FOUSIA ABDULLAHI
campus editor
fousia.abdullahi@my.tccd.edu
A district-wide mentoring program is available through the intercultural network.
The program matches students and staff using a questionnaire so that students can find a mentor who will be most likely to address their needs based on their major and areas of interest. The mentoring program at NW has around 20 mentors matched with one mentee each.
“This is an opportunity for students to get matched with faculty and staff across the campus,” Jasmine Quezada, coordinator of iIntercultural student engagement and academic success, said. “It is an opportunity for them to really engage and connect on campus.”
The mentoring program has been beneficial to students who don’t have a built-in support system. NW student Leander D’ Costa, came here as an international student from Mumbai, India, and was able to build a community through the Intercultural Network and its mentoring program.
“Being an international student, this is a whole new experience,” D’ Costa said. “The educational process will be different, the way of communication is very different, just getting situated and getting comfortable in education here. My advisor definitely helped me get assimilated with the education system. She helped me get to know people on campus that offer many supports for resources like the intercultural and student government.”
Along with one-on-one mentoring, the program also hosts events, like luncheons, meet and greets and events with activities and prizes.
For D’Costa, TCC and the intercultural network has become a home away from home.
“The Intercultural program is now my home, and I really love it here at TCC and the iIntercultural pProgram. A, and we’re like a family,” D’Costa said. “We’re very supportive. We support everyone’s ideas. We’re an inclusive space, and we’re very open minded.”
“I would definitely recommend it for other students,” Eron Mills, NW student government association vice president, said. “I think it also forces you to kind of get out of your comfort zone., Iit also opens you up to experiences, and you get to see things from different perspectives rather than just you.”
Other students find that they just need someone to listen to them and check in on them.
“This program gave me gave me another piece of a support system,” said NW student Kennedie Watkins. “My mentors, as I have had two, were both really caring and comforting. When things were hard, both would text me or email me or even if they saw me in person, take time to check on me.”
Mentors are not only helpful during a student’s career at TCC, but they can also play a vital role in helping students reach their goals when they transfer or into their career path.
“After I talked to my mentor and she kind of helped me figure out that sometimes you just got to do it,” Mills said. “You may not know what comes out of it at that second, but just do it. So, I am transferring to a four year, I’m going to Southern Methodist University down in Dallas. I think that she helped me kind of gain a sense of ‘I don’t have to be worried or scared of what life has to come after.’”
New college students may face many obstacles, but there are also many opportunities for growth.
“I would recommend getting a mentor,” Watkins said. “I think specifically the people who sign up to be mentors and the people the iIntercultural network pick to be mentors are so helpful and supportive., I feel like it has made me realize that I will be okay if I believe in myself and rely on my support system,” Watkins said.
