Mentors Needed for College Students

At a time when having a college degree is becoming increasingly necessary to obtain a job, what happens to those who do not have the resources or support to reach graduation? College Now Greater Cleveland seeks to help such students with their Mentoring Program. “Hearing from someone who has gone through the same things I am going through helps to relieve some of the stress and anxiety that are associated with college,” explains Kristina, a mentee in the program since 2013.

Every summer, College Now staff members pair 350+ freshmen scholarship recipients with local mentors. Unlike most mentoring programs, the majority of the communication between pairs takes place online. This makes it easy for pairs to connect and fulfill the program’s requirements, which consist of exchanging messages twice a month and meeting in person three times a year.

College Now offers curriculum and hosts regularly scheduled events to provide guidance, but each pair determines the specific goals and nature of their mentoring relationship. Some mentors and mentees focus on professional development – like Chris, who helped his mentee, Joe, secure a paid internship at his law firm – while others work together to tackle the task of balancing life, school, and work. Diane helped Nina work through this very scenario during Nina’s sophomore year– “[When I was struggling] she knew what to do and she came down to see me with an outline of her response to my long email…that was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.” There is no formula for a successful college career, but mentors work together with students to determine what they need to accomplish their goals.

Only five years into the program, College Now is already seeing success. The retention rate for mentees (those who moved from their first to second year) is 96%, which is above the rate for previous scholarship recipients not in the Mentoring Program (around 90%) and above the national average for first-generation students from low income backgrounds (53%). The persistence numbers (those continuing past freshman year) yield a similarly impressive result at around 88%. These are positive steps towards the program’s goal of an 80% graduation rate.

This spring, College Now will select another 350 students for the Mentoring Program, and mentors are needed to work with every student. College Now is looking for interested individuals who not only have a desire to give back, but also want to learn and grow themselves. The simple structure of this life changing program makes it easy to fit with any personal or professional commitments. While the program does not require a lot, what mentors give goes a long way.

Melissa conveys the impact of the program: “I don't think I would even be able to start to describe how much the communication and developing a relationship with someone in the Cleveland community has helped me and motivated me throughout my collegiate career…So for that, I am truly grateful.”

To work with a student next year, join online at www.collegenowgc.org/mentor. For more information, contact Madeline Rife (mrife@collegenowgc.org or 216-635-0163).