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Faculty Mentoring: Building confidence, cultivating leaders, realizing dreams
If you research a definition for the word “mentor,” you won’t find one that comes close to capturing the inspired mentoring of students by North Central College professors—like Marco V. Martinez, associate professor of mathematics.
His definition:
“Relentless encouragement of mentees to dream big and realize that nothing can stop them from achieving their goals.”
Martinez’s definition helps explain why he was honored as the recipient of the College’s 2021 Distinguished Mentoring Award for faculty. He has challenged students from non-majority groups and first-generation families to take control of their college experience so they don’t become passive bystanders in their educations and careers.
Other faculty members, like Jennifer Shah, assistant professor of education, use mentoring to create more inclusive learning environments. And Carly Drake, assistant professor of marketing, is continuing North Central’s tradition of meaningful and impactful faculty mentoring for student-athletes.
The value of mentoring at North Central is reflected in the College’s branding, which highlights the role of faculty in developing students’ competencies, confidence and character—and in supporting their pursuit of goals beyond what they thought possible.
Above: Jennifer Shah, assistant professor of education, (left) builds relationships outside the classroom with students like Lili Melvin ’22 (middle) and Julia De Guzman ’23 (right).
Above: Marco Martinez, associate professor of mathematics, (middle) celebrates before the 2021 Commencement ceremony with former students (from left to right) Teaghan Van Hoesen ’21, Samantha Sowa ’21, Jessica Wycha ’21 and Katie Legorreta ’21.
The College’s annual service awards celebration provides an opportunity to highlight such efforts. “Honoring our faculty for their mentoring is part of a wider strategic effort to build an engaging academic environment that supports every single student,” said Abiódún “G-P” Gòkè-Pariolá, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We recognize the invaluable role that faculty mentors play in students’ persistence, academic achievement and future success.”
One of Martinez’s key goals is to encourage first-gen and female students so they feel confident that they can succeed in a career field like actuarial science. He has built a supportive community in his classroom, where upperclass students help mentor first-years.
“I want ALL students—first-gen, female, Latinx—to feel that they belong and have the confidence to succeed,” said Martinez, himself the beneficiary of mentoring earlier in his career and at North Central.
Felipe Valladares ’21, now an actuarial consultant at Travelers Insurance, spoke about the role that Martinez played in ensuring career readiness, like preparing Valladares to work in a corporation. “He played a crucial role in the start of my professional career. Through his mentorship, Dr. Martinez pushed me to grow both professionally and personally.”
Added Samantha Sowa ’21, a first-gen college student who is now an actuarial specialist for Northwestern Mutual: “Dr. Martinez was key to my success in the (actuarial science) program and profession. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today: working at my dream company and (the recipient of the) 2021 Outstanding Major in Actuarial Science award.”
MENTORING IN “THIRD SPACES”
Valuable mentoring also happens in “third spaces,” which are the less formal interactions that occur in the places and events between the classroom and a students’ personal space. A proponent of “third spaces” is Jennifer Shah, assistant professor of education, who has integrated her mentorship experiences into her scholarship.
“I have plenty of opportunities for mentorship within my day-to-day job, but the mentoring that I value most is the mentoring that occurs in the third space,” she explained. “Instead of constantly wishing that I had a mentor that looked like me, I have decided to be the mentor that looks like me.”
As a faculty sponsor for a student-led group called Project LEAD (Leaders in Education Advocating for Diversity), Shah especially enjoys the mentoring that happens in one-on-one conversations outside formal events. “When a mentee comes to me with a specific problem or goal, I try to listen and be the mentor … they need,” she said. “My goal is to help my mentee transform into whomever they would like to be.” Elementary education majors Julia De Guzman ’23 and Kelly Guagenti ’23 are members of LEAD and both say they have benefited from conversations about inequality in education. “During Project LEAD, Dr. Shah is a mentor by sharing her stories as a teacher and helping us learn how to make our own classrooms inclusive and welcoming spaces for students to grow,” said Guagenti.
