Peer Ministry Offers Support and Belonging for New Students

Mr. Robert Gill, P ’26, had only been a campus minister at Xaverian for a few days when he first heard about the peer ministry program and was eager to get involved. The program was implemented during the 2002-2003 school year and its goal was to help new students transition and adapt to the Xaverian community with the guidance and support of upperclassmen and campus ministers. Today, the heart of the program remains the same. Through peer-led activities, mentoring, and other relationship-building activities, incoming students gain more than just guidance – they build lasting connections which enrich their high school experience.

For students who are apprehensive about all the changes that attending a new school can bring, the program has been a source of comfort. “I was nervous about starting high school, but the peer ministry program made it easy to find my place,” says Christopher Smith, a freshman at Xaverian. “Peer ministry has already helped me feel very connected here,” he adds. “The relationships I’ve formed are beyond what I expected.” And these relationships have the power to shape a student’s experiences.

Mr. Gill has loved having a front row seat to the transformative power of the program in the lives of Xaverian’s students. “I’ve seen it firsthand that a guy who’s a freshman who wouldn’t have thought of trying something new is now doing it because he was invited by his big Hawk,” he says. “Then time flies and before you know it, he’s the president of the club. That’s what this program is about.”

The program has also provided an opportunity for upperclassmen to step into the role of mentor for their younger peers. One mentor, Tarun Kancharla ’25, noted: “Peer ministry is special to me because I get to watch incoming freshmen truly find their own Xaverian brothers. I really believe the relationships formed in the peer ministry program will last for years to come.”

Xaverian’s peer ministry program leaves a profound impact on incoming students, fostering the endurance of interpersonal relationships and providing a supportive community. This program not only eases the transition into a new academic environment, but instills a sense of belonging and mutual support among students from all parts of the Xaverian community.