Mentor Booklet
What is a Mentor? The original definition of the word mentor is “a trusted friend, counselor�. Over time, the definition of a mentor has evolved to mean many different things.
In EnvironMentors, you will serve as a person who can give emotional and moral
encouragement to a youth in need of life guidance. You will also provide knowledge, guidance, and support to help students complete a research project. In this capacity, you will act as an advisor to your student, and perhaps as an academic
tutor in your area of expertise. Beyond supporting your student in the development of his or her EnvironMentors research project, you may also take an active interest in your student’s academic and professional development as a budding scientist and scholar. To your student, you are a source of information about career
and college opportunities. Share your story and listen to theirs.
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Benefits of Being a Mentor1 No matter what brought you to EnvironMentors, we hope that you enjoy and learn from your time as a mentor. There may be challenges along the way, but there are also benefits. As a mentor, you get to: Watch a student achieve and flourish under your guidance Develop a friendship with a young person who can benefit both personally and academically Give back to your community Share your interest in the environment with a young person Extend your passion for your profession with a student who can benefit from your guidance and experience Increase your understanding of local natural history and environmental issues Stay up-to-date in your field by doing fresh, interesting research Gain knowledge and skills in mentoring Increase the caliber of work your mentee will be able to produce Network and socialize with other mentors from a broad spectrum of public and private sector agencies, organizations, and businesses
Over my three years with [EnvironMentors] I've learned that high school students are really enthusiastic about the environment and want to protect it. Being a mentor is a lot of work, but it is worth it when you see the final science project in the end. Although it may not seem like it at times, for students having an adult mentor is a big deal for high school students. It makes a big impression on them to know there is an adult out there who cares about them.
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Portions adapted from Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine)
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Expectations of Mentors You will be volunteering your time and energy to support your student. You and your student should both be clear that as mentor…
You WILL:
Meet with your student once-per-week, or at least three-times-per-month, at a consistent and time and location which is convenient to both of you. Stay in contact with your student via phone, e-mail, text, Skype, or Online Community between in person meetings. Guide your student through the research process and help them understand difficult material. Help your student design and conduct their experiment, and analyze the data you collect. Assist your student in developing a project poster or display board for the Chapter Fair and any other presentation opportunities that may become available.
You WILL NOT:
Be a mentor to your student’s friends or family. Be a psychologist to your student. While you and your student can definitely talk about personal problems, you are not there to “fix” you or diagnose your student. Be free labor. When you and your student are working on your EnvironMentors project, you are there are the guide. The student should be doing the research, experiment, analysis, etc.
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The Mentor-Mentee Relationship Cycle2 Beginning of the Match Characteristics: - Getting to know each other - The first impressions - Trying to see the positive in the relationship - Bonding
Challenging and Testing Characteristics: - Mentee challenges - Testing phase - Rethinking first impressions - Difficult feelings or emotions may surface
Beginning of the Match
Challenging and Testing
Ending
“Real” Mentoring
Ending Characteristics: - Preparing for closure - Relationship may become deeper or mentee may start pulling away - Reflection
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“Real” Mentoring Characteristics: - The relationship begins feeling right again - Trust is established - Growth in the mentee can be observed - A “deeper” bond & connection is formed
From: Ongoing Training for Mentors available at: http://www.edmentoring.org/pubs/ongoing_training.pdf
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How to Be an Effective Mentor Beginning of the Match Establish a positive, trusting relationship with your student Before doing anything related to the EnvironMentors research project, work to establish a positive, trusting relationship with your student. Acknowledge that all students are different and some will be more open with you than others.
Move beyond the structured questions presented in the “Getting to Know You” interviews and begin asking your student open-ended questions. Listen to your student with ears and eyes, paying close attention to what he or she is verbally and nonverbally communicating to you.
Engage your student in some fun activities such as going out for a meal, to a movie or whatever your student might find fun. Ask your student what some of his or her favorite weekend activities are and build from there. When the bond between you and your student is strong, when he or she trusts, respects, and has befriended you, your student will not want to let you down. Rather your student will want to show up for meetings and follow through on assignments. This will make your work together on the EnvironMentors research project flow much more easily.
Research on EnvironMentors has shown that the likelihood of your student completing his or her project is much higher when you share a strong, mutually trusting relationship. It is important to make the distinction between mentoring and friendship. Your role as mentor is to guide and encourage the student, while maintaining the balance between confidant and role model. While many good mentoring relationships do turn into friendships, it is important to remain objective and honest so that you can properly critique your student’s work and help them advance.
