Mentorship

 

Please fill out this Mentor Interest Form if you are interested in being a mentor for the Kroc School at USD. Thank you for supporting our graduate students’ professional development!

Please fill out this Student Interest Form if you are a Kroc School student interested in being paired with a Mentor working in the professional field.

WHY MENTOR? 

Mentors represent an important aspect of students’ professional development. They can be especially influential in supporting career development in the field of peace studies, where a clear and structured path is not always evident. With this in mind, the mentoring program is designed to provide unique and enriching one-on-one mentoring opportunities for graduate students.

PROGRAM GOALS 

  • Enhance the Kroc School learning experience.
  • Offer students unique opportunities and support for professional development.
  • Increase student success in the internship and job search process.
  • Develop a strong community and foster collaboration among Kroc School students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners.
  • Create an environment where mentors share knowledge and resources to support future leaders in peace and justice.

HOW DOES MENTORSHIP WORK? 

Kroc School graduate students will be matched with a mentor whose expertise relates to their passions and interests. For this program, a mentoring relationship is the intentional pairing of a less experienced person with an experienced advisor  to guide and nurture their professional development. Interactions are intended to support the professional development of Kroc students, and can include discussing career pathways, brainstorming sessions, conversations on current projects, and more. We request that mentors meet with their mentees twice each semester. It is not expected of mentors to provide internships or jobs to their mentees, although this might be a happy development from a good pairing!

As the relationship develops, mentees will share their successes with their mentors and, hopefully, apply the wisdom and insights that mentors have given them in their career development.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MENTOR?

Mentors can help students think about problems and opportunities in new ways through guided conversations. They can provide encouragement and support to their mentees in their search for internships and jobs. Mentors can also facilitate interactions with networks of changemakers broadening a student’s range of professional opportunities. Mentors can guide mentees in a number of ways from advice on a project, to understanding career pathways,  to resource identification, to strategies for building networks.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD MENTOR

You might be a good mentor for Kroc School students if you have:

  • Availability and commitment to meet the minimum required interactions of two meetings per semester
  • Minimum 5 years experience in the field
  • An interest in coaching and giving advice on professional development strategies
  • Timely communication habits
  • An enthusiasm for equipping and bolstering the next generation of changemakers

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

We are looking for mentors who have expertise in the fields of:

  • Advocacy
  • B-Corps
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Diplomacy
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Government
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Human Rights
  • International Development
  • International Security
  • Nonprofits
  • Race, Ethnicity, Culture
  • Social Innovation
  • Startups
  • Women’s/Gender
  • LGBTQ+
  • Peacebuilding and the Arts

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES 

  1. It is the student’s responsibility to reach out to the assigned Mentor.
    1. In your introductory email, share your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  2. Meet with the Mentor at least two times during the semester:
    1. Ask for appointments well in advance, keeping in mind that Mentors are professionals with demanding schedules.
    2. Always provide several options for a meeting.
    3. Attend all meetings with the Mentor on time and come prepared with an agenda, questions, and any necessary materials.
  3. Communicate with the Mentor in a professional manner.
    1. Treat every interaction with the Mentor as if it were a networking meeting with a potential employer/professional contact (it is!).
    2. Provide any materials for the Mentor to review at least one week before the meeting.
    3. Always confirm 24 hours in advance of each meeting.

MENTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES 

Please consider the following information, outlining the Kroc School’s request of mentors. 

  1. Meet with the mentee two times over the course of each semester. Your mentees will reach out to you to organize meetings.
  2. Set clear expectations about your availability. Two meetings per semester is the requirement. If you can and want to do more, let the mentee know.
  3. Provide timely communication.
  4. Work with the mentee to determine the areas in which your skills, experiences, and networks could contribute to the student’s professional growth and career development.
  5. Assist the student and provide useful feedback.
  6. Help the student articulate individual goals and professional aspirations.
  7. Provide the student with additional information/contacts related to their area of interest when possible.