The School of International Service (SIS) Peer Advising Program was created as an additional unit of academic support for SIS undergraduates in the SIS Undergraduate Advising Office. Our Peer Advisors are upperclass students who are dedicated to assisting second-year students in their transition to SIS from First-Year Advising. Check out a Year 2 at SIS Academic Plan and the video here. 

SIS Peer Advisors have a wide range of internship, thematic, regional, research, and student organization experience. They specialize in providing second-year students with the student perspective on the regional and thematic options of the degree. They can also suggest cocurricular activities that can enrich your experience.

These upperclass students have been selected on the basis of their academic and professional achievements, their contributions to the SIS and AU community, and their dedication to helping their peers create the best undergraduate experience possible.

What We Do

Peer Advisors assist second-year students in their transition to SIS from First-Year Advising through:

• helping students explore thematic and regional areas
• providing insight on study abroad
• hosting various workshops to prepare student for research, internships, and study abroad
• making appropriate referrals to campus resources

Ally Moore is a senior from Clinton, New Jersey. She is pursuing a degree in International Studies with specific interests in East Asia and the Pacific, Foreign Policy and National Security, and Justice, Ethics & Human Rights. Additionally, she is pursuing a minor in Justice and a Certificate of Applied Statistics. Last spring, she studied in Rome, Italy with John Cabot University, where she took classes focusing on international law, counterterrorism, and Italian. She spent most of her weekends traveling throughout Italy and to other European countries, and she hopes to return for more tiramisu and pasta sometime soon. Outside of her studies and peer advising, Ally enjoys thrifting, crafting, and exploring the city with friends.

Makena is a current senior in SIS with a focus on the Global Economy & Global Inequality and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has a minor in French and is a part of the AU Honors program. Originally from Acton, Massachusetts, she has taken advantage of the wide range of opportunities that SIS has to offer, spending her junior year at Sciences Po in France and being a member of AU’s Model UN team. In her free time Makena can be found playing tennis, spending way too much money at overpriced DC coffee shops or reading a good book.

Sarina Govindaiah is a senior from Springfield, IL. Her area focus is on South and Central Asia, and her thematic focuses are Identity, Race, Gender, and Culture and Environmental Sustainability and Global Health. She is in AU’s Honors College as well as the SIS Honors Program. Sarina is also pursuing minors in Literature on the Transcultural Studies Track and Business and Entertainment. In her free time Sarina stage manages for AU’s Theatre Department, loves to watch movies, and travel!

Khadija D. is a senior pursuing a bachelors degree in International Studies. Her linguistic focus is on French, and regional focus is on Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her thematic areas of study are Identity, Race, Gender & Culture, and Justice, Ethics & Human Rights. Outside of Peer Advising, Khadija is also an E-board member of the Student Union Board and the African Students’ Organization. Her favorite place on campus is the Bridge, and she spends a lot of her free time reading, cooking, or with friends.