Being a mentor for my G.O.A.L.S. project has been quite eventful so far. The beginning part of the semester seems like the most important part of this project, since it was incredibly important to help the first years feel welcome and at home at the university and within ENR Scholars.
The welcoming part of the project has been winding down and I seem to be a lot less active as a mentor. However, I think this is natural since my Saplings need some time to adjust on their own and find their own place within the program and the school. So far, I’ve done a few things to offer myself as a resource to my saplings. I created a groupchat with both mentors and all of the saplings to help communication, plan group outings, etc. I also planned a dinner with the group where we all went to dinner at the Union together, and have invited them to some group activities where a few of them attended with me such as climbing and zumba. The interviews the saplings did with the mentors was also a great way for me to connect with them on a deeper level about what they want to get out of their experience here.
I think I am in a good spot in this project but I also think it would be easy to drift off from my goals and not stay as engaged since my saplings don’t seem to need me as much at this point in the semester. I hope to stay active as a mentor though. I plan on reaching out to help them with scheduling and planning more activities together. The transition into a new semester is also a great opportunity to help them adjust after winter break.
So far I don’t think any changes need to be made to this project other than keeping up contact with my saplings so that they recognize me as a resource for them. I also think I need to come up with a way to revamp my role as a mentor in the second semester.