Shah supported Lili Melvin ’22 as she experienced difficulties this past year with racist behaviors related to COVID-19. “I was interviewed on ABC News about a racist sign in my town, and it was a very emotional time for me,” said Melvin, who’s majoring in Chinese and secondary education. “Dr. Shah saw that interview and immediately incorporated it into a lesson plan. She told me how proud of me she was, and (invited) me to talk with her about that experience. After that, I knew even more that I want to be a teacher like Dr. Shah someday.”
CARLY DRAKE, assistant professor of marketing
ENLIGHTENED MENTORING FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES
As faculty mentor for the women’s track and field team, Carly Drake, assistant professor of marketing, has developed new perspectives on mentoring. “More and more, I am moving toward doing things with, rather than for, students because I have seen first-hand that
Athletic mentoring by Carly Drake, (left) assistant professor of marketing, includes research on body image with Allison Grady ’22 (right).
students are capable of so much when we simply lead, support and provide access to resources,” Drake said.
Most of North Central’s 27 varsity athletic teams have one or more faculty mentors who provide support in ways that are meaningful to the student-athletes’ wellbeing and overall experience.
In April, Drake hosted a forum about body positivity over Zoom for women athletes. It attracted 34 participants, including two guest dieticians and multiple mentors from on and off campus. Five studentathletes helped organize the event and led breakout sessions.
“Sportswomen are extremely capable, driven and busy,” said Drake. “From conversations with them I have come to understand that they rarely get a chance to be vulnerable in an ‘official’ capacity, so I decided to help create such opportunities.” Her mentees also helped her create an Instagram account for sportswomen, focused on body-related topics: @thebodycollective_ncc.
“I think empathy and compassion are so important for mentoring. When we understand where students are coming from, that helps us collaborate rather than dictate,” Drake said.
Allison Grady ’22, captain of the women’s track and field team and an aspiring clinical psychologist, values Drake’s mentoring on many levels. “In addition to working alongside her through the Body Collective, I had the opportunity to complete research with her and two other phenomenal student sportswomen this summer,” Grady said. “Our research focused on the representations of sportswomen on social media, and my specific area was how social media impacted body image and eating disorder symptoms.
“Dr. Drake has taught me that I can excel in academia while also prioritizing my mental health. She hasn’t just allowed me to improve my academic skill sets; she has also truly helped me grow as a person, and continue my mental health recovery. I’m so grateful for her mentorship.”
More wisdom on mentoring
NEIL NICHOLSON
associate professor of mathematics
“My mentorship is grounded in some shared interest: athletics, research, goal-setting, finding life’s adventures. Those conversations turn into deep dialogue, and over time, meaningful mentorship.
“A quality that results in great mentorship is the ability to get students to discover answers for themselves. Every question has a multitude of possible answers … and ultimately, it is about making a meaningful, long-term impact on the students’ lives, which means they have to discover what’s best for them.”
MARILYN SKARBEK
assistant professor of exercise science
“I think it is important to give as much individual attention to the student as possible and I try to have as many individual meetings with them as possible. It’s a time investment but it pays off! Every student has their own story. Learn their story and remember it—so you can present appropriate growth opportunities and support them in the ways they need.”
JULIE CARBALLO
director of first-generation initiatives, veteran & military-affiliated student services
“A very important part of the Cardinal First program is the connection mentoring provides between the 40 percent of students who identify as first-generation (defined as neither parent having completed a four-year degree) and our faculty and staff. Our students benefit from getting to know faculty outside of the classroom and hearing their stories of struggle and resilience along their journey to a college degree. There are so many ways that our faculty mentor students, and each interaction connects students with information, opportunities, resources and experiences they might not know about.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The origin of the word “mentor” comes from Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.” King Odysseus trusts his old friend Mentor with his estate while he goes off to fight in the Trojan War. Scholars agree that Mentor was also to assume the role of a mentor to Odysseus’ son and heir, Telemachus.
