From July 19-21, Florida Gulf Coast University's Multicultural and Leadership Development Institute hosted a Frosh Mosh retreat! Truthfully, I walked in having no idea what I signed up for. My anxiety was through the roof but quickly, it went away. I met so many new people and my eyes opened for the better. But before I go into how this weekend went, let me introduce the wonderful Frosh Mosh mentors!

This amazing group of people helped support all of their mentees through Frosh Mosh!Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

All of these mentors split into groups of two and were assigned mentees. These groups are called Mosh Pits!

Mosh Pit number 1! The team who shall not be named! Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

Mentor Irelan Herrera said the most rewarding thing about Frosh Mosh was seeing all the mentees enjoying themselves and taking the program seriously. She knew how hard everyone had worked to make Frosh Mosh a success, it was rewarding to see their efforts come to fruition. Ms. Herrera enjoys being a mentor for many reasons. From the relationships she had built with the other mentors and pro-staff to all the time she had spent with her mentees, it was a lot of work but seeing it pay off is great. Ms. Herrera found the late nights and trying to stay positive the most challenging thing about being a mentor. Keeping high energy is hard when you are working off such little sleep and worrying about all of the activities to come. She had a really hard time anticipating everything, she was worried she would not be able to connect with her mentees. She had learned so much from the other mentors and mentees. She did not know, prior to Frosh Mosh, that she was capable of leading. Ms. Herrera stated that her favorite activity is social identities, which was mine, too! She loved how open and vulnerable people get during the activity, it is a huge turning point for the weekend. A tip to future Frosh Moshers: Trust the program. Open up. Keep an open mind. You will get the most out of the experience if you truly open yourself up to it. It is never too late to be involved.

Mosh Pit number 2! The BOMB Squad!Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

Mentor Joseph Lopez found hearing how much of an impact he made on his mentees and how they want to give back just like he did to them, the most rewarding thing about Frosh Mosh. Mr. Lopez enjoys being a mentor because he was able to see everyone that he mentored grow up and understand themselves better than they came in. He found the most challenging thing about being a mentor was his presentation. Mr. Lopez was in charge of the social identities presentation. It is one of the most important aspects of Frosh Mosh. It allows the mentees to think to themselves about deep questions that are so personal that most people do not think about. It is a very emotional activity and for him to do it right was super important but was also a challenge to him. Being a mentor for Frosh Mosh changed him as a person because it had allowed him to gain knowledge on how to use his leadership style to better lead people that look up to him. For example, Mr. Lopez is the cheer captain this year for FGCU, and without all of his leadership training, he does not think he would have gotten that position. His favorite part of Frosh Mosh is seeing the mentees become vulnerable and once they do, they open a door within themselves that allows them to be the best leader they can be. Mr. Lopez highly recommends Frosh Mosh to any incoming freshman because it allows you to make connections, gives you knowledge on the school and how to become involved, and it teaches you about hard topics that are not taught to you in school. Equality, diversity, microaggressions, and privilege are some examples. One tip Mr. Lopez would give to incoming Frosh Moshers: Dive into the material. Be vulnerable with yourself and the people around you early so you can grow as an individual.

Mosh Pit number 3! The Happiest Place On Earth!Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

Mentor Erica Reeves said the most rewarding thing about Frosh Mosh is seeing all of their hard work pay off. She said it was easy to get caught up in how tired they were, or the number of things they needed to get done. But seeing all of the mentees enjoy the activities, participate, and open up to the mentors made it all worth it. Seeing the bonds formed not only between the mentees and mentors but seeing the relationships the mentees formed among themselves was so rewarding as well. Ms. Reeves enjoys being a mentor. To her, helping people is so important, knowing she is going to end up pursuing a career in mental health made this role an awesome opportunity. She learned a lot from her mentees and she hopes her mentees learned a lot from her. Ms. Reeves believes being a mentor is undoubtedly rewarding. She is naturally extremely introverted and reserved. She finds it difficult to approach people on her own and is very shy around people she does not know. With a mentor role, she knows it is not an effective way of helping people so she has to bring herself to a more upbeat and social version of herself to the table. It has an impact on her energy level at times but the finds that in the end, it is worth it. Being introverted and reserved from a young age has stopped her from pursuing so many opportunities as she has grown up. A couple of years ago, Ms. Reeves would have never thought that she would be able to be in a role like this. Being a mentor has helped her realize that being a reserved person does not have to stop her from being outgoing. People may think that you can only be one or the other but Ms. Reeves does not think that is the case. Being reserved helps her connect with the less social people, which is an advantage. Ms.Reeves has two favorite things about Frosh Mosh. One of them being her team. The mentors she has had the pleasure to work with this year are the most interesting, hilarious, supportive, and outstanding people that she has ever met. Her other favorite part is the growth that she has witnessed through just a couple days at Frosh Mosh. She sees herself in all of the students that walk through the door – quiet, uncomfortable, and reserved. The difference she sees in the mentees from the first night to the last day is phenomenal. She believes the growth she will see throughout the fall will be even more fantastic. She cannot wait to grow closer with her team as well as her mentees. Ms. Reeves recommends this program because as a mentee before, this program impacted her first year of college. The people she had met in her Mosh Pit are still her very close friends. The people you meet are unlike any other. You can learn so much from them, and they can learn from you. A tip for future Frosh Moshers: Be open to new ideas, new perspectives, and new experiences. Trust the process during Frosh Mosh because everything is for a reason. Confide in your mentors. Come to the MLD center when you want to talk to someone or have a laugh. Never forget that you are not alone. Everyone is here to help.

