Set Up for Success

Hear from peer mentor Michelle Rodriguez ’24 in her own words about how the Rollins College Conference course—RCC for short—acts as a roadmap for your Rollins journey and helps you get off to a great start from day one.

Iwas so nervous—and excited—before my first day at Rollins. I didn’t know anyone, and I was a little worried about making new friends. I’m the first person in my family to attend college, so I couldn’t really ask my parents what to expect. And then I walked into my RCC class—it’s the first class you’ll have on your first day at Rollins—and met the people who changed my life. From helping me find my way to encouraging me to explore my passions, they supported me when I needed it. And they’re the reason I became a peer mentor, so I could help ease the transition for the next generation of Tars. Here’s a closer look at how the RCC experience at Rollins is designed to jump-start the best four years of your life.

Michelle Rodriguez ’24

RCC: Dream in Spanish

Majors: International business, Latin American and Caribbean studies, and Spanish

Campus involvement: Peer mentor, Latin American Student Association president, Alpha Omicron Pi member

Goal: Pursue grad school in immigration law and start a nonprofit that prepares children in developing nations for higher education

Solid Foundation

“My RCC course was focused on improving our Spanish by watching and critiquing films in the language. After each class, we’d break down the topics the films covered and how they applied to life. That really helped develop my critical thinking skills by analyzing things in a very different way than I had ever done before.”

In addition to peer advisors for international students, all first-year students are paired with peer mentors who provide guidance on what classes to take, what social activities to consider, and what to expect, in general, as a student at Rollins.