Get to know your student’s family In so far as possible, make an effort to get to know your student’s family or guardian(s). Remember
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that some families will be more open to welcoming you as their child’s mentor than others. By learning more about your student’s family, you will gain insights into his or her life and character traits that you may not otherwise. The more you know about your student’s family and his or her home life, the more insights you will gain about your student’s strengths, motivations, and areas in need of development.
Befriending your student’s family will help them learn about EnvironMentors, the opportunities available to their child through the program, as well as the expectations of all students in the program. With their support you will have a better chance of engaging your student to make weekly mentor meetings, complete assignments on time, and make EnvironMentors a priority.
Obtain all of your student’s contact information Some students will have multiple forms of media they use to stay connected with friends and family and others may not have a cell phone or computer in their household. Given the former, make sure to obtain your student’s family and personal cell phone numbers, their e-mail addresses, Facebook page, and any other media they may use. Also make sure to have your student coordinator and EnvironMentors lead teacher contact information so that you can easily communicate small successes and/or challenges you may face along the way. You may wish to help your student establish a Gmail or other free e-mail account at school (if they don’t have one already) and make sure to have them check it regularly.
Establish consistency in location, day, and time of meetings Particularly for students for whom inconsistency may be the norm, consistent meeting locations, days, and time will build rhythm and routine for the EnvironMentors experience. Signing the Student & Mentor Meeting Commitment Form will document your agreed upon meeting place and time for the rest of the year as well as explain the rescheduling procedures. It is of the utmost importance to adhere to the time you have scheduled to meet and just as important to be on time. Share your contact information with one another.
The most important thing to impress upon your student is the necessity of taking personal responsibility to communicate with you. Remind your student to respond to your messages, call 6
you if he/she is running late to a meeting, and provide at least 24 hours’ notice if he/she will miss a meeting. It is also a good idea to write down the responsibilities of both the mentor and student for the length of the mentoring relationship. State your expectations clearly and fairly, but make sure that they are realistic to you and your student’s ability.
Present the whole EnvironMentors project Review the program from beginning to end. Discuss with your student that they are about to embark on an exciting adventure of scientific inquiry including development of a project topic based on personal interests about the environment. This may at first seem overwhelming to your student. Assure your student that you will be with them as their coach and mentor throughout the process and by doing well in each of the project’s phases they will strengthen their chances of doing well at your chapter’s fair with the possibility of winning a scholarship and being selected to travel to the national EnvironMentors Fair in Washington, DC.
To structure your year, write down a list of clearly stated, realistic goals for the mentoring/project experiment and objectives towards reaching them. Keep your student optimistic, but realistic. It is important to for you to help them realize their idea in the most practical ways possible. Once you have done that, identify all obstacles and think of possible solutions.
EXAMPLE Virginia’s Poultry Industry’s Effect on the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Project Goals: 1) Determine the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay 2) Find out how Virginia’s Poultry Industry effects the Chesapeake Bay 3) Design an experiment to test Chesapeake Bay water for signs of poultry pollution Objectives: 1) Conduct research on Virginia’s Poultry Industry 2) Visit the Chesapeake Bay and collect water samples to test for water quality 3) Identify the chemical/nutrient indicator for poultry pollution 4) Test the water for that indicator 5) Determine the level of contamination Obstacles: 1) Transportation to the Chesapeake Bay 2) Learning how to test water quality 3) Learning how to test for the indicator 4) Obtaining testing equipment
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Challenging and Testing Start from your student’s starting point Our students come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and stages of development, and each will enter the program at a certain point in his or her development. As a mentor, you need to meet at his or her stage of development, which may be quite different than you may have expected. You, as a mentor, can support your student to move, from where he or she started on the project towards the next stage of development by always keeping in mind where your student is in their process of development.
Additionally, throughout the project, your student will want to know, “what’s next”, has he or she come up with the correct next step, the right answer, or conclusion. Again, as a mentor, you role is to always come back to supporting your student the process of scientific inquiry and in so doing continue to help your student build critical thinking skills. Remember to always ask your student what he or she thinks is the next step, remind them that there are no right or wrong answers or conclusions, only new information which his or her data will ultimately reveal.
Finally, remember that your student most likely does not have advanced knowledge of scientific procedures and issues. Therefore, explain complex procedures and topics in simple language, and be sure to avoid heavy technical jargon until it is defined.
