In uncertain times, mentors can be a very influential, positive force in the lives of our students. While some are lucky enough to find mentors through other channels, the most reliable way for our students to connect to truly dedicated mentors is through established programs within the university. For undergraduates, the college has been working for several years with the Mentor Collective program, but graduate students haven't had access to a centralized program like this.
The anthropology department stepped in to fill the gap in 2017 with a mentoring program that has been fostering connections between graduate students and alumni, building bridges to employment and internships. The backbone of the program is connecting each mentor with a specific student with similar interests, hosting four networking and workshop events per academic year, and providing helpful materials and resources to everyone in the program. Not only does the program provide current students with opportunities to network and learn from the invaluable experiences of professionals in the field, but for the mentor volunteers (mostly our own alums) it creates an environment that fosters professional and collaborative relationships. Students and mentors alike are able to network and share opportunities for career growth and continued learning.
A specific success story from the program: Andrés Guerrero, Manager of the Overdose Prevention unit of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), has mentored several students. After mentoring student Jessica Mechtenberg for a year, Guerrero and the CDPHE recently hired her to conduct qualitative interviews as part of the effort to study the outbreak of Trench Fever among the homeless population in Denver (the Denver Post reported on the serious outbreak and what’s being done to study it).
Because of quick thinking in adapting to a virtual format, the program is still thriving during the pandemic. There's even a potential improvement to the program resulting from these challenging times; mentor alumni from the east coast who previously weren't able to participate have been contributing via Zoom.
Professor and Program Director Sarah Horton is proud of the opportunities for connection and growth that the program is giving anthropology graduate students, and hopes other departments will be inspired to create programs of their own. Anyone interested in getting a copy of anthropology's manual can contact Dr. Horton or Tracy.Kohm@ucdenver.edu for more information.
