Cook wins award as program grows leaders

The Supplemental Instruction program at the University of North Georgia (UNG) not only helps students excel in difficult courses. It also provides extensive leadership development for the students who serve as facilitators in the program.

This model has earned Emily Cook, UNG Supplemental Instruction director, the Exceptional Veteran SI Supervisor award, which she received at this summer's 12th International Conference on Supplemental Instruction. The award is given to a supervisor who has "led the program to outstanding quality and continuous improvement through adherence to core principles, campus engagement, leader development and support, excellence in quality of service, program evaluation, and integration with other campus and international community activities."

Supplemental Instruction is an internationally recognized academic assistance program designed to help students navigate historically difficult courses through additional exposure to, and practice with, course material in a group setting. It provides regularly scheduled, weekly review sessions led by a facilitator, a student who has completed the course at UNG.

Cook appreciates getting to work alongside the student facilitators and mentors on their leadership journey.

"That's been the greatest honor. These are top students. They're working really hard, and they want to help their peers," Cook said. "They're showing the value of team learning and helping their fellow students see a model of leadership."

Cook and Sarah Dean, the assistant director, also now have Oscar King serving as a graduate assistant after he was a leader within the program before earning his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 2019.

These are top students. They're working really hard, and they want to help their peers. They're showing the value of team learning and helping their fellow students see a model of leadership.

Emily Cook

UNG Supplemental Instruction director

Valerie Bauknight, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in psychology, serves as a Supplemental Instruction senior mentor who helps prepare facilitators for success.

The program has helped her become more comfortable with public speaking. She thrives on the personal and professional development she sees in herself and others.

"It helps you get used to working professionally on a team," Bauknight said.

Supplemental Instruction partners with the Office of Student Life and Leadership to encourage its student employees to earn a leadership certificate.

The Supplemental Instruction facilitators and mentors meet every two weeks with Cook, Dean and King. These meetings serve as a forum for feedback that enables them to grow both in their current roles and their capabilities for the future. Laraib Ranjha, a sophomore facilitator who is from Flowery Branch, Georgia, and is pursuing a degree in psychology, cited those meetings as one of the reasons she is glad to be part of the program.

"No one in that meeting is going to judge me," Ranjha said. "I am able to talk and step outside my comfort zone."