At CSUSB, there are two new mentor programs- the Student Mentor Program that caters to the students of the first-year and The Peer Mentor Program that caters to the students of the second year, wherein the students get help from their respective mentors.
Details of New Mentor Programs
Carolina Meza, the lead organizer of these programs assists in training six mentors so as to help them guide and help the 60 mentors in the upcoming quarter. The training is offered with the help of other graduate students of the University of Redlands – Angelica Sweeney, Evan Tellez, and Breena Lizaola.
Meza states that they want to help the students of the second-year to concentrate on their career as well as help them acquire a sense of belonging and purpose along with exploring various career options. This program emphasizes on guiding the students on the subjects of major as well as how the major can be used. This can be done by emphasising on internships as well as opportunities to study abroad. Many times, colleges create programs to assist new students, however, a lot of students who are beyond freshman years require assistance and guidance.
Details of the Peer Mentoring Program
The Peer Mentoring Program that has been founded by CSUSB to help second-year students with the required guidance when in college. Mesa states that through this program, they are trying to show the students and make them understand the reasons why they selected a certain major and what are the opportunities that are available with the specific subject.
Meza is helped by Angelica Sweeney as well as Breena Lizaola in training the six mentors so that they prepare themselves to mentor the students.
How does Mentoring Programs help
Sweeney states that the mentors are trained on the essential qualities required in a peer mentor and how to build rapport with the mentees. Sometimes the training consists of daily meetings with Meza as well as group building sessions. It also includes sessions where the activities are mapped for various academic departments as to how they can help the students academically as well as socially.
Every single activity has been created for mentors to learn to be role models as well as learn more about their mentees and offer them the required help and guidance. This requires the mentor to be transparent and authentic with the mentees and be their true selves. As this program is quite new, there are just six students who have been hired for it.
According to Meza, the goal of this program is to ensure that the mentors feel at home and to make the best of the opportunities available for their subject of major.