Student Voices: Hear from our Mentors and Mentees
Tags: Vol. 1, Issue 2, December 2020
In September, the FSCS International Peer Mentorship Program was launched to support International Student Success while developing Leadership Skills and promoting Global Fluency. Through participation in the program, International Students are connected to mentors in the same (or a similar) program within the Faculty to explore the services at Humber and have opportunities to build meaningful connections with their peers. Connections between mentors and mentees were developed through activities and training that encourages students to explore inequities and reflect on their personal implicit bias and approach to intercultural conflict management.
Through this program, the first cohort of 35 students have had an opportunity to develop and strengthen relationships with peers despite social restrictions due to the pandemic.
Nicola Barclay-Jones, 2nd year Social Services Worker student, Mentor
All three of us are from the beautiful Island of Jamaica – where Ashira, our Mentee who is in her first year in the Social Service Worker (SSW) program, is currently studying online.
Moesha, who is also a second year SSW student, is my co-mentor, and together we have developed a relationship with Ashira that is incredibly supportive; we have all developed a strong bond. We openly share our experiences as mentors, and she shares her experience as a new member to the program. As mentors, we provide guidance and constructive feedback and act as positive role models so that Ashira can learn about the program and resources that are available to her. By committing a minimum 45 minutes to an hour every week to discussions together, we aim to help Ashira transition smoothly and comfortably into Humber. Moesha and I also learn a lot from Ashira, every day we learn something new from each other. We’ve gained just as much as she has from our Mentor/Mentee relationship and have all developed a new outlook on life at Humber and beyond.
From left to right: Nicola, Moesha and Ashira
Ziling Yuan, 1st Year Child and Youth Care student, Mentee
Through this program, I have had the opportunity to meet new people and understand the importance of intercultural communication. This has led me to become more comfortable and more at ease with starting college and developing as a student. Being an International student studying online from outside of Canada, the program has informed me about all the available services and events presently accessible at Humber, for the benefit of our well-being, education and more.
My mentors have been extremely generous and helpful throughout the process and have become friends. Since they’re in the same program as me, they made me feel at ease. The most important thing that I have learned from this program is the importance of teamwork through communication and collaboration - my mentors and I communicate through virtual meetings and chats. Not being in the same country, we are still able to successfully complete tasks and reflect due to good communication and a great team effort.
The program has helped me to become more confident in discussing diverse topics with different people. The highlight of the program for me has been getting to know my mentors and ultimately, gaining new friends despite the distance.
Ziling Yuan
Sian Saria, 3rd Year Bachelor of Child and Youth Care student, Mentor
I am Sian Saria, a third-year student in the Bachelor of Child and Youth Care (BCYC) program. I have grown to love all that Humber has to offer, and when I found out about the confirmed shift to online classes, I thought it was important for me to extend my efforts in helping new students during this pandemic.
Myself, Jade, my co-mentor who is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Social Sciences – Criminal Justice (BSS - CJ), and Moya, our Mentee, who is a Child and Youth Care (CYC) accelerated student, are not your typical Mentor/Mentee grouping, as Jade and I are much younger than Moya. This has led to a dynamic circle of learning for us all. Being a mentor in this program largely depends on how you can be a resource and support to your mentee. We established goals at the beginning of the program and talked over how we all can achieve those together which helped me understand how we can all benefit from one another. My most memorable moment from the program was winning Best Presenters for a project we worked on.
From left to right: Sian, Jade and Moya