Mosh Pit number 4! Planet Earth!Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

Mentor Sophia Amvrosiatos found the students connecting with themselves and one another the most rewarding thing about Frosh Mosh. She loved watching the students grow in three days. Ms. Amvrosiatos loves being a mentor! She is grateful for the position and for the mentors she worked with. She believes the most challenging thing about being a mentor is not being able to help the mentees during the team-building exercises. Being a mentor has effected Ms. Amvrosiatos emotionally - All good things, though! Hearing people's stories reminds her of who she is and who she would like to become. Her favorite part of Frosh Mosh was the last activity guided by Dr. Blakely. She felt as if it was so emotional and she felt the love with all of her students and mentors. Ms. Amvrosiatos highly recommends this program because it is an eye-opening experience. You understand your identity better and get acclimated to FGCU. A tip from Ms. Amvrosiatos: Be open, be present, take this opportunity to be you. Do not fear judgement and allow yourself to develop.

Mosh Pit number 5! Sharkies!Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

Mentor Jah-Naika Lopez explained how the program forced her to see other perspectives from other Moshers and mentors when she originally went through the program. She explained how it is a great program to help freshmen understand that the struggles they face are not faced in solidarity. There is always someone in the MLD center willing to offer advice or just listen. Ms. Lopez enjoys being a mentor because Moshers are able to rely on their trained mentors to offer a bit of guidance in some cases. Being an older sibling herself, she felt as if she inherited 50+ younger siblings! Ms.Lopez felt as if the feeling of not being good enough was the most challenging thing to her. Being a mentor has changed Ms. Lopez because, in a way, she feels more enlightened. It is impossible to "understand" every situation or experiences people share with you but she was able to empathize with a lot of emotions that her mentees confronted this weekend. It had left her with a better understanding of herself and how she personally wants to change the world. Ms. Lopez enjoyed seeing her mentor partners and mentees have "aha" moments where they finally understand or being to understand why they may feel a certain way about a topic or react to certain experiences the way they do. Ms. Lopez recommends the program for anyone willing to experience self-growth. It is things like Frosh Mosh that makes FGCU and more specifically the MLD center so special. A tip from Ms. Lopez: Be open. Be vulnerable. Not everyone is going to have the same perspectives as you and that is 100% okay! Listen to understand others, not to change their views.

Mentor Hailey Countryman finds the connections made between the mentors and mentees to be the most rewarding aspect of the program. She believes a lot of the time freshmen come into college not realizing how many individuals have similar experiences and stories, so sharing their personal histories as well as resources is a great aspect of the program. Ms. Countryman enjoyed her time as a mentor and she is greatly looking forward to meeting with everyone again in the fall semester. Ms. Countryman believes the most challenging aspect of being a mentor was the small group discussions. Even though they match groups based on detailed applications, not everyone has chemistry in person. Ms. Countryman thinks that she has a special appreciation for the mentors and leaders of other programs now that she has been in their shoes. Her favorite aspect of Frosh Mosh was meeting the mentees for the first time. Ms. Countryman would recommend Frosh Mosh because it is an amazing way to meet new people before starting classes in the fall. Ms. Countryman is thankful to have found her family!

Mosh Pit number 6! The Royales!Stefan Imbert and Susel Ramos

Mentor Matthieu Jeannelas found the realization of how much of an impact this retreat can play ranging from staff to mentor. Frosh Mosh rewards everyone by breaking the walls of awkwardness and struggles that incoming new students will inevitably have to face. Mr. Jeannelas loved being a mentor because of the realization that he had the power to set the tone of how his mentees decide to take on college. He felt as if the most challenging thing about Frosh Mosh was that this was his first time being a mentor. Being a mentor challenged Mr. Jeannelas because he has now seen the ways, in person, how much he has the power to change a persons outlook on life for the better or for the worse. He was given a new outlook on life that he is capable of. A tip from Mr. Jeannelas: Never feel like being vulnerable equates to being weak. Being vulnerable is one of the most efficient ways of getting people to connect with you. Check up on each other, head nod, smile, acknowledge that you are all growing and are all on your way and going through your own unique struggles, as we all learned.

The first night of Frosh Mosh we participated in an ice breaker, an ice cream social featuring shaved ice, and a connection game. In the game Connection, we all had to state a fact about ourself and if someone in the room had the same fact, they would run and yell "Connection!!"

Day two consisted of Ships and Sailors, and many team building activities!

After the team building activities, we headed over to the Cohen Center! It is not a bad walk when you have great company!

We also went to a bunch of presentations during day two!

At the end of day two, we met in our mosh pits for debrief, to go over our skits, and create an opening video.

Every Mosh Pit had to create a skit to go over this weekend, here are just a few!

We had the chance to say what we were grateful for before the banquet had started.

As the weekend comes to an end, we had the most memorable banquet. Here is to Frosh Mosh 2019!!

One last time now Frosh Moshers!!

A Major shoutout to MLD and Ysatiz Pinero for making this weekend happen! I can not wait for future Frosh Moshers to experience what we did next summer!