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Mission: The mission of SACNAS at UCI MENTORÍA Program is to enhance the retention of underrepresented undergraduates in STEM through impactful mentorship that will foster strong professional connections by providing personalized support, guidance, and advice.
Goals:
1. Cultivate a sense of community and encouragement among underrepresented students, promoting a supportive environment at UCI.
2. Empower students to reach their academic and professional potential by helping them find and achieve their goals.
3. Enhance the retention of Chicano/Hispanic and Native American students in STEM fields.
Achieve this through: building a cohesive community through engaging events, fostering connections between students and mentors who share relatable experiences in STEM, and offering personalized one-on-one mentoring to deliver tailored support, guidance, and advice that aligns with the unique needs of each mentee.
Why join our mentoring program?
Mentorship is an investment that results in a transformative experience. In STEM, there are major gaps in the retention and persistence rates of underrepresented students (1). Despite the numerous studies showing that effective mentorship enhances recruitment and retention in STEM and research-related careers (2), underrepresented students receive less mentorship compared to their well-represented peers (2). To overcome this, at the national level for the past 50 years SACNAS has provided mentorship opportunities for historically excluded populations. To expand this to UCI, we, the UCI chapter of SACNAS, are launching the MENTORÍA Program to provide mentorship opportunities to our undergraduates, continuing to strive for true diversity in STEM.
1. Ghazzawi, D., D. Pattison, and C. Horn. 2021. Persistence of Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Fields: Are Summer Bridge Programs Sufficient? Frontiers in Education 6.
2. National Academies of Sciences, E., P. and G. Affairs, B. on H. E. and Workforce, C. on E. M. in Stemm, M. L. Dahlberg, and A. Byars-Winston. 2019. Mentoring Underrepresented Students in STEMM: Why Do Identities Matter? Page The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. National Academies Press (US).
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What mentees can expect from this experience:
Mentees can expect to work closely with a graduate student to get guidance in academic and professional contexts, receiving:
- Career advice, job searching/applying assistance
- Assistance getting involved in research or with figuring out their research goals/interests
- Accountability for their goals
- Resources or assistance finding applicable resources
- Networking opportunities through their mentor and through the program
- The skills on how to reach out to find mentors and build your network outside of the program
- A customizable (one-on-one) experience based on your needs and the skills of your mentor
- A safe space to connect with a like-peer
Commitments:
Monthly meeting with mentor
Optional (but highly encouraged) socials
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What mentors can expect from this experience:
Mentors can expect to gain experience working closely with an undergraduate student, providing support and guidance in the context of the above bullets, as well as receiving themselves:
- Experience working one on one with a student
- Workshops and materials on how to improve as a mentor
- Development of leadership and communication skills
- Development of emotional quotient (ability to understand feelings, emotional language, emotional signals/cues)
Commitments:
Monthly meeting with mentee
Optional (but highly encouraged) socials
Required mentoring workshop (scheduled based on mentor availability)
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Program Timeline 2023-2024
Click Here to Apply
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