannon, Dean of Students & Angelo Montes, Rising Senior in Political Science

Have you ever wondered why Gen Zs do not ask for help or do not want to ask for help? If you have, you need to attend this session! Join me and one of our Huskies, Angelo Montes as we shared our dream of developing a movement to help our Huskies to ask for help and receive help. You will also be leaving this session with a lesson plan focusing on self-advocacy and the importance of encourage our students to ask and receive help. You will also learn a little bit more about this upcoming movement, Huskies Helping Huskies!

From Helper to HERO: Maximize Your Strengths (Werth 118)

Amy McKeon, Academic Advisor & FYE Instructor

As higher education professionals, we are the recentering point through the multiple transitions students experience as they move into and through their first year of college. This workshop will provide a foundation of psychological capital and discuss the impact of noticing and strengthening hope, (self-)efficacy, resilience, and optimism (HERO). Leave with four, short lessons which can be utilized together or spread across multiple sessions in the semester. These lessons are useful for students, Mentors… and ourselves. Mufasa says, “Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become.” So, let’s “go from zero to HERO” and have some fun.

Let's Get Practical: A Guided Workshop to Support Application of the Ideas from the Plenary Address (Werth 011)

Dr. Bryce Bunting, Assistant Clinical Professor in Student Development Services, Brigham Young University & Dr. Dallin George Young, Assistant Professor in College Student Affairs Administration and Leadership, University of Georgia

Come join Drs. Young and Bunting in a collaborative workshop, where we’ll apply the new theory of transitions shared in the opening plenary.  In this workshop we will work with you to roll up your sleeves and start (re)imagining ways in which you can develop innovative plans and goals for how to support students in transition across a variety of contexts, including the classroom, co-curricular experiences, peer leadership, or any other context where faculty and staff are charged with supporting student success.  

Equitable, Early Access to Purposeful Training for Beginner Undergraduate Researchers (Werth 013)

Dr. Renee Trueman, Director, McNair Scholars Program/CAPS Research

Late exposure to hands-on work, data communication, and critical thinking leaves undergraduates minimal time for mentorship and reflection about applying research skillsets to careers. During the session, an exercise will be performed together that engages students in data collection, analysis, and presentation tools so they can prepare to thrive as undergraduate researchers and through graduate school, and a mentee-mentor form for students to voice their learning style and for mentors to detail expectations to enhance the richness of the training experience will be shared.

Incorporating Life Design: Tools for Facilitating Holistic Student Success (Werth 116)

Brooke Gemmell, Greenhouse Studios Design Strategist

Life designers help their students build a life that they love. While not everyone can or will become a full-fledged life designer, there are a wealth of tools that can be integrated into your courses that can directly help your students assess their paths and discover the agency that they have over their own trajectories. During this session, I will introduce the field of life design, walk through a syllabus from my Honors FYE course, and highlight a few tools that can easily be integrated into your own syllabus without having to devote a full semester to the topic.

Helping Students Build Strong Résumés & LinkedIn Profiles (Werth 118)

Steve Kilgerman, Assistant Director for Programming & Career Everywhere at CCRLS

In today’s competitive job market, students need strong résumés and LinkedIn profiles to stand out. This session will equip FYE Instructors with strategies to effectively review and provide feedback on students’ professional materials. Attendees will learn key résumé and LinkedIn best practices, common mistakes to avoid, and how to guide students in tailoring their materials for specific opportunities. Through interactive activities, participants will practice evaluating résumés and LinkedIn profiles, leaving with practical tools they can immediately implement in their classrooms.