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Mentorship Program

When we all work together we can achieve great things. If you are just beginning a new course of study, you can accelerate your learning with the help of experienced mentors. If you are an accomplished student, you could be a great learning source for those who follow in your footsteps. The Mentorship Program is all of us working together to realize our goal of an educated, vibrant community.

NEED FOR MENTORSHIP

One of the barriers that many Alaska Native students are facing today is the cultural barrier differentiating the common college life from life as it is in very remote villages of Alaska. Many of Alaska’s Alaska Native college students are dropping out as a result of homesickness, lack of support and the challenges associated with understanding and adjusting to the fast-paced way of life at a college setting and the tasks that come with it.

PROGRAM DESIGN

KEF’s Mentorship Program is largely designed to reduce those cultural barriers by providing guidance through a peer-to-peer mentorship network, support and counseling from experienced professionals (super-mentors), educational resources, and the encouragement needed to successfully achieve their educational goals.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Because the student population who receives educational funding through KEF covers such a vast geographic area, the program body is categorized into four levels: mentees, mentors, supermentors, and KEF staff. This will enable us to match mentees with mentors at their school or within their field of study as individually appropriate. Freshmen and sophomores serve as mentees, and upperclassmen and graduate students serve as peer mentors. In addition to these assigned peer mentors, supermentors are recruited from among graduates, alumni and community leadership to further support our peer mentors.

Participation in the Mentorship Program is a requirement for all current KEF scholarship recipients with the exception of Career Development grant recipients.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Mentee -	Must make yourself available for communincation with your assigned mentor once every 2 weeks. Participate in Mentorship surveys
Mentor -	Contact your assigned mentees, introduce yourself, and determine best times and methods for contacting one another. Make yourself available for communication with your assigned supermentor once every 2 weeks. Report the status and any specific challenges your assigned mentees are experiencing to your supermentor at your biweekly updates. Report to your supermentor the number of times contact was established between you and your assigned mentee(s) at your biweekly updates. Participate in Mentorship surveys.
Supermentor -	Contact your assigned mentors, introduce yourself, and determine best times and methods for contacting one another. Ensure mentors are establishing contact with their assigned mentees. Each month, report the level of student communication to the Program Manager. Participate in Supermentor surveys.

Words of Wisdom from Mentor to Mentee:

Be sure to protect your GPA; consider dropping a class rather than receiving a bad grade.
You are the average of the three people you spend most of your time with.
There are most likely tutoring centers on your campus. You should check them out!
Talk to an academic counselor to make sure that you're on track to fulfill the classes that your degree requires.
Don't try to do homework in your dorm room, or anywhere else full of distractions. Libraries are a great example of an appropriate study center.
Don't be a complete bookworm. Don't only be a social butterfly. Find a happy medium by budgeting your time wisely.
Continue to apply for scholarships every year while you're at college, even small ones. Every little bit helps.
On-campus jobs are a great way to make a little money and meet people, if you have time for one.
Be careful of who you hang out with. Be careful of who your roommates are. The people around you have a lot of influence over your life. Choose people who will encourage you to be a good person.