Two Mines Peer Educators honored for work to promote student well-being

Two Colorado School of Mines students have been honored with 2024 Peer Educator Awards.

Robert Delmark and Natalia McEvoy were recognized at a banquet last month for their work and dedication to the Betsy’s Friends Peer Education Program, which was established in 2021 by Mines alum Steve ‘63 and Carolyn McCandless.

Named in honor of Betsy McCandless, Steve’s sister and a victim of domestic violence, the program provides creative programming and student-centered interactive education about healthy relationships, consent and bystander intervention. 

“I became a Peer Educator because I wanted to make a difference on my campus. I want to spread the strategies to deal with relationship problems, mental health, and overall wellness,” said Delmark, a sophomore in mechanical engineering. 

In his second year as a peer educator, Delmark worked through the summer to create the Birthday Box, a drug and alcohol education box for students turning 21. He serves as a lead for Peer Listening and the newly formed Peer Listening supervision group, and he also helped with the development of the new CSM202 curriculum, giving a student’s perspective on the new well-being course for Mines students. 

McEvoy, a junior in chemical engineering and the McBride Honors Program, has served as the lead of the Peer Educators’ wellness group for two years. She has partnered with a variety of groups on campus and put together first-aid kits for students during Spring Break and E-Days. She also created several popular programs on things like sun safety and journaling and helps with social media posts, interviewing students and reviewing content for the new Well-Being course. 

“I want to give back to the Mines community and help my peers live healthier lifestyles,” Natalia said. 

To learn more about peer education at Mines, go to https://www.mines.edu/peer-education/.