Mentorship

• Graduate-Level Course: Effective Mentoring (Fall, 2018)

• UGA Psychology Department’s Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program Mentoring Committee - founder, committee head (2018-2019)

• UGA Psychology Department’s Richard L. Marsh Mentoring Award, April 2020 

MENTORING STATEMENT

I have been extremely fortunate to have had a line of strong, supportive, and effective mentors throughout my life – most of them confident women who have help mold and shape me into the woman I am today. Heather, an undergraduate professor, introduced me to the possibility of a career in animal behavior. She guided my progress in obtaining the skills to make me a qualified graduate school applicant. My Women’s Leadership Academy director Julia taught me the value of leadership skills in realizing and pursuing your goals. She particularly brought the inequalities of the world to my attention, and trained me navigate difficult situations with poise, professionalism, and pride. My mom urged me to dream big and to follow through on the big things that need to be done to achieve them (including moving very far). She always had the kindest ways to tell me to be persistent. Lastly, my doctoral advisor Doree is the most steady individual I know; she epitomizes the mantra, “don’t tell people your plans, just show them”. She is direct and unafraid, but extremely understanding. My personal and professional successes are direct results of effective mentorship, which is a quality I aim to curate as a future mentor as well.

I recognize that many people have not had the sort of mentorship experiences as my own, and are weighted by their own negative interactions, poor guidance, shattered self-confidence, and often overburdening by a mentor’s work or problems. My goal as a mentor is to listen to those in need of mentorship, in order to best serve them. Not everyone needs the same kind of mentor, and my role is not to force anyone into a mentee role which does not benefit them. Studies show that mentees benefit from reciprocal, as opposed to authoritative, mentor/mentee relationships (Jacobi, 1991; Crisp & Cruz, 2009; McGee, 2016; Chandler, Kram, & Yip, 2011), which is a principle I aim to practice.

Studies also show that mentorship - especially of and by women – is still underutilized. This is due in part because effective mentoring relationships take time, which means less time is devoted to actually running the higher-status and higher-paying jobs that women strive to obtain. Personally, I am willing to put in this time to be a meaningful mentor who fosters growth through support and effective communication, but I will also foster this same attitude in encouraging my peers to do the same. The more mentors mentor together, the less of a durational burden mentorship will appear to be going forward. Fostering a culture of mentorship is of the utmost importance to both mentors and mentees. For example, I served as chair of the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program Mentoring Committee in the UGA Department of Psychology, where I am responsible for this culture of mentorship. I held monthly meetings to help younger students find mentors and navigate their mentoring relationships, and to assist older students with their mentoring skills. Most importantly, I had a voice heard by my program and department heads to provide them with information on the importance of cultivating mentorship, and the power to push for it. I also mentored several undergraduate research assistants in my lab, guiding them to a deeper understanding of theoretical questions, the importance of rigorous testing and attention to detail, and helping them see projects as a whole – despite them only contributing to smaller parts. I aspired to make mentees feel appreciated and understood, but to challenge them to take control of their own learning by asking questions and taking initiative.

Student Testimonials

References

Chandler, D. E., Kram, K. E., & Yip, J. (2011). An ecological systems perspective on mentoring at work: A review and future prospects. The Academy of Management Annals, 5(1), 519-570.

Crisp, G., & Cruz, I. (2009). Mentoring college students: A critical review of the literature between 1990 and 2007. Research in higher education, 50(6), 525-545.

Jacobi, M. (1991). Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature review. Review of educational research, 61(4), 505-532.

McGee, R. (2016). Biomedical workforce diversity: the context for mentoring to develop talents and foster success within the ‘pipeline’. AIDS and Behavior, 20(2), 231-237.