Jennifer: Welcome to Transfer Talks Podcast. My name is Jennifer Wadley and I am a Senior Peer Mentor with the Transfer Jacks. Today I'm talking with a fellow peer mentor. Would you like to introduce yourself? Tiff: Hi, my name is Tiff Kim. I'm a senior studying Microbiology and I graduate soon so I'm really excited for that. And I've been on the team ever since last semester and I love it. Jennifer: What would you like or what do you like about the NAU environment? Tiff: So NAU itself I feel like is a very inclusive campus even though it's really big. Compared to my old school, we had literally four buildings, so everyone knew each other. But here, you see a new face every day. And it's really nice because considering how big the campus is and the population there's a lot of groups dedicated to different cultures, ethnicities, and just overall just being inclusive to different students, especially transfer students. Jennifer: Are you involved in any? Tiff: Well, I am involved in the Transfer Jacks Program of course. And I got into that because of my mentor. And she really helped me adjust to NAU and honestly, she helped me make a lot of friends because I was a little shy at first and my main goal was really to just come here, study, and graduate as soon as I can. But I learned that after the first semester here, it's kind of lonely if you do that. And even if you're a transfer student, nonetheless, you should still try to be involved because college is college. You're probably going to not have the same experience if you just graduate and not have anyone that you know like close to your side. Jennifer: Yeah. What is your favorite memory being at NAU? Tiff: My favorite memory? There are a lot. Especially after joining this team, meeting you. Like you're one of my closest friends here. Jennifer: Aww. Tiff: Even though we don't get to spend a lot of time together. Jennifer: I agree. Tiff: It just feels very nice to have such an amazing team. Whenever I come into the lounge every day it's like oh my gosh! Leah is here! Jen is here! And then all the other mentors, of course. I love everyone. And it's just very nice to know that okay I'm going to leave home and then I have another home here. But if I were to pick a favorite memory it's when we did our mentor lock-in and we stayed up until like 5 am or something. It was so fun. I never expected to have such a great team and a great set of friends. Jennifer: That's awesome. What was your experience like at your previous school? Tiff: So my previous school, I went to St. Louis College of Pharmacy and it was a private college. It was very tiny and it was just very competitive, so there was not really much of like making friends there. It's kind of like oh, you're competition. So there wasn't really like a community. And I basically transferred out because my husband had a job opportunity out here. And it's kind of far away from home. So I'm from Missouri, and Arizona is very far away. It's a 19, I think, hour drive and we did that twice. Yeah. Jennifer: What is your experience like transferring to NAU? Tiff: At first when I moved to Flagstaff I was considering ASU to NAU. And NAU was my first choice, obviously, because of the location, very close to where I was staying. And it's a pretty big college. I think it just makes up Flagstaff as like a college town and the people are very nice. And I just feel that NAU is very catered towards new students. It doesn't feel like there's like cliques or bullies. Jennifer: Bullies. How do you feel about being a transfer student? Tiff: When I first moved here I was kind of hush-hush about it. I didn't want to talk about it because, you know, especially my parents they saw it as like oh, you're switching colleges, that means you failed. Kind of like that Asian mentality of like, you know, you have to finish where you start. But it's just that, I am finishing what I started but just at a different college, in a place where I'm happier and with a major that I'm happier with too. So my previous major was Pharmacy and it was very intense. And that line of work, I tried it out a little, and it was not for me. And I'm just glad that I found that out before I actually committed more of my time because I lost about four years of my life there and I did not get a Bachelor's degree. Because at the time, that program only offered a PharmD. And so when I moved here I was like taking some intro classes because they didn't transfer over and I just felt like the oldest person here. And I didn't really like it until I met my mentor and she showed me a bunch of other transfer students who they didn't have like the exact same circumstances but they understood that, you know, sometimes life gets in the way and you can like, you can move on and try a different college different like, start your life again. Jennifer: Yeah, sounds like you're on a better track anyway. Tiff: Yes. Jennifer: So obviously you met with your peer mentor. So how has been, how has it been being a mentor to transfer students? Tiff: When I applied for the job I didn't expect much like I didn't expect to be accepted because as a person, I'm very introverted. And I kind of felt inadequate in that way, I was just very worried that what if I don't connect with mentor, mentees the way that my mentor did with me because I'm introverted? But I was wrong about that and I'm glad because our supervisor actually, Katherine, she's very introverted as well and we bonded over that fact. So she kind of understands how it's like to be introverted. And she understands like during events whenever she sees my social battery go down, she's like Tiff, take some time and I'm very appreciative of that. Of course, the team that came with the Transfer Jacks Program, so very nice I love you guys so much. Jennifer: Aww. Tiff: And I know that we're going to be like friends even after graduation which a lot of us are graduating. And also the aspect of interacting