Continue Building Your Relationship This may take more time and effort than you originally thought, even with the best planning. Continue to be there for and support your student. Build your relationship by doing things together that are both productive and fun. This could include going on EnvironMentors field trips or to workshops/symposiums together. It could also just mean making your meetings and experiment as fun as possible. Another way to strengthen the relationship is to share your personal life experiences and wisdom with your student so that they know that you have been in their shoes before. This will help build a mentoring relationship that is based in mutual trust, understanding, and empathy.
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Mentor-Student Communication3 Do not assume anything about your student. Instead, communicate with your student to figure out misconceptions or barriers. Sometime a third party is necessary as a moderator if the student is too embarrassed to directly voice their true concerns or if you are unable to relate to the student. Work with your chapter coordinator or teacher.
Be careful with your authority. Make sure you are not imposing your opinion, but rather focusing on your student’s goals and project ideas. The goal is to nurture your student’s interests, abilities, and opportunities in order to cultivate independent thinkers who are self-confident and encouraged to seek higher education.
Listen carefully to the needs of your student before you interpret or judge their actions and always repeat back their concerns to make sure that you understood them correctly. Aside from what they are actually saying, it is important to listen to their body language, tone, and attitude to get the fullest understanding of their feelings. Tips for Good Communication and Listening Skills React and use short words of encouragement Show you are listening by using short words “mmm”, “I see”, “yes”, “go on”.
Show positive body language The way you sit or stand can encourage someone to feel relaxed around you, and that you want to hear what they have to say.
Be Sympathetic Acknowledge their situation using phrases like “that must have been difficult” or “sounds like you’ve had a bad time”.
Be relaxed but show you are concentrating on what they have to say. - Relax your arms, don’t cross them - Sit slightly forward and tilt your head - Make plenty of eye contact, but don’t stare - Smile and nod where appropriate
Choose and open question Use questions starting with how, what, where, why, and who to encourage your mentee to talk. For example, “what was that like?” or “what’s happening now?”
Do you know what I mean? Don’t assume that you know what they mean. Summarize what they’ve said to confirm you’ve understood correctly. Ask clarifying questions if you don’t understand.
Avoid closed questions These are questions that need only one-word answers like “are you upset? “ or “do you think you’ll tell her?”
So do you mean…? If I’m hearing you right, what you’re saying is… What to say when someone gets upset Don’t try to say too much or solve their problems. Sometimes just listening or being there is enough.
Don’t be afraid to ask If they don’t want to talk about it, they’ll say so. 3
Reproduced from Samaritans, Lesson 2A Communication & Listening Skills
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Real Mentoring Help your student develop a project topic based on his or her personal interests Students who are strongly invested in their project topic are far more likely to complete their project than students who have a lesser interest and investment in their topic. All students are different and some will naturally bring stronger interests in the environment and be more intrinsically motivated than others. Your student may readily generate a battery of ideas for projects in which case you will need to help focus them on what they seem to be most interested in and a topic that will lend itself to experimental research.
In contrast, your student may struggle to hone in on a topic related to the environment that sparks his or her enthusiasm and passion. In this case, you will need to work with him or her to identify things they are interested in and then help them relate these to the environment. Your job as a mentor during the project planning phase is to first help your student hone in on a project idea that you sense they are most excited about and help them focus their idea into a project topic that will lend itself to experimental research.
Focus on skills development Carrying out the EnvironMentors Project is a complex undertaking. It includes using a wide variety of skills including research and writing; creative, analytic, and critical thinking; and communication skills. No student (or mentor) will excel in all areas. As you and your student settle into a meeting pattern, your student’s strengths and weaknesses will begin to emerge. As a mentor, you have an opportunity to help your student strengthen his or her weakness, and custom tailor strategies to help your student improve in these areas. Don’t feel like you have to do this alone – instead work with your chapter coordinator and teacher to support your student.
Expose your student to college One of the central goals of EnvironMentors is to prepare them for college and degree programs in environmental fields. Since most of our students will claim an interest in going to college, your role is to help your student navigate what it takes to get into college, share academic fields they may want to pursue, and discuss the realities of college with them. Following are four steps to build this into your mentoring:
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Expose your student to college life and the resources available on a university campus. Hold
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weekly meetings on campus, use the library to contact background research, and tour research labs. -
Introduce your student to the various environmental, natural resource, and related programs and departments to help them understand the multitude of opportunities these programs have to offer, and the professions associated with pursuing these programs.
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Weave in conversations about your student’s hopes and dreams for college and try to gain a good sense of what your student is thinking about regarding college. Work to build enthusiasm and motivation toward these dreams and speak about the sizable benefits of holding at least a 2- or 4-year degree.
