by Isabel Phillips
CHS contributor

Jaylen Robinson knew the transition to college could be a challenge — even in normal times. But with COVID-19 restrictions in place, it could be even more difficult to find a sense of home and make new friends in a new environment.

Luckily for him, the freshman Human Health Sciences major from Missouri was a part of the Interprofessional Healthcare Residential College (also known as IHRC or “iRock”).

Robinson was able to feel at home, make friends and find success. “The IHRC has helped make my transition to college extremely smooth,” he said. “Peer mentors reach out to us to help with anything you can think of. During the pandemic it has been hard to interact with other students, but the IHRC community has put together socially distanced events where we get to be around our classmates.”

Before COVID-19 ever began, the IHRC served as an interactive living space for over 200 students wanting to pursue a career in health care. This involved team building and ice breaker activities for the students to get to know each other and build a community with those they are living with. But the way in which the IHRC functioned and brought students together completely changed because of COVID-19.

Instead of the large group activities that included all the students, peer mentors led small groups of about six students — what they called kick-off pods. This smaller group setting was conducive to a much more relaxed and intimate environment, which allowed for the students to get to know each other in a more one-on-one basis, said Brendan O’Farrell, PhD, and director of the IHRC. In the future, he said he would love to incorporate both the large kickoff week activities with the smaller kick-off pods, as both have their benefits for students.

The main concern for the IHRC was how they would be able to help acclimate freshman students to college life in the midst of a pandemic.

“The most difficult thing was making students feel connected while staying virtual, especially our freshmen,” O’Farrell said.

Luckily, 90 percent of what are known as connected courses were able to still take place in person, with reduced capacity and PPE. These connected courses are courses that students in the IHRC take together, which is a great way for students to get to know each other even more. O’Farrell said it was very important to find a way to incorporate as many in-person classes as they could in a safe manner.

The IHRC also had to get creative when it comes to the co-curricular programming that they offer.

They were able to utilize virtual mock interviews, tours of different colleges, and for fun — Kahoot Vine trivia and Super Mario Kart. These activities are ways for students to practice their professional skills and have fun with each other in a safe way, O’Farrell said.

In addition to these virtual events, the IHRC also wanted to incorporate some in-person activities to give students a sense of community. They hosted things like an in-person suture clinic, a documentary screening of the 13th, a tour of the College of Dentistry, and a scavenger hunt, which helped portray a sense of normalcy in a very abnormal time.

Kayla Horne, a peer mentor in the IHRC, feels like these virtual and in-person events were both a great way to help her feel connected to her mentees and fellow students.

“I believe that the IHRC did a wonderful job of creating community while still finding ways to make the college experience more fun,” she said. “The IHRC made sure that we all connected to each other, even when we could not see each other in person.”

Another really exciting thing that happened was the cultivation of community by the students themselves, O’Farrell said. Students went out of their way to text each other and get to know each other outside of the events and activities that the IHRC planned.

As Jaylen Robinson mentioned, peer mentors played an important role in the sense of community the IHRC built. Because of the small groups they met in, peer mentors were able to learn more about the students than if they had been in a large group.

Angelica Rivera-Martinez, a peer mentor for the IHRC, felt like this small group setting was really beneficial to both her and her mentees.

“Since we have had to meet in smaller groups, this has allowed us to form deeper connections with students,” she said. “I feel as if being forced to meet in smaller groups has been a blessing in disguise.”

Another blessing that’s come out of the pandemic for the IHRC is their social media presence. The IHRC utilized their Instagram page to inform students about how to move in safely and updated them on what was happening around the college. This semester, the IHRC is planning to use Instagram to engage with alumni by letting them take over the account for a day. Dr. O’Farrell says that the use of social media is something they plan to continue to grow even after the pandemic.

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the IHRC had an all-time high GPA (3.54) and retention rate (98.96 percent) for fall 2020.

And students like Jaylen Robinson say they enjoyed the experience so much, they’re going to come back for a second time.

“Overall, the community has made life easier for me,” he said. “I plan to return next year!”

Follow the IHRC on Instagram: @ukyIHRC

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It’s been nearly a year since COVID-19 first began to change our lives, so here in the College of Health Sciences, we are taking time to celebrate our health and well-being, while also to honor those we’ve lost along the way. 

We are publishing a series of stories that will celebrate our faculty, staff, students and alumni. Never have we been challenged in the ways we were over the past year. We are determined that we will not forget. And we will persevere.

#GoCATSBeatCOVID