Criminal Justice Peer Mentor Program
Fostering resilience through guidance, empowerment, and meaningful connections
About the Program
The Criminal Justice Peer Mentor Program builds a supportive learning community where mentors and mentees can foster resilience through guidance, empowerment, and meaningful connections
Community, resilience, and empathy are extremely important to the success of any criminal justice student.
Criminal justice students are working toward careers where they will work closely with the community. However, it is important to recognize that they will also need support for themselves. Having a strong sense of community is important for individual support because it provides a network of shared connection, practical help, and emotional safety. Our program emphasizes the importance of a strong sense of community among mentors and mentees through program-wide events and mentor meetings, fostering a shared connection.
College itself comes with many challenges. We want our mentors to model and foster resiliency for our mentees to support them in managing stress and bouncing back from any setbacks they may face.
Mentorship cannot be effective without empathy. Our mentors aim to have empathy for mentees while also helping them cultivate a strong sense of empathy and care for others.
Contact
Contact Joshua Donnelly, Assistant Professor-in-Residence, for more information: joshua.donnelly@unlv.edu.
Connect with Us
Schedule a Meeting With a Mentor
To schedule a meeting with a mentor, select the mentors' information below:
Kahlen Coss
Major: Criminal Justice | Minor: Philosophy
Kahlen is a first-generation student studying criminal justice who plans to attend law school after graduating this fall. Her goal is to create a strong sense of community with criminal justice students.
Kiersten De Castro
Major: Criminal Justice | Minor: Family Studies
Kiersten is a fourth-year criminal justice student planning on going to law school after graduation. Her goal in the CRJ Peer Mentorship program is to help fellow criminal justice students realize their full potential. She also hopes to aid in simplifying and enhancing their college experience.
Melissa Leonor
Major: Criminal Justice
Melissa is a first-generation senior studying criminal justice. She plans on a career in crime scene investigation after graduation. Her goal is to foster a welcoming and supportive community for students to rely on in their criminal justice journey.
Xavier Mares
Major: Criminal Justice
Xavier is a first-generation junior studying criminal justice who is planning on joining LVMPD’s Fusion Watch. His goal within the mentoring program is to create an environment where others feel free to express their true selves. He is striving to help others get out of their comfort zones.
Ziair McElvaine
Major: Criminal Justice
Ziair is a transfer and first-generation senior studying criminal justice. He plans on attending law school post-graduation and fighting for the wrongfully accused. His goal in the CRJ Peer Mentor Program is to help students balance their school and work life while still feeling involved in our rebel community.
Alyssa Padro
Major: Criminal Justice
Alyssa is a senior studying criminal justice who plans to attend law school after graduation and pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney. As a CRJ Peer Mentor, she hopes to support fellow students by sharing resources, offering guidance, and creating a welcoming space where students feel comfortable asking questions and navigating their academic and professional goals.
Goldlyna Randolph
Major: Criminal Justice and Philosophy | Minor: English
Goldlyna is a fourth-year criminal justice and philosophy major who plans to go to graduate school after completing her undergraduate degree. As a peer mentor, her goal is to help criminal justice students discover their passions as they navigate their higher-education experience.
Sebastian Rios
Major: Criminal Justice and Political Science | Minor: Philosophy and Public Policy
Sebastian is an honors criminal justice and political science student who plans to attend law school upon graduation. He hopes to go into appellate or criminal Law and become a judge one day. He hopes to serve as an inspirational mentor and create mentorship experiences focusing on time management and finding success in the college environment.
Valeria Rivera
Major: Criminal Justice
Valeria is a first-generation criminal justice student graduating in spring 2027. After graduation, she plans to continue pursuing criminal justice in graduate school. Her main goal in the CRJ Peer Mentor Program is to get any first-generation students up to speed on what it means to be a college student and ensure that her mentees never feel like they are missing out on any resources to succeed.
Cheylynn Simpson
Major: Criminal Justice | Minor: Communication
Cheylynn is a senior studying criminal justice with a minor in communication who is considering graduate school and looking into roles in the criminal justice field. Her goal in the CRJ Peer Mentor Program is to build an environment where strong, stable connections and involvement on campus can be within reach for other commuter students.
Sophia Winetz
Major: Criminal Justice and Computer Science
Sophia is a criminal justice major who plans on continuing into a career in law enforcement. Her biggest goal as a peer mentor is to reach out to students who may be discouraged from school activities due to commuter status or social pressure.
Sara Yang
Major: Criminal Justice | Minor: Business Management
Sara is a first-generation junior studying criminal justice; she plans on going to graduate school or law school after graduating. Her goal in the CRJ Peer Mentoring Program is to create a way for students to ask for help without feeling pressured or judged. She wants to help students with a busy life besides school, including first-generation students just like her.