Start prepping your best backwards walk – tonight NIU begins the hunt for summer orientation leaders.

NIU’s Orientation and First-Year Experience will hold its first summer 2012 orientation leader informational meeting at 6 p.m. tonight in the Douglas Smart Classroom.

Orientation and First-Year Experience is seeking 10 to 12 orientation leaders for summer 2012. Interested students must attend one informational meeting. Orientation leaders welcome new students and their families to NIU and assist them throughout the day during summer orientation. In return, students will earn $3,000.

The university also provides housing in the summer, said Caley Thanepohn, graduate assistant for Orientation and First-Year Experience. Orientation leaders also receive an hourly wage for training sessions they attend in the spring semester.

“I found it to be a really excellent opportunity to refine my leadership skills,” said Matt Martyn, junior organizational and corporate communication major.

Though it may seem like a big time commitment, orientation leaders don’t work the whole summer.

“It’s only 23 days in the summer: All of June, a few weeks in July, and three days in August,” said Abbey Wolfman, Assistant Director of Orientation and First-Year Experience.

To be eligible, students must have one year at NIU under their belt and have good academic standing.

Acccording to the orientation leader application packet, interested students should also have a desire to enhance interpersonal, communication and leadership skills; an interest in working with students, family, guests and staff; an awareness of or appreciation of diversity in all its forms and a positive attitude and enthusiasm for NIU.

Some students said they found their time as orientation leaders a unique opportunity.

“You get to meet the people that you are working with that you wouldn’t meet anywhere else,” said Allison Mass, junior elementary education major.