Two years ago, Wellness Center Coordinator Chris Saporito and Peer Helping teacher Chad Budde established the Peer Helping 3 program. After noticing a need for extra sets of hands around the Wellness Center, they brainstormed ways to solve this issue. The first Peer Helping 3 student was introduced in 2022, and the program has slowly expanded over time, with six Peer Helping 3 students this school year.
Peer Helping 3 builds on the skills learned in Peer Helping 1 and 2, applying them to real world settings in the Wellness Center.
“Peer Helping 3 is the practicum class for peer helpers, so it’s only for students who have gone through Peer Helping 1 and 2, and Peer Helping 3 students get to work in the Wellness Center,” Saporito said.
As the program begins to grow, Peer Helping 3 has become crucial to Gabrielino High School’s campus. Peer Helping 3 students play a pivotal role in supporting the Wellness Center.
“When kids come into the Wellness Center, they can choose to talk to me, one of our interns, or someone their own age,” Saporito added.
This year, Gabrielino students Fatima Benitez, James Gonzalez Valencia, Allyson Kim, Sophia Orozco, Oralee Tran, and Ava Yamashita were selected to apply their experience and knowledge to aid students in the Wellness Center.
“Peer Helping 3 students are the first faces that students see when they walk in and they serve as a welcoming presence for them,” Saporito explained.
Senior James Gonzalez Valencia has been a part of Peer Helping since his freshman year and has grown a large appreciation for the program’s values since then.
“When I started during my freshman year, I really enjoyed it because the environment felt really safe, and I was comfortable talking to people in the class,” Gonzalez said.
Although Peer Helping 3 is different from Peer Helping 1 and 2, Gonzalez enjoys applying his skills to help students in the Wellness Center.
However, the journey of going from the classroom to the real-world has been challenging.
“Sometimes I think it’s nerve-racking to say hi to every student that walks in because they won’t say anything to you,” Gonzalez admitted with a smile. “But I get over it because you don’t know what they’re going to be like they can end up being soft spoken which makes me feel relieved.”
Senior Allyson Kim gravitated to the Peer Helping program because of her passion for supporting her peers with mental health.
“It’s such a unique experience; it’s such a good one because you get to build connections with not only people in your grade but other kids on campus you normally wouldn’t talk to,” Kim concluded.
With what she has learned from Peer Helping, she hopes that Peer Helping 3 will teach her skills that will aid her potential career in working with children.
Like Gonzalez, Kim finds it challenging to approach students that come into the Wellness Center.
“You never know whether they’re actually going through a difficult time or if they are just looking for a place to relax,” Kim explained.
Saporito hopes that current and prospective Peer Helping 3 students gain knowledge on how mental health services work through interactions with interns, therapists, and students.
