ESS 510: Mentoring programs

Laura Vogt:
Hello, and thank you for joining me and The Not So Secret Guide to Being a Berkeley Engineer. I’m your host, Laura Vogt, the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications in the College of Engineering. Please join me in welcoming this week’s podcast guest, Claire-Marie Kooi from Engineering Student Services. Thank you for being here today.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Thank you so much for having me, Laura.

Laura Vogt:
And today we’re talking about mentoring and what Engineering Student Services is doing. So we have a couple different programs now that I’m excited to learn more about. And Claire, why don’t we start with you telling us more about yourself and your role here at UC Berkeley?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Absolutely. So I’m the Student Engagement Programs Manager in Engineering Student Services. And here I run mentorship programs in the college and also engineering scholars as engaged scholars or IES squared, which has to do with the intersection between social justice and engineering. I’m really passionate about increasing diversity in STEM fields and working with all of the amazing Berkeley engineering students is really what keeps me going.

Laura Vogt:
And so let’s talk a little bit more about these mentorship programs. Do you want to tell us a little bit about what programs there are and what’s available for our students right now?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
There are a variety of mentorship opportunities in the college. You can get mentorship through structured programs like the Berkeley Mentorship Cohort, which I’ll speak a little bit more about, but there are also mentorship opportunities through student organizations and departments and research programs.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
So to talk a little bit more about the Berkeley Mentorship Cohort, we are piloting this program this fall, and this can really be seen as a hub for mentorship in the college. So any incoming undergraduate student can apply to this program and receive a peer mentor who is in the same major as them. And we also have targeted subgroups or families. So this year we are really targeting women in engineering and also the intersecting identities of that. So if you identify as a woman and you would like to be paired with another engineering student who identifies as a woman, then you can apply to this subgroup and we’ll talk about issues related to being a woman in engineering and have speakers come, who are women in the field.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
And in this program, there are different components. So you’ll meet one-on-one at least monthly with your mentor. We also will have workshops and events around professional development, academic success, leadership, wellness. We also have social, so we want to build that community among the mentees and the mentors. And then there’s also staff support, so students will be meeting with me and also my colleagues to discuss progress and to see how the mentorship is going.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
So as we move forward with the Berkeley Mentorship Cohort, we’re definitely going to be expanding to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. And then we’re also going to be expanding to alumni mentorship. And with that, we are also going to be expanding some of those targeted communities or families, really listening to what the students’ needs are.

Laura Vogt:
And so hat did you see happening that made the college see a need for this mentor program?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
We were seeing a variety of things. First, mentorship is really important just for academic success and career success. And we wanted to make sure that our students have access to that. The first mentorship program we had was called the First-Generation Mentor Program, and we started that because we were seeing that first-generation college students had lower retention rates. So we wanted to mitigate some of the factors that were contributing to that. So the next year we expanded to the transfer community and we started the Transfer Mentor Program, which my colleague, Nicole [McIntyre 00:03:49] runs. And that was less about retention, but more about community, making sure that that our transfer students had a community because their background and path is different than a student who is coming in as a [fresh 00:04:02]. And now, as I was saying before, we have mentorship available to all undergraduate students, but we’re targeting certain communities.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
And that’s why we decided on women in engineering, particularly women of color. So if you identify as black or a Latino or part of the AAPI community, then we wanted to make sure that we provided a space where you could talk about issues that you might face, both challenges and successes of being a woman in engineering. So that’s why we really wanted to start these mentor programs was to provide mentorship to all of our students in the college, but also providing spaces where you can talk about issues that affect you and that are important to you.

Laura Vogt:
I think you answered this a little bit, but what are your goals of these programs?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Yeah, absolutely. So we really want to increase retention and success of students. We really want to increase campus acculturation. So we want to make sure that students are aware of the resources that are available to them and how to access them. And we want them to feel a sense of belonging on the campus because they were admitted for a reason. And we want them to remember that they belong here and that they can really thrive here. We also want to mitigate some of the academic, professional, and social challenges that students face and expand student networks and build communities. And this last portion, which I’m really excited about is really recognizing and rewarding mentors and sharing experiences and wisdom among each other.

Laura Vogt:
So how are you training these mentors? That seems like it’s something that’s really going to help make the program successful is the better training that they have.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Absolutely. So over the past two years, this has definitely been a challenge, but we’ve learned from our students and are consistently trying to change and improve what we offer. So of course we have the program overview and mentor expectations that we’re going to go through. We also have trainings on developing goals and expectations with your mentee. It’s really important to start off these mentorship with, “What do you want to get out of it? What are the goals of this relationship?” Also developing effective communication and skills to be a trusted advocate for your mentee. And this includes communicating and mentoring across differences.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
So you may be paired with someone who doesn’t look like you or doesn’t have the same background as you. And we want to make sure that you’re able to recognize your biases and really learn how to communicate across these differences. Another topic that we want to touch on is overcoming mentoring challenges. And this is something that the past two years of running this mentor program has shown us. Where are some of the common challenges with mentoring and lastly skills and resources for mental health. We want to make sure that students know the resources that are available and also what their boundaries are in terms of mental health as they go forward with the mentoring relationship.