with other transfer students, I love it because they see that someone like them a fellow transfer student is doing well and going on to better things because no one really talks about being a transfer student. At like, at my old college all the transfer students, it's like everyone would isolate them. And it's kind of sad because you know they have a story, you know, that they might be a little older they might have family. Like kids of their own and that doesn't make them like different that doesn't make them for a need to be like a social pariah. Jennifer: Yeah. So being a peer mentor, have you learned anything from your transfer students? Tiff: I learned that you need to not be so critical of yourself. I have a big issue with that because I'm very critical of myself. Jennifer: Yeah. Tiff: Like you know I always hear that people say you're your most. Jennifer: Biggest critic. Tiff: Yeah, biggest critic. Yeah, and I don't know I just feel that for me myself having such standards and not completing them I'm really hard on myself. But if I were to look at my mentee and even you and if you felt sad about not accomplishing something I would not tell you to put yourself down. I would tell you to, you know, like you know you can try again. It'll be better next time like you can't just stop here. And it's just like they taught me to not be as hard on myself and I'm, I really love that because. I didn't think that they would be able to teach me anything like I thought, you know, as my, as a mentor that's my job. But you know in order to do that you need to do it yourself. Jennifer: Yeah. So if you were your own Transfer Jack Peer Mentor what advice would you give to yourself? Tiff: For me, I would say, I would say be thankful and don't just look at the future, like live for now. Because when I first started, I just wanted to graduate, I wanted to contribute to society. And especially like my circumstances, like I'm a married woman. And not many people here are married. Jennifer: That's true Tiff: And I think I'm the only person on our team that is married and it just feels like you know I'm, I'm behind because I'm married, but I don't have a job, I don't, I didn't finish college yet. Yet. Jennifer: Yet! You will. Tiff: Yeah and then I just have to take it to perspective like you know my husband is five years older and I'm five years younger. He has a lot more time to figure out what he was going to do and he did it and now it's my time. Jennifer: Yeah. Tiff: Like I can focus on myself even though I am like, you know, not just one person but two, two together. Jennifer: Yeah Tiff: Like a family. Jennifer: You are a family, a cute family. Tiff: Thank you. Jennifer: Let's see. So now we are going to do this or that NAU edition. Tiff: Yeah. Jennifer: Rapidfire. The Dub or the Hot Spot? Tiff: I've only eaten at the Hot Spot so I will choose that they have I think decent Asian food sometimes. Jennifer: I agree. Tiff: And ice cream! Jennifer: Ice cream is delicious. NAU gold or NAU blue? Tiff: I'm a gold person. Jennifer: Nice. North or South Campus? Tiff: I love North Campus because my classes are all in North Campus and whenever I go to South Campus, I just get lost. Jennifer: Still happens for us. Morning classes or afternoon or evening? Tiff: Morning classes. Even though I might run a little late, I like to be finished early because I check out of my body at 6 pm. Jennifer: That's fair. Union or HLC for a place to study? Tiff: HLC. There's sometimes the aroma of cooked food that kind of makes me nauseous in the Union, even though I work in the Union. I like the HLC a little bit better because it smells like soup. Jennifer: It does. Tiff: And I like soup. Jennifer: Sun or snow? Tiff: Snow because when I first moved here we had to wear the mask for COVID and my forehead got tan. Just my forehead. Jennifer: No. Fall or Winter? Tiff: I love Fall because it's just about to start getting cold and the leaves are so pretty in Flagstaff. That's the best time to go hiking and off-roading and National Parks but Winter you can't drive in the snow or it's very scary. Jennifer: Definitely. Fall semester or Spring semester? Tiff: Fall semester. Spring semester goes by way too fast and it feels like everything is so fast-paced and right now it's like we're going to graduate soon and I'm just scared. Jennifer: Don't be scared. Homecoming or Family Weekend? Tiff: Homecoming. There's so many events during homecoming that it's like you know you got to pick and choose and there's a lot of free NAU merch that's very nice to get. Jennifer: Now since you are graduating, any plans for afterwards? Tiff: Well I plan on applying for this Clinical Lab Science Program in Texas and it's a remote program and I'll be assigned to a rotation site, I'm hoping, in Utah because it's not that far, at least. Jennifer: Kind of far. Tiff: Because I actually drive to Utah pretty often and it's not too bad Jennifer: Okay. Tiff: Compared to 19 hours to St. Louis. Jennifer: That is true. Well, is there anything else that you feel like a transfer student should know before coming to NAU? Tiff: You got to make friends. Friends are what really makes college experience nice because you can be a little bit of a loner but have at least one or two friends. That's how you get through it. That's how you like learn to study together. You get help in classes and like, you know, I brought my friend to one of the clubs here at NAU called KLCC and she made a lot of friends there. It was really nice to see her talk very passionately about something to other people other than me. Jennifer: Yeah, that's awesome. Tiff: Yeah. It just felt like, you know, maybe I should be a mentor. That's what really sparked me to want to become a peer mentor here. Jennifer: Yeah, that's awesome. Well, thank you Tiff for joining us today. We appreciate your time in coming and sharing your transfer experience with us. Thank you. Tiff: Thank you for having me!