October was a busy month for the Global Mentor Program -- this month we embraced the seasons changing, the start of colder weather, and holidays such as Halloween! 

As many students start to feel the stress and pressure of exams, the International Programs Office hosted a workshop in collaboration with Dr. Caitlyn Bishoff, our embedded Counselor at Pamplin College of Business, and Dr. Annie Clay, a Residential Well-Being embedded counselor. This workshop focused on stress management, more specifically, the Community Resilience Model. The Community Resiliency Model (CRM) trains community members to help themselves and others within their wider social network. This skills-based stabilization program focuses on resetting the nervous system's natural balance. A huge thank you to Dr. Bishoff and Dr. Clay for providing useful tips and tricks to help students get through the rest of the semester and hopefully carry on in their everyday lives!

Later in the month, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and made our way to Sinkland Farms where mentors and mentees got to participate in traditional seasonal activities such as corn mazes, the pumpkin patch, and even enjoyed treats such as apple cider donuts. This was the perfect event for our international students to hang out with their mentors while learning more about this classic American holiday.

We closed off the month with a workshop and a new guest, RD Nicole Woo! Nicole is a recent Virginia Tech grad and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Schiffert Health Center here at Virginia Tech. Nicole covered topics including the breakdown of the different food groups/types of nutrients, eating on a budget, eating while active (student lifestyle), and eating disorders. Nicole did an amazing job letting our students know what kind of resources are provided on campus to aid in recognizing and getting help for disordered eating and showed that we are not alone. The workshop was accompanied by food from Roots Natural Kitchen, and we were able to learn about how to build a properly balanced meal using this!