The Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (ADI) team believes that a healthy transition to graduate school involves building social and cultural capital, as well as becoming embedded in the campus community. As students develop professional connections with faculty and administrators on campus to support their success and growth, they benefit greatly from interactions with their peers. The Grad Scholars Program (GSP) has developed a peer mentoring model to deepen engagement with others and build upon the professional relationships students will develop as they join their programs.

GSP Peer Mentors are advanced graduate students who will share their knowledge and experiences with first-year GSP students and act as student liaisons to the ADI team. They will serve as one-on-one mentors and facilitators of pods, a set of micro-communities within GSP of approximately five first year GSP students.

Role description

GSP Peer Mentors will meet with their pods monthly to offer insight into student life at Princeton, answer general questions about graduate school, share their personal perspective on selecting and/or working with an advisor, and act as links to the ADI deans and other campus resources. GSP Peer Mentors will also serve as one on one mentors to their pod members.

Time Commitment

From August 2023 to May 2024, with a commitment of roughly 5-7 hours per semester.

Benefits

GSP Peer Mentors will:

• Engage in training on mentorship
• Be mentored by an ADI dean
• Receive an honorarium (TBD) for their service at the end of each academic semester, for the academic year.

Programming Funds

Mentors will arrange and host pod meetings and/or social events (e.g., lunch, dinner, ice cream socials, coffee breaks, etc.) sponsored by the ADI office; brief budget forms will be submitted to plan/account for costs.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a current doctoral-level student for the 2023-2024 academic year with at least one year of graduate study completed
• Be available to commit to serving for a full academic year (~4-5 meetings/events each semester)
• Be available for training in late August (dates TBD)
• Attend the GSP Retreat on August 29, 2023 (times TBD)

Questions?

For inquiries about the GSP Mentor program, please contact Associate Dean Joseph Lewis at [email protected].