On Thursday, FastStart Friends Mentor Collective had their kick off event in McGarvey Commons. Students and mentors gathered to meet at the event put on by the Office of Equity and Diversity to meet their peers and gather in a laid back setting.

 

The event featured several tables where mentors and mentees could learn about the various schools on campus such as the school of engineering, the school of humanities, and the school of business. At the various tables, students engaged in activities such as coloring and solving puzzles while enjoying music provided by BVZ radio and food.

 

Students who attended could mingle with their mentors as well as meet other mentees within the program. The program focuses on pairing first year students who are international students or students of minority with upperclassmen. Many of the students enrolled in the system have reportedly already been helped by their mentors.

 

Tony Chang, a freshman studying supply chain management, shared that his mentor had been a huge help. His mentor had helped him fill out various papers for the honors programs and tennis team. Chang is an international student from Northeast China and explained that one of the hardest parts about attending college has been the language barrier: “I mean, the translation to english ...there is some different understandings”.    

 

For other students, the program helps transition them in other ways. Mandy Zheng is a freshman studying engineering and a native from Pittsburgh. Zheng chose Behrend to help her transition from a small highschool before facing Main Campus. When talking about her mentor she said “she has helped me alot, especially with meeting new people and finding out where all the buildings are”.  

 

Many mentors have more than one mentee and start mentoring before the semester even begins, reaching out in the summer months to help prepare the students for their first week of classes.

 

Morayo Ogunsina, a senior majoring in computer engineering, has 3 mentees, including one from her home country Nigeria. When asked if she wished she had been enrolled in a program like FastStart, she replied, “Yes!...I would have been calling [my mentor] like crazy like ‘hey I did this what should I do? How do I do this? Please help me, have mercy on me! where should I go?’”

 

For many mentors, joining the program isn’t just an enjoyable way to help out Behrends next  generation students, but rather something bigger. Gretchen Shaffer, a plastics engineering and technology senior, explained, “the connection between you and your mentee [is the best part]. It just gives you an overwhelming sense of pride”.

 

For those interested in the program, stop by the Office of Equity and Diversity and ask for Walaa.