EnvironMentors student alumni with at least one mentor have more information about careers in environmental, science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Again, they are more confident that they are on the path towards achieving future career goals.4 Open the Door to New Opportunities In addition to being a mentor, you can also introduce your student to other role models or sponsors. Expanding your student’s network of contacts will open doors for them to find internships, academic advisors, and other mentors.
It’s also likely that your student may ask you to write a letter of recommendation. It is always best to be straightforward with the student about your ability to write a supportive letter. If you feel able to write a good recommendation letter then you should write honestly, use specific examples in your letter, and to be up-to-date with the student’s accomplishments and abilities. See 10 Tips for Recommending Your Student, below.
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2012 Longitudinal study of EnvironMentors on student alumni
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Ending Provide closure Be clear about the relationship length from the beginning, and plan a formal closure event. -
Reflect through a yearbook, photos, videos, thank you cards, or other discussions
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Celebrate achievements and reflect on time together
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Share something you learned from each other
It’s possible that you or your student will have to end the relationship unexpectedly. Life events (e.g. school, jobs, or family responsibilities) happen, and that’s okay. Be open with one another and celebrate the relationship you shared. If you have to end the relationship because of behavior, work with your chapter coordinator but be open about why the relationship didn’t work. Share feedback on how the situation could be handled better next time, and let your coordinator know if you’d like to be re-matched with another student or stay involved in the program.
Determine how the relationship will continue If you and your student would like to stay in touch, outline expectations for this. Do you plan to email when he or she go off to college? Will you plan to meet in person or just stay friends on Facebook? Will you participate in EnvironMentors again next year?
Understanding your student’s expectations of a future relationship will help you be prepared to either continue as their mentor or transition to another role in his or her life.
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Common Mentoring Issues and Resolutions Mentoring has its up and downs, especially during the “challenging and testing� phase of your relationship. No matter how well you and your student work together, small issues occasionally occur. While each student and scenario is unique, a few of the common mentoring challenges are listed below, along with solutions suggested by mentors who faced them. Mentoring Challenges
My student and I are having a difficult time finding a consistent time to meet.
My student picked a project topic that I have absolutely NO knowledge, interest, or expertise in.
Suggested Resolutions Short-term: - Use an alternate method of communication to catch up and schedule an in-person meeting (phone, e-mail, social media, Skype). - Confirm your next in-person meeting a day in advance with your student. - Meet with your student after another EnvironMentors event, field trip, or workshops. Long-term: - Select a regular meeting time (every Tuesday at 4pm, every Saturday at 1pm). Confirm the meeting a day in advance, each week. - Talk to your coordinator about major scheduling conflicts you have with your student. - Be honest if you are too busy: tell your coordinator if you are unable to make the time for your student. Short-term: - Understand that EnvironMentors is a mentoring program, not an apprenticeship for students. You may not have content knowledge to share, but you can model the process of science. How do you, as a scientist, learn new things? Long-term: - You have knowledge on how to conduct research, write a paper, make professional contacts, build a network, and communicate effectively. 13
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Ask your colleagues for guidance or help if they have expertise in your student’s project topic area. Short-term: - Try to reconnect with your student (phone, e-mail, social media). - If you have a home phone number, leave a message or talk to his or her parents. - Make your coordinator or teacher aware of the situation. I am mentoring as part of a community service project and need to meet a quota, but my student hasn’t been coming to meetings.
My student has been coming to meetings but hasn’t been working on his or her project in between our time together.
My student and I worked well together at the start of the program year, but after winter vacation my student fell off the grid.
Long-term: - Consider setting up a mediation meeting where you, your student, and a third party can sit down and discuss why the student is no longer communicative and work out a solution. - Talk to your coordinator about other volunteer opportunities he or she has at your chapter. You may be able to assist other student-mentor pairs, lead a skills workshop, or be a “topic expert” for your chapter. - Student may just need a mentor, the project may be secondary. You want to meet your student where they are. - That said, you want to encourage your student to finish their project. They will gain important skills and feel pride in their work. They may even win a trip to DC and the chance to win scholarships. - Talk to your coordinator or teacher about your student’s project progress. Your coordinator may have stricter guidelines regarding being in the EnvironMentors program. Short-term: - Try to reconnect with your student (phone, e-mail, social media). - If you have a home phone number, leave a message or talk to his or her parents. - Make your coordinator or teacher aware of the situation. Long-term: - Consider setting up a mediation meeting where you, your student, and a third party can sit down and discuss why the student is no longer communicative and work out a solution.
