91社区 Making a Difference Through Mentoring
91社区 launches the Mentoring Project to offer students extra support.
Sue Graves, Ed. D., meets with freshman Mary-Elizabeth Estrada to talk about her classes. The two were paired as part of the Mentoring Project.
91社区 freshman Mary-Elizabeth Estrada struggles about what she plans to do with her exercise science major. Often seeking answers to questions about classes or potential career paths, she found herself looking for a mentor to offer her some guidance. Luckily for Estrada, the Mentoring Project was able to fulfill that search and led Estrada to Sue Graves Ed. D., who happens to know a thing or two about Estrada鈥檚 major. Graves is an associate professor in the Exercise Science and Health Promotion Department at 91社区.
The Mentoring Project is a new initiative that was created as a joint collaboration between the Division of Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs at 91社区. The goal is to develop a culture of mentoring across campus, and ultimately increase student engagement and awareness of academic support and campus resources. Launched in August 2015, the initiative already has exceeded expectations with 344 mentees and 202 mentors currently in the program.
鈥淚 got an email about the Mentoring Project and decided to do it,鈥 Estrada said. 鈥 I felt like it would guide me down a good path in college and in life. I鈥檓 already pretty involved on campus.鈥
Any current 91社区 faculty, staff, or graduate student is eligible to become a mentor. Typically paired with a freshman or transfer student, the mentor is matched with the mentee based on attributes submitted in a profile. Pairs meet in person about once a month, and talk about anything from roommate and relationship problems, to tutoring resources and time management.
鈥淢y favorite part is learning from Mary-Elizabeth and seeing if I can assist her with anything,鈥 Graves said.
Estrada said she would recommend the program to other students.
鈥淚 always have a ton of questions for my mentor,鈥 Estrada said. 鈥淪he may not know the answer to everything, but she always knows someone who does know the answer.鈥
For more information about the Mentoring Project, visit fau.edu/mentoringproject.
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