BECOME A MENTOR

Mentors, university professors, faculty, and/or career professionals, act as guides and advisers to students throughout their college years while fostering an open and supportive professional relationship between the mentor and mentee. For Hispanic students, mentors should have an understanding, appreciation, and/or shared experience with the Hispanic/Latino community, culture, and educational and professional atmosphere in the US. The ultimate goal is to increase the graduation rates, career entrance, and success of Latino/Hispanic students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professions.

Mentoring is a rewarding way to contribute to the educational and professional development of students by fostering younger colleagues or through sharing expertise with those pursuing professional careers.

Responsibilities of a mentor include:

1. Understanding the background and goals of your mentee.
2. Maintaining contact with the mentee and answering their questions in a timely manner.
3. Encouraging professional development and growth using your own experiences.

Unfortunately, For Hispanics who attend college, graduation rates are substantially lower than that of their peers. And although Hispanic students are equally as likely to major in STEM professions, degree achievement remains low. Financial strain and separation from family and culture are the primary barriers to greater Hispanic achievement. Lack of professional and social support may contribute to the lesser participation of minority students in science. Therefore, being a mentor contributes greatly to ensuring the success of Hispanic students as they pursue higher education and future careers.

Tips for Ciencia Scholars Mentors:

1. Keep communications open.
Contact mentee as soon as you receive their request. Let the mentee know what is expected. If you will be unavailable because of business or personal travel, notify the member. Be practical when sending out messages and reply promptly to messages sent to you.

2. Be supportive.
Establish realistic goals, suggest courses, encourage conference participation, and help create a solid career plan.

3. Define expectations.

4. Be available.
Be available to talk with the mentee, answer questions, and provide advice.

5. Be prepared to offer honest feedback.
Be truthful in your evaluations but also be tactful.

6. Be an active participant.
Engage in your own learning while you are mentoring, collaborate on projects, ask questions, and experiment.

7. Be innovative and creative.
Share your ideas, give advice, and be a resource for new ideas.

8. Be aware of cultural diversity.
Remember that people come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Get to know each mentee individually.

9. Be reliable and consistent.
The more consistent you are, the more you will be trusted. The mentee will rely on you for help.

10. Be positive.
Recognize the work the mentee has done and the progress they have made. Emphasize areas where their thinking has been clear, complete, and creative. Encourage him or her to move forward in these areas.

RESOURCES

NIH thoughts on choosing a mentor.

Evaluating potential mentors

Questions to ask a potential mentor

RESOURCES FOR TRAINING

Training Programs in the Biomedical Sciences

From summer internships to postdoctoral and clinical fellowships find the training opportunity that best fits your interest and educational background.
Visit https://www.training.nih.gov/programs for more information.