Orientation Leaders play an integral role in the success of New Mexico State University’s Orientation program.

Review this page to find out more about becoming an Orientation Leader (OL) for 2024 and make an impact on next year's incoming students! AWO welcomes freshman and transfer students throughout the winter for the spring semester and all summer long for the summer and fall semesters. Being an OL is a great leadership experience and provides you with numerous networking opportunities for around campus. 

Applications open Monday, October 9th and will close on Friday, October 27th at 11:59 pm, on Handshake.

To learn more about this opportunity, feel free to attend one of our optional information sessions in the Corbett Center Senate Chambers room #302 either October 10th from 4:30pm - 5:30pm or October 18th from 4:00pm - 5:00pm. 

For further questions please contact the Aggie Welcome and Orientation office at 575-646-8038 or email awo@nmsu.edu.

As an OL you will have a lot of fun and create lasting memories. 

What is an Orientation Leader?

Orientation Leaders play an integral role in the success of New Mexico State University’s Aggie Welcome Orientation program. Orientation Leaders are recognized throughout the NMSU community and are actively involved in assisting new students with their transition to NMSU. They serve as group leaders, role models, liaisons between various departments and academic colleges, and overall peer educators.

All Orientation Leaders will go through an extensive training program that begins in the Spring semester and continues throughout the summer. Orientation Leaders will be trained for both the student program and the family program that will consist of virtual and in-person sessions. They will also be expected to be knowledgeable about a variety of institutional information, group dynamics, and student development issues. Orientation Leaders may also participate in recruitment and retention initiatives for new students such as Aggie Experience days, Move-In Weekend, and Crimson Kickoff events.

What does an OL do?

• Assist new students and their families transitioning into the NMSU community
• Represent NMSU in a professional manner
• Becomes knowledgeable about NMSU’s campus policies, procedures & services, and shares this information with new students and their families
• Support all aspects of the Aggie Welcome & Orientation programmin
• Present and available on campus for both in-person and virtual orientation sessions from May – August
• Work both the student program and the family program
• Participate in recruitment events for prospective Orientation Leaders
• Work as a team to accomplish the mission and objectives of the Aggie Welcome and Orientation office and as representatives of New Mexico State University
• Other duties as assigned by the AWO Leadership Staff

What are the requirements to become an OL?

• Full-time NMSU Main Campus student, with at least one semester completed by January 2024
• Minimum cumulative and semester GPA of 2.5 or better upon hire and maintained during employment
• Must plan on being enrolled in courses Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 semesters
• Cannot be on disciplinary or academic probation at NMSU at any point during employment as an Orientation Leader
• Must be available for training, on Thursdays, 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm from February 8th to April 25th (no training during spring break) and May 15th -18th all day (Intensive Training)
• To apply for this position, submit application through Handshake Job #8289224 for Work Study and Job #8289197 for Non-Work Study
• Fill out an application. Applications open Wednesday, October 9th and close Friday, October 27th at the end of the day

What is the compensation for OLs?

• Salary of $12.00 per hour pay
  • Spring Semester averages about 3 hours per week
  • Summer Training and Orientations average around 15 hours per week
• Housing for duration of summer employment (May – August)
• Most meals are provided during training and orientation days
• The best swag on campus!
• Networking with various campus partners
• Leadership and mentorship training