When Daris Dedic stepped into a raft with six other strangers, he had no idea how quickly they would find their rhythm and dynamic as a group–even eventually doing tricks on the water like surfing on small waterfalls.
For the first-year mechanical engineering major, this was the moment Dedic realized he was truly part of something special: a community willing to plunge into adventure together. Experiences like his continue to define GW Engineering’s annual New Student Getaway, an afternoon of rafting, hiking, zip lining, and plenty of bonding.
"The whitewater rafting experience was a standout activity because it literally put me in a boat with people I just met earlier that day and had us work as a group to navigate the river,” said Dedic. “I believe this experience I shared with that group solidified a strong bond between us, as we continue to reach out to each other in classes we’re in or at events we attend together.”
The Getaway tradition didn’t begin on a riverbank in West Virginia. Twenty-five years earlier, in 2000, the very first New Student Getaway unfolded on an overnight trip at the rustic Camp Letts in Maryland, where first-year students spent time with each other, GW Engineering faculty and staff, and one too many mosquitoes. That inaugural group set the tone for what would become a signature welcome into the vibrant GW Engineering community.
As part of the New Student Experience–a set of pre-orientation events aimed at helping first-year students transition to college and their new home in the district–the Getaway is often a new student’s first entry into our tight-knit community. For Dedic, learning during the 2025 Getaway that there are only 68 other mechanical engineering students in his class really made that sense of community tangible.
The New Student Experience and other ambitious peer mentoring programs, such as the SEAS Student Peer Advisory Network (SEASSPAN), emerged from a student-led effort to enhance the undergraduate experience, enabling students to feel at home and supported as they take their first steps at GW.
How it started
In the late 1990s, GW Engineering identified several challenges in its undergraduate program, but the main one emerged in a 2000 senior exit interview: a lack of community. In fact, a group of highly involved seniors drafted a candid report challenging the school administration to address retention and student engagement issues that academic year.
“We did not want to see things continue to decline, so we wrote a ‘State of School’ manifesto to raise awareness about some of the problems from a student’s perspective and to explore potential solutions or initial steps that could take to help address these challenges,” said alumna Kristy McDonnell Ortiz, B.S. ’99, M.S. ’01, who helped author the report.
GW’s president at the time, Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, asked Ortiz to stay and serve as GW Engineering’s inaugural Dean’s Fellow, assisting leadership in implementing their suggestions.
It was from these efforts that SEASSPAN and the Getaway were created, and soon there was a noticeable boost in enthusiasm and connection among both new and existing students.
“Over the next several years, we observed that the first few groups of students who attended the New Student Getaway and participated in the mentoring program carried their spirit and enthusiasm for GW Engineering year to year, spreading to wider groups of students and shaping the overall culture of the school,” Ortiz said.
As one of SEASSPAN’s founders, Professor Rachelle Heller, then the associate dean for academic affairs, shared this work and its immediate impact on the community with fellow educators at the American Society of Engineering Educators’ 2002 conference.
With leadership from the next Associate Dean, Professor Bhagirath Narahari, and support from numerous staff and fellows, SEASSPAN became more autonomous around 2010. They moved from mentors being hand-selected by the Dean’s office to allowing students to apply themselves and student organizations to participate in the selection process.
Though it underwent several name changes–from SEAS Mentoring Program to SEAS Student Network–before it became SEASSPAN around 2009, the program reflects GW Engineering’s commitment to student success, community, and leadership development. Simultaneously, the Getaway laid the groundwork for a tradition of immersive, community-building experiences for students that was expanded into the New Student Experience in 2022.
Peer mentorship in action
Today, SEASSPAN consists of 30 carefully selected mentors from diverse backgrounds, each with unique interests that complement the variety among first-year students. Mentors can apply to be part of either the first-year mentor program or the undergraduate ambassador program, which was added in 2018 to expand support to sophomore and transfer students.
“SEASSPAN isn’t just about providing answers during orientation; it’s about creating a connection and instilling confidence in first-years that lasts long after the first semester,” said Thomas Schmidt, a senior computer science major and SEASSPAN president. “Engineering can be a challenging environment, so having a mentor who understands both the academic and personal transitions makes an incredible difference.”
Dedic experienced this firsthand, sharing how his mentors have helped him balance assignments with extracurriculars: “I feel like I can approach them for guidance towards having a better student mindset, such as how to approach certain professors or situations,” he said.
The program’s importance lies not only in its support for new students but also in its role in developing mentors’ leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. Mentors play an integral part in events coordinated by GW Engineering’s Office of Undergraduate Studies and Student Success, including the Getaway, student tours, and recruitment events, and host their own.
As Vice President, Maddie Wilson, a junior majoring in engineering management and systems engineering, has the opportunity to represent the school and sit in on meetings, gaining direct insight into the school’s administrative goals. “Our mentors are seen not only as leaders to first-year students, but also to upperclassmen in GW Engineering and to faculty alike,” she stated.
“Being a leader of SEASSPAN has given me opportunities to connect with GW Engineering alumni, experiences to discuss in interviews, and, overall, has further connected me to my university and the engineering community as a whole,” said Wilson.
Both Wilson and Schmidt shared that their inspiration for applying to the program stems from their own mentors. For instance, Wilson’s mentor sat down with her and her mom to offer guidance on which classes and professors to take and what to expect academically, helping ease their worries about Wilson’s big move from Texas to Washington, D.C.
Now, she and fellow mentors like Lola Nurullaeva, B.S. ‘25, share their own lived experiences with students. Nurullaeva first joined SEASSPAN as an Undergraduate Ambassador and continues to support it as a Dean’s Fellow, promoting this leadership opportunity and helping aspiring and active student leaders.
Though Nurullaeva has helped countless students, one experience stands out to her in particular. While serving as a teaching assistant in the class that gave her her first research opportunity, she met a student following a similar path and connected him with the major-based student organization, INCOSE. She also used her time completing her capstone project with Dell to support his professional growth and help him secure an internship.
“Watching his journey from learning about my research field to becoming a researcher himself, then an intern, a SEASSPAN mentor, and now Vice President of SEASSPAN has been a highlight of my work with GW Engineering students,” Nurullaeva said.
A lasting impact
SEASSPAN mentors work tirelessly year-round to enhance the GW Engineering undergraduate experience–offering everything from professional development workshops and networking opportunities to social events that help students build lasting relationships and find balance amid rigorous coursework.
“GW Engineering stands out for its culture of collaboration across disciplines and majors–a tradition that begins each year with the New Student Getaway. SEASSPAN extends far beyond a typical mentorship program by fostering connections between first-year students and peers who often become lifelong friends,” said Wilson.
Together, SEASSPAN and the New Student Experience set the stage for a supportive and engaging journey at GW Engineering. While formats and names have changed, the core mission remains: to ensure every GW Engineering student feels welcomed, supported, and empowered from day one.
