Honors Peer Mentorship: A Guide to Sustaining Community in the Institution

Honors Peer Mentors are trained to be welcoming and reliable sources of community for incoming students of color in the Honors College; offer constructive opportunities and solutions for perceived problems; and listen to, support, and encourages the mentee. There are also benefits in being a peer mentor. A primary goal of the Honors Peer Mentor Team is to increase support for incoming Honors students from underrepresented backgrounds and facilitate connections with cross-campus partners, including the Ethnic Student Center, Student Advocacy and Identity Resource Center, LGBTQ+, Disability Outreach Center, mental health resources, Academic Advising, Career Services, etc This paper is both a guide and a narrative detailing the creating and presentation of the first year of the Mentorship Program. Major sections of this guide address the building of a relationship with the mentee and the mentorship team, improvements for the program for future years, and a heavy focus on creating a program rooted in revolutionary practices like community-building and intentional love.