Mentoring Experience
- Research mentor, Earth and Planetary Science Department, UC Davis
- Mentor, Santa Rosa Junior College - Bodega Marine Laboratory Internship Program
- Mentor, Cíentifico Latino Mentorship Program
Founder and leader of the AWG Mentoring Program at UC Davis
As the Communications Coordinator (2018-2020) for the UC Davis Student Chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists, I founded the AWG Mentorship Program in 2018. This program carefully pairs undergraduate geology majors with geology graduate students based on research interests, personal background, and desired level of engagement. For instance, undergraduates that are interested in a high-engagement research experience are paired with a mentor that can offer this, while a mentee who is only interested in having a few questions answered is paired with a mentor that offers this type of informal mentorship.
Founder of GeoMInS: Geology Mentoring and Inclusive Support
In June of 2020, I and the other AWG officers launched GeoMInS, a mentoring program geared towards underrepresented students in STEM. The field of geoscience severely lacks diversity and has much anti-racism work ahead of itself, and one mentoring program alone will not dismantle institutional racism. However, by meaningfully supporting and retaining BIPOC in a geology program, we hope to make meaningful structural changes within our department. GeoMInS offers meaningful, hands-on mentorship by graduate students who have undergone DEI training and have made a commitment to serve as mentors and advocates to our mentees.
Author of Mentoring BIPOC in a University Setting
Mentoring is an important way to make meaningful changes in the lives of young people. Ideally, the relationship between a mentor and a mentee should be mutually beneficial--and based on a strong foundation of trust, respect, and appreciation. When both the mentor and mentee are greatly invested in their roles, the mentorship is tremendously rewarding for both. Just as the mentee is expected to invest time and effort into their own development, the mentor, too should take an active role in supporting their mentee. If the mentee does not feel truly supported, and if the mentor does not take concrete, meaningful steps towards helping their mentee develop and access opportunities, this results in a low reward for the mentor and an unproductive experience for the mentee. I wrote this guide for white mentors in academic STEM settings, but the resources contained within it are useful for a mentor of any background. Consider this guide an overview and a starting point for serving as effective BIPOC mentors, rather than an exhaustive list of boxes to check. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about the guide or would like to distribute it to your institution.