R.E.A.L Early College Mentoring

Are you looking for an opportunity to give back to JCU? I have a program for you to check out: R.E.A.L. Early College Mentoring! Now you might have some questions, and I’m a mentor in the program right now, so let me see what I can do to answer them:

• What is the R.E.A.L. Early College Mentoring Program?

REAL College Mentoring pairs college student volunteers with local high schoolers taking classes at JCU. These high schoolers, mostly juniors and seniors, take college courses for a variety of reasons, but often so that they can use the credits to graduate from college early. As mentors, we college students provide a friendly face for them to direct their questions too, and provide support as they work at this advanced level.

• So what do mentors actually do?

We meet with our mentees once a week to check in, talk about their week, and work through any problems they’re having. Obviously, college students are different from authorities, counselors, or teachers, so we don’t play any of those roles. Instead, we talk to our mentees about school, the college classroom, and how they’re balancing their extra-heavy load. Once a month we meet with GAs for a more formalized check in.

• Is the REAL Mentoring program a type of service?

Yes! Not only is our volunteer work with our mentees service, the program hosts a couple of service events each semester. This semester we’re partnering with the campus’ Labre organization to work on tie blankets for the homeless. All of the collective hours spent with our mentees and in other REAL Mentoring projects count as service hours.

• Why should I participate in the REAL Mentoring program?

It’s a really great way to be an active member of the campus community, and to pay it forward. Every college student remembers how scary and overwhelming college classes were at first. Now imagine taking those classes as a high schooler. It’s so wonderful to be able to provide support and reassurance for ambitious high school students who are brave enough to take college classes. Plus, you can really build a relationship with your mentee, as you get to meet with them all year.

I got involved with the R.E.A.L. Early College Mentoring Program because I wanted to do continuous service that wasn’t working with children. My high school also had a similar program that I was involved in, where senior mentors worked with freshmen to ease their transition. R.E.A.L. College Mentoring is a similar concept, but helps motivated high school students navigate their first taste of college.

The R.E.A.L. Early College Mentoring Program is something I’m so glad I’ve gotten involved in. This program has definitely been the right one for me, and I’ve loved every minute of it! It’s been a great way to do continuous service while really connecting with someone. Meeting with my mentee and talking about our weeks is always a great way to reflect, and I look forward to it every week.

If the R.E.A.L. Early College Mentoring Program sounds like the opportunity for you, search ‘college mentoring program’ on JCU’s website and check out the application. You won’t regret it!

• college
• mentoring
• volunteer