Three generations of a buddy family. From left: London Swift ’16, CJ Murphy ’15 (Inter Class Coordinator), & Jean Cornell ’14.

The transition to college can be a grueling process as freshmen struggle to find the balance between school, extracurricular activities, and having an active social life. The School of Public Affairs Leadership Program aims to ease the struggle for the freshman in the program by carefully pairing them up with an older “buddy” in the program.

Jack Seltzer ’15 recalls his freshman year in college and how his buddy helped him transition and deal not only with class work, but leadership as well. Jack says, “My buddy was integral in introducing me to dozens of upperclassmen Leadership students whom I am now close friends with. My buddy introduced me to the dynamic and fascinating field of DC local politics, with which I now work heavily with. And most importantly, my buddy has now become one of my best friends. I can easily say that the buddy pairing has been one of the most important parts of the Leadership program for me.”

That sentiment is shared amongst many within the Leadership Program. Jihad Broussard, a freshman in Leadership, already compliments his buddy. He says his buddy has given him “specific resources such as different conferences that [he] should attend that would give [him] more opportunities to network in D.C.”

While the transition to college can be tough and Leadership can be overwhelming, having a buddy by your side can make the road so much easier.