Must Have Mentorships and How To Get One
College students with mentors have better school and career outcomes but finding the right student-mentor match is essential.
鈥淭ake the mentorship jump 鈥� it鈥檚 so worth it,鈥� said Chris Nguyen, a first-year master鈥檚 student in the at 黑料吃瓜.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 say this lightly when I say it truly changed my life,鈥� said Nguyen, 鈥淚 went from this person who didn鈥檛 know anything about research and was kind of disconnected with my heritage and didn鈥檛 know where to go at 黑料吃瓜.鈥�
As a sophomore, he met his mentor, Giang Pham, associate dean of research in the College of Health and Human Services and director of the research lab.
鈥淢entoring is one of the things that gives me the most joy in my professional career,鈥� said Pham. 鈥淚 also think the research we do is highly beneficial to our students because it gives them hands-on training and excellent workforce experience, even if they don鈥檛 become full-time researchers.鈥�
According to the National Institutes of Health, college students with mentors have better school and career outcomes. But finding the right student-mentor match is essential.
The is an excellent place to start. It connects undergraduate and graduate students with career professionals, alums, and faculty mentors.
鈥淥nce a student registers for AMP, the system will recommend alumni and professional and faculty mentors,鈥� said Diane Marin, 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Alumni and Career Development analyst. 鈥淚t's about finding the right fit 鈥� and AMP can assist with that.鈥�
Nguyen, like many students, searched for a mentor on his own 鈥� and said he especially wanted to find a match who speaks Vietnamese.
鈥淒r. Pham is one of the world鈥檚 foremost researchers on the Vietnamese language. So it means the world to me 鈥� that I get to use my cultural heritage in my research and work,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淎nd my Vietnamese language skills have improved so that I can stay better connected with my grandparents, parents, and family.鈥�
Pham鈥檚 advice on finding a good mentor match begins with some self-reflection.
鈥淔igure out what makes you tick, what makes you get up in the morning 鈥� excited for life and then find the people who are doing that,鈥� said Pham. 鈥淭o me, that鈥檚 mentorship.鈥�
鈥淭ake the jump,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淩each out directly to someone who has common goals and interests and is willing to help you. They will guide you through the journey. Believe me, it鈥檒l change your life for the better.鈥�
