Kickstarting Mentorship
Written by Daisy Willis
Have you ever felt unprepared or lost when thinking about graduation? Do you ever wish you had someone to turn to for advice on what it will be like to live and work in your field of study? Well soon, every student on campus will have the resources necessary to answer all of their questions and more!
In the Office of Applied Learning Experiences (ALEX), student intern Debra Cannoles and ALEX director Tom DeWitt are working to develop a student mentorship program that will be designed to assist students through their college experience. In DeWitt's words “The purpose of the mentorship program is to provide students with a unique type of guidance and support that they can't find in a university degree program. The goal is to pair students with a mentor in their chosen career field who can help to provide insights and inspiration for what lies beyond graduation. A mentor can also help to provide moral support and guidance during the student's academic career.”
Everyone needs a mentor including you. Take advantage of UH Hiloʻs mentorship program and get the help you need. Photo provided by the UH Hilo ALEX website, http://hilo.hawaii.edu/alex/mentorship.php
This program will open up a myriad of opportunities for incoming and current students alike. By providing students with a mentor in their field, the University of Hawaii at Hilo will be able to produce more prepared graduates. Having a mentor will help students to prepare for the real world, while simultaneously achieving their educational goals.
Students are paired with a mentor from the community who shares their career and personal interests. They are expected to spend at least one hour a month with their mentor and participate in on campus activities during the academic year to create interaction amongst not only the student and mentor, but other program participants as well.
But this project doesn't just benefit the future users of the program. Debra Cannoles is the lead intern on this project and speaks about her involvement, “Taking the lead provides me with the opportunity to utilize the skills and knowledge that I have attained in my years at UH Hilo. In a recently published article, students stated that they could have been better prepared after college by participating in a semester long project. The value of developing, implementing and assessing a project is immeasurable and allows me to hone my skills/knowledge and strengthen my weaknesses. I expect to learn development of the project, researching information, infusing information (workshops, meetings, etc) into the program that is aimed at personal growth for all participants, communicating our program, and assessing the program to continually make changes as we strengthen it.”
The UH Hilo Mentorship Program is piloting this semester with students from the College of Business and Economics (CoBE) and CoBE alumni. The program is presently accepting applications for the Fall semester. More information can be found at hilo.hawaii.edu/alex/mentorships.
