On Monday, Sept. 24, the application for Residential Leader and Tarleton Transition Mentor opened on TexanSync. Anyone interested in becoming a Residential Leader or Tarleton Transition Mentor can apply to be considered.

Serving as a Tarleton Transition Mentor is one of the best ways to get involved in Tarleton State. As a TTM, you have the opportunity to represent the Tarleton Family and make an impact on incoming students as one of the first group of people from Tarleton State they get to meet and learn from.

Be it through New Student Registration Day, Duck Camp, or Transition Week, TTM’s get to interact with incoming students as they make the jump into college. Many of us have seen them in action before. Donning their colorful overalls, dancing to Everytime We Touch, screaming the chants and cheers despite having no voice left and showing the incoming students a good time. Despite the party hardy vibe TTM’s are known for, there’s more to being a TTM than showing students a good time.

We all know what it was like when we were making our way through the gates and registering for our first semester classes. We all know what we learned about ourselves and others while at Duck Camp. We all know what we felt when we moved into our residence halls and had to say goodbye to our folks at the beginning of Transition week. It’s because of the TTM’s who made us feel welcome at registration. It’s because of our papa and mama ducks who encouraged us to be ourselves at Duck Camp. It’s because of the support the TTM’s gave us during T-Week to help make Tarleton State our new home.

By becoming a TTM, you get to show students your rendition of the Snaxx Dance while encouraging them to do the same. By becoming a TTM, you get to pass on your knowledge on how to be successful in class. By becoming a TTM, you get to show your support to a student and help them find their place in the Tarleton family.

If you are thinking on applying but feel uncertain about the mentor part of being a TTM, don’t be. You’ve been in their shoes before. You know what it was like. Why not use your past experiences to help another person go through the move into college life.

Serving as a TTM has been one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had while at Tarleton State. Not only has it given me a chance to serve the Tarleton family, but it has also given me a chance to connect and interact with individuals I would have never met otherwise. At the end of every NSRD, Duck Camp, or T-Week, I can’t help but feel like I helped change a person’s life for the better. While I was never able to go to Duck Camp as an incoming student, being a TTM has allowed me to help make sure that campers are able to get the most out of camp.  Even after camp, not a day goes by that I walk through campus and I run into campers and fellow TTM’s that I met during my time as a TTM.