Laura Vogt:
How can students apply?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
So if you go to the Berkeley engineering website, you go to students, programs, and then you will see mentoring programs there. And whichever program you’re interested in applying to, whether it’s the T-Prep transfer mentor program, or through the Berkeley Mentorship Cohort, you can go there and the applications are available.

Laura Vogt:
And is there a long application process? Is it something that they need to take time to prepare for?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
So we actually have worksheets that students can use to fill out all of their answers to the questions before they go into the Google forms, since you can’t save your answers on the Google form. So there’s some background information that you have to give, what you’re looking for in the mentoring relationship. We have a couple of short answer questions and then a little bit of pairing information. So it should take you 15 to 20 minutes, but it’s also always nice to prepare your answers beforehand.

Laura Vogt:
And what’s going to be expected of students once they’re participating?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
You have to meet at least monthly with your mentor or mentee. You also have to attend all workshops and events, and then you want to check in with staff. So you’ll be required to meet with us so we can really gauge how the mentoring relationship is going and make sure that you have all the support and resources that you need. And then mentors have an additional requirement in terms of, they will have to attend training sessions and they will need to log all their interactions as well. So, that takes a little bit more time.

Laura Vogt:
And is the program going to be available for students that need to attend remotely?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Yes, so the individual mentoring can be available remotely, but many of the workshops and events will be in person. If we find that there are a lot of students who need to attend remotely, we can work [inaudible 00:08:38] the workshops, so that students have the information available to them.

Laura Vogt:
You’ve been doing this program now for two years. Do you have one moment that was kind of like that ‘aha moment’ that you’re doing it right? That you’re hitting the right notes?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Yes, I think the biggest thing that I’ve gained from these mentor programs, is just the power of mentorship and seeing it in action. So working with these amazing students just inspires me. And there are students who are members of clubs because of their mentors or have research internship opportunities because of their mentors or have accessed certain resources because of their mentors.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
And additionally, it’s been amazing to just witness the creative ways that students engage with each other. So some mentors have brought industry folks to their meetings to chat. Others have detailed manuals with resources that they shared with their mentees and others have created Spotify playlists that they put on when they’re studying on [Zoom 00:09:33] together. So I think it’s really all summed up by this message that a mentee wrote to her mentor last year. And what she said is this.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
“Having you as a mentor provided me with a lot of guidance I did not know I needed. You gave me the courage to join clubs and go to career fairs and be proactive in a time where it was really hard to stay motivated. Next year I will be doing my best to fill and surpass the kind of culture you created within our club. And hopefully also mentor and give advice to others that need it. I’ve been really encouraged by who you are and how [inaudible 00:10:05] you are in the engineering community. And I’m glad that I had you around to welcome me into it. I’m really excited to continue growing the community you put so much effort and love into.”

Claire-Marie Kooi:
So it’s really about building that confidence, getting students involved in different things that they wouldn’t have been involved in, had they not had their mentor. And really wanting to be a mentor also because of the positive mentorship relationship that you had with your mentor. So I think that’s really what it’s all about. And I think those are the moments that are really special.

Laura Vogt:
And it’s just a one-year program when you sign up for it?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Yes, so it’s a one year program.

Laura Vogt:
And do you think, or have you heard of anyone that doesn’t feel like they need a mentor, but maybe they do… Is there anyone that you’ve had to try to convince, like, “No, fill out the application.”

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Yeah. I guess last year we did have a student that we were seeing who was struggling a little bit academically. So it was really just about reaching out and saying, “Hey, this resource is available to you. I can put you in contact with a mentor. There’s no commitment right upfront, but you can just talk and see if this is someone that you’d like to have as a mentor in the program.” And they eventually joined and it really helped them. And they were found that to be a really valuable experience. So I think that’s one instance where it was like, “Okay, we’re seeing that you’re having some academic challenges, let’s try and bring you in so that we can support you.”

Laura Vogt:
And what do you do to try to make sure that you get the best people paired up together?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Yeah. So a lot of that comes down to the application. So we actually just flat out ask students, “What kind of person are you interested in being paired with? Do you want to be paired based on major, or gender, or hobbies?” And then it comes down to also reading their responses. One of the questions we ask is, “What are some of the challenges that you faced getting here?” And if we see that a mentor has faced similar challenges to what their mentee has written, then I think that would be a good pair. So it really comes down to what are they looking for? What is their major? Of course we always want to pair based on major, and then have they faced some similar challenges?

Laura Vogt:
Is there anything else that we haven’t touched on that you wanted to make sure we talked about?

Claire-Marie Kooi:
I don’t think so. I’m just really excited about this new Berkeley Mentorship Cohort. I think that this is really going to target communities that are in need of mentorship and we’re hoping to expand this to the entire Berkeley engineering community. So, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about mentorship or about the application, and I look forward to reading them.

Laura Vogt:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us today.

Claire-Marie Kooi:
Thank you so much, Laura.

Laura Vogt:
And thank you everyone else for tuning in to The Not So Secret Guide to Being a Berkeley Engineer. And I look forward to podcasting with you next week.