Why is mentorship important?

Whether it’s peer mentorship or professional industry mentorship, mentoring matters. Having a mentor, especially when entering college or the workplace, can be incredibly beneficial. Mentoring benefits everyone, not just the mentee. Mentors become better leaders and communicators as they work with their mentees. Mentorship also brings personal and job satisfaction as mentors watch their mentees flourish and reach career, academic and personal milestones. Mentees gain valuable advice, better problem-solving and leadership skills and the chance to grow their community or professional network. Peer mentors can provide guidance on navigating the college experience while professional industry mentors can advise on career readiness and career decisions. 

WSOS Executive Director Kimber Connors has experienced these benefits first-hand. “Mentorship played (and still plays) a crucial role in my own development as a professional. I’ve had the good fortune of having excellent mentors guiding me through every step of my academic and career journeys. I’d be lost without them! I’m grateful to be a part of a program like WSOS which uses the power of mentorship to create connection and unlock opportunities for Scholars.” 

Mentorship at WSOS

WSOS offers peer mentorship and professional industry mentorship opportunities in both our Baccalaureate Scholarship (BaS) and Career & Technical Scholarship (CTS). (To learn more about CTS mentorship opportunities, scroll to the bottom of the page.) The peer mentorship program for our Baccalaureate Scholars, the Scholar Lead Program, allows current Opportunity Scholars in their third year or above to provide peer mentorship to Opportunity Scholars in their first and second years.  Right now, the Baccalaureate Scholarship has 125 Scholar Leads and 1,833 participating Opportunity Scholars. 

As classes start again, here are five questions to ask your Scholar Lead to help make this semester the best it can be:

1. What time management strategies have you used to balance school and life?
2. How do I find out about clubs and organizations I could join?
3. Are there any events I can attend to stay connected to my campus during this time? Or any events I can attend to connect with other Opportunity Scholars?
4. When I meet with my campus advisor, what kind of questions should I ask? What else can I talk to my campus advisor about?
5. What campus resource have you found the most useful?

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Are you a Career & Technical (CTS) Scholar?

Register to become a mentee for the spring 2024 CTS Skills that Shine Mentorship Program! 

Establishing and developing a connection with an industry professional can be extremely valuable to your professional development and job search process. By signing up for StS, you can choose an industry professional to serve as your mentor and support you with your resume, interviewing, and more! Fill out the StS interest form now and check your email for more details about the program.

Not sure if this is the right program for you or have any questions/concerns? Contact us at ctssuccess@waopportunityscholarship.org!