Students relax around a table outside in the sun

Saints Mentor with Heart

  1. Current Students
  2. Saints Mentor with Heart

Saints Mentor with Heart (SMH) pairs first-year students with an upper-division student—a peer mentor—who champions their personal, academic, and professional success. 

Saints Mentor with Heart logo

Through SMH, first-year students will gain the knowledge and skills that will set them up for a successful ÁùºÏ²Ê¿â’s experience. Students will engage in interpersonal and social interactions with new people, making lifelong connections and getting involved on campus. The program will help students adjust to the demands of college life, exploring majors and careers and cultivating strong ties to the university community.  

Mission of Saints Mentor with Heart

The mission of SMH speaks to the responsibility and care of ÁùºÏ²Ê¿â to support the academic, social, personal and spiritual needs of first-year students in their ongoing journey of becoming. The mission for SMH is as follows: 

Saints Mentor with Heart seeks to build community and foster belonging so first-year students can thrive and succeed in all areas of university life.

To fulfill this mission, SMH aims to help students:

  • deepen a sense of belonging to ÁùºÏ²Ê¿â's University
  • strengthen academic self-efficacy
  • develop capacity for responsible decision-making
  • reflect on values to explore vocation.

Are you an incoming first-year student?

Watch your communications from ÁùºÏ²Ê¿â's to get more details about the program, sign up to get matched with a mentor via the link below, and get ready for the Saints Mentor with Heart kick-off picnic lunch on August 24, where you will meet your mentor!

What does a peer mentor do?

Peer mentor: roles and expectations

The role of the peer mentor is critical to the success of SMH. Peer mentors are on the frontlines of fulfilling the program’s mission. SMH includes approximately 55+ upper-division students to serve in this role, ranging from various majors, identities, and backgrounds. Each peer mentor is assigned and paired with 3 – 5 mentees. Peer mentors are ready to listen, inspire and serve their mentees, helping them navigate the challenges and barriers of academic life. Mentors walk with mentees to help ensure their intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual—holistic—success. The following list is not exhaustive but captures the general expectations of peer mentors: 

  • Create a sense of belonging with your assigned mentees.
  • Guide your mentees in adjusting to university-level academic expectations.
  • Connect your mentees to the proper student services.
  • Support your mentees in balancing university and personal demands.
  • Explore with your mentees' particular career goals and interests.

To fulfill these expectations, peer mentors will be responsible meet the following requirements:  

  • Engage individually with their assigned mentees once per week.[1]
  • Document mentee meetings on the Mentor Collective platform.
  • Attend meetings with designated professional and student staff.
  • Submit timecards in a timely manner.
     

[1] Certain times during the semester may not lend to meetings between students (e.g., Thanksgiving in fall; Easter in spring), while other times may require more intense engagement than others. For example, peer mentors will need to meet with their mentees more intensely in the first 6-7 weeks of fall and spring in comparison to the final weeks of the semester.

Questions? Contact us!