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Mentor Do’s and Don’ts Be a role model, guide, and confidant to
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Introduce your student to new
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Always be on time to meetings
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Focus all attention onto your student
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your student
opportunities, people, and settings
during your meetings
Always clarify misunderstandings through × calm, direct communication or a third party mediator
Allow your student to develop his or her
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Actively listen to your student, including
×
own ideas, understandings, and conclusions
Get personally involved in your student’s home or social life
Share confidential things that your student has told you, unless it is for your student’s security
Constantly reschedule or come late to meetings
Answer telephone calls, emails, or get distracted during your meetings
Assume something about the student without the student’s clarification.
Impose your own ideas and interpretation onto your student
Lecture your student
what he or she is saying, his or her body language, and emotional reactions
Explain complicated concepts in a way that × your student can understand
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Use technical jargon or talk in abstract concepts when explaining new ideas.
Additional Mentoring Resources National Mentoring Partnership, (www.nmp.org) National Mentoring Partnership works to expand the world of quality mentoring. NMP believes that, with the help and guidance of an adult mentor, each child can discover how to unlock and achieve his or her potential. The NMP web site hosts a wealth of resources for mentoring program providers, as well as individual mentors wanting to expand or improve their practice. National Mentoring Resources Center, (www.NMRC.org) The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's (NREL) National Mentoring Center is one of the nation's premier training and technical assistance providers for youth mentoring programs and initiatives. NREL’s center recently launched of the Mentoring Resource Center Mentoring Forums, an interactive website where mentoring professionals can ask and answer questions, share resources and documents, and discuss effective practices for running a youth mentoring or youth development program (http://mentoringforums.nwrel.org) MentorNet (www.mentornet.net) MentorNet is the award-winning nonprofit e-mentoring network that positively affects the retention and success of those in engineering, science and mathematics, particularly but not exclusively women and others underrepresented in these fields. MentorNet provides motivated protÊgÊs from many of the world's top colleges and universities with positive, one-on-one, emailbased mentoring relationships with mentors from industry, government, and higher education. In addition, the MentorNet Community provides opportunities to connect with others from around the world who are interested in diversifying engineering and science disciplines. SOARS, Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science, (http://www.soars.ucar.edu/about/mentoring.php) SOARS is dedicated to broadening participation in the atmospheric and related sciences. It is an undergraduate to graduate program built around a summer research internship, mentoring by top scientists, and a supportive learning community.
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About Your Student and Chapter Please fill out this form when you are paired with your student Student’s contact information Student’s name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred email: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred phone (Work/Home/Cell): ______________________________________________________________ Secondary phone (Work/Home/Cell): _____________________________________________________________ Home address: ________________________________________________________________________________________ School: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Student’s emergency contact information Student’s Emergency contact: _______________________________________________________________________ Relationship to student: _____________________________________________________________________________ Primary phone (Work/Home/Cell): ________________________________________________________________ Secondary phone (Work/Home/Cell): _____________________________________________________________ Preferred email: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Coordinator’s contact information: Coordinator’s name: _________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred email: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred phone (Work/Home/Cell): ______________________________________________________________ Secondary phone (Work/Home/Cell): _____________________________________________________________ Director’s contact information: Director’s name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred email: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred phone (Work/Home/Cell): ______________________________________________________________ Teacher’s contact information: Teacher’s name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred email: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred phone (Work/Home/Cell): ______________________________________________________________
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Best days, times and locations to meet:
Day of the Week
Time
1
2
3
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Location
Student & Mentor Meeting Commitment Form Please fill out this form with your mentor, sign it, and return it to your chapter coordinator. First Meeting I, _______________________________________, agree to meet my mentor for our first meeting at the time and location specified below: Date: _________________________________________ Time: _________________________________________ Location: ______________________________________ I will get to the first meeting location by (circle all that apply): Public Transportation Walk
Get a ride from __________________________ Other _____________________________________
Future Meetings I, _______________________________________, will continue to meet with my mentor as follows: Day of week: ___________________________________ Time: ___________________________________________ Location: _______________________________________ Transportation: ________________________________ Contact With My Mentor I, _______________________________________, agree to notify my mentor if I am unable to make a meeting or if I will be late to a meeting. I will do so by calling all numbers and writing to all emails my mentor provides me. If I do not reach my mentor, I promise to leave a message and continue to call my mentor until I speak to him/her directly. I, _______________________________________, understand that if I fail to meet these basic commitments on an ongoing basis, I may be asked to leave the program.
Student signature: ________________________________________________
Date: __________________________
Mentor signature: ________________________________________________
Date: __________________________
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