Research Symposium

BIO

Lily Gray is a sophomore majoring in Nursing with a minor in Child Development. She is actively engaged in research focused on leadership development, where she explores strategies to strengthen peer leadership and student success. Through her academic experiences, Lily has developed a strong interest in patient-centered care and advocacy, particularly in supporting children and families. She has also worked closely with her faculty mentor to enhance her leadership and teaching skills, applying these experiences in both academic and practical settings. Lily is committed to continuing her growth in the healthcare field and plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with future goals of becoming a registered nurse and advancing her education through graduate study. Her long-term goal is to earn her doctorate in nursing.

Peer Leader Development

Abstract

Florida State University has a program called Gateway to Garnet and Gold. In this program, students are enrolled at Tallahassee State College and take one class at Florida State for the fall semester. The class “Gateway to Garnet and Gold” teaches students how to succeed in college. It is taught by peer leaders, which are FSU students who are trained by taking a class with Dr. Dames. In the spring, they are taught how to be a peer leader, then in the fall, they have a class where they teach students in Gateway to Garnet and Gold. This study examines how leadership skills among peer leaders can be improved through target training. We have observed 80 leaders from the prior fall semester by watching them teach students, having them do a True Colors personality test, and then looked for common traits and themes. With this information, we have decided what needs to be taught to the peer leaders for 2026. 

Keywords: Leadership, Peer development