Reflection:
When I was a freshman at MNSU, I participated in the mentor program as a mentee. The whole experience made me eager to mentor other students when I was able. This year I got the opportunity to do just that. The program was a little different than it was when I was a mentee; this year I was assigned two students whom both had very different majors than I did and were using the new model of the Honors Program curriculum whereas I am on the old model. I was nervous, to say the least, because I felt very out of my league in terms of how helpful I would be to these students. I reminded myself that leadership is not all about the content and the opportunity to be a role model is just as important. I organized a handful of meetings between my students and me throughout the fall semester to help answer questions around some important dates. In the first meeting, we had established our goals, a meeting frequency agenda, and I answered some of their immediate questions. I was not able to help them so much with specific course enrollment or professor difficulties since their areas of study were so different from mine, but I was able to ensure they had appropriate advising meetings set up and a plan for enrollment. I answered their logistical questions about the honors portfolio as they worked on their own in the intro to honors course.
The biggest mindset I can reflect on as their mentor was remembering what it felt like to be them. I wanted to be as transparent as possible and answer all of their questions related to school or life. One of my main goals going into this role was to help these students feel comfortable and welcome at their new university. I offered hallway tours and directions to nearby printers. These logistical questions that you wouldn’t think about unless you were in a new student position. I used this opportunity as a mentor to ensure these students felt respected, heard, understood, and supported. I shared my experiences with them to remind them I was once where they are, and that I was available as a resource to them at any time. This situation really forced me to rely on my leadership values because I didn’t have so much content to lead my students through. With this experience, I was able to fulfill my Leadership competency of Values Level Four. See my flowchart to help visualize my idea of leadership roles.