The Undergraduate Mentorship Program is designed to connect first- and second-year public health students with an upper-level public health student to aid in the enrichment of the undergraduate experience. Mentors will provide guidance on successfully completing the undergraduate public health degree, experiential learning opportunities, resources within the College of Public Health, and more.

Mentor expectations

• Be responsive to your mentee when they reach out for guidance or advice.
• Be open in sharing your ideas, experiences, resources and network. 
• If possible, engage in college-wide/campus-wide events with your mentee.
• Acknowledge your mentee(s)’ accomplishments and offer positive reinforcement or guidance on next steps. 
• Help your mentee to maintain good academic standing, positive attitude, open mind, and overall wellness.  

Mentee expectations

• Be proactive in reaching out to your mentor. Ask questions! 
• Ask for honest feedback; remain open to constructive criticism. 
• Be friendly but agree on and respect personal and professional boundaries. 
• Respect your mentor’s time as you do your own; respond to messages and calls in a timely manner and notify them if you will miss a scheduled meeting. 

Keys to a successful mentorship

• Set goals for the mentorship program and understand what you are hoping to gain from participating in the program. Taking the time to set attainable goals for each other will provide direction for participants and facilitators. 
• Communicate frequently and effectively with one another, accounting for schedule conflicts and accommodating to the needs of one another.  
• Connect with the mentorship program coordinator early on if things are not working well.  
• Establish clear forms of communication and times of availability and busy periods. 

Requirements

The mentor and mentee will be required to meet once per month and the meeting frequency will be evaluated on a semester check in basis.  

Meeting frequency

Mentor/mentee pairings are required to meet at least once a month. 

Kick off event scheduled for the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters  

Suggested Activities

• Meet for coffee or lunch 
• Discuss potential courses for the mentee area of interest
• Resume or cover letter review and discussion 
• Job application   
• Research interests and future internship opportunities  
• Discuss pros and cons of next stages as a public health student  
• Mentor may provide professional network contacts if applicable
• Explore job search engines together and discuss job possibilities and skills

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who can participate in the program? Any undergraduate public health student may participate in the mentorship program.
2. How will I be paired with a mentor/mentee? Prospective mentor/mentee(s) will complete an interest form. Based on the interest forms, you will be paired with a mentor/mentee who has a similar profile. We accept new mentorship sign ups at the beginning of each semester.
3. What if I am unsatisfied with my pairing? You may contact the mentorship program coordinator, Alena Longnecker, or Montala Carruthers via email.

Contact Information

Alena Longnecker 
Founder, UI Undergraduate Mentorship Program  
alena-longnecker@uiowa.edu 

Montala Carruthers 
Assistant, UI Undergraduate Mentorship Program 
montala-carruthers@uiowa.edu