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Mentorship is a powerful practice for college students, as learning from others with similar experiences can help them feel more confident and grow. However, connecting with a professional mentor can be difficult for students who feel they are not equally represented on college campuses.
To address this concern for women of color, the university pairs students with members of the campus community who share their identity and can encourage them to achieve their career goals.
By the numbers: Young women face challenges growing up, often leaving them lacking confidence in themselves and their abilities: A survey conducted by Être in February found that the number of girls who said they felt smart fell by 50 percent between the ages of 13 and 18, while the number of girls who said they felt confident fell by 20 percent.
But mentorship could help reverse this trend: More than 90 percent of respondents to Être's survey said having a mentor makes them feel more confident, and those who have a mentor say they feel more confident applying for internships or giving public speeches.
According to data from the University of Phoenix's 2023 Career Optimism Index, 56% of all Americans say they don't have a mentor, and 34% say a lack of mentors or support from their professional network is holding them back in their careers.
Students of color from low-income families may face even greater barriers to finding a mentor: A Gallup/Amazon survey conducted in October also found that young people who grew up in poverty were less likely than their classmates from more affluent backgrounds to have someone with a successful career they could look up to.
Mentorship Model: Here's how three educational institutions are helping women of color connect with mentors on campus.
Syracuse University Dimensions Mentoring Program
Syracuse's peer-to-peer mentoring program pairs freshman students with upperclassmen who share similar interests, helping to build a sisterhood among women of color at the university.
The program meets weekly and provides activities that build learners' leadership skills, critical thinking, and self-confidence, while promoting academic success and intercultural exchange. According to the university's website, Dimensions is designed for women of color, but is open to all qualified students regardless of race, gender, or other characteristics.
Musada, Davidson College
Musada, which means “helpful” in Swahili, is a program geared toward Black women at the university. Each participant is paired with a Black alumni based on their field of interest, professional aspirations and career goals. The program will launch in 2021 and has paired 50 mentor-mentor pairs in its first two years.
According to the program's website, mentors agree to work with students for at least a year and provide their mentors with career guidance, field insights, networking opportunities and professional engagement.
Any student at Davidson College, regardless of class level, is welcome to apply.
Her Garden: A WOC Mentoring Initiative, Duke University
The name was inspired by the Alice Walker collection. Searching for my mother's garden“Her Garden” serves as an allegory for Walker's journey to discover her own identity through the legacy of women of color who came before her, and in the same way, Her Garden inspires women of color at Duke to thrive and grow within their community.
To participate, undergraduate or graduate students must be women or identify as feminine and belong to a racial, ethnic or cultural identity considered marginalized in the U.S. Mentees interact with their mentors once a month and also participate in orientation, service days and regular dinner speaker series events.
Mentors will meet face-to-face with their mentors on a regular basis and will also conduct periodic surveys regarding the mentorship relationship and other aspects of the program.
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This article has been updated to clarify that eligibility for Davidson College's Msaada program is open to any student.