First-Year
Throughout the year, first year students are supplied with a small mentoring group to help make the transition to State an even smoother one. My mentoring group was such an incredible support to me. Dr McLean and Dr Patisaul were always so inspirational to me and they often give me pep talks before tests and quizzes. And having women mentors was always really great for me because they were able to speak and give advice from experience. On top of that, my peers in the group were also women so, often our mentoring meetings turned into a session where women were empowering women. Thanks to the Chancellor’s Leadership Development Program, I have these incredible connections that I know will last the duration of my time at NC State.
Second Year
As a second year student in the CLDP, I had the pleasure of mentoring two first-year students named Danielle and Andy. Being a mentor to someone felt like such a big responsibility to me, and it really was. Having a mentee helped me grow as a leader because I had to learn how to take the knowledge that I gained in my first year and impart that on someone who is going through something that I had experienced as well. Being a mentor to two first year students was one of my favorite parts of my second year of the program because it helped me learn how to truly connect to people that are very different from me. It was so rewarding to see them succeed and do well in their first year of college.
Instead of having a mentoring group, second year students are connected with two professional mentors in their intended field of work. These mentors are comprised of one on campus mentor and an off campus mentor. These relationships are invaluable because the students get to talk through their daily academic struggles with someone that really understands what they are going through and ultimately know how to help them out. I really look forward to my monthly meetings with both of these ladies because they are both so empowering and strong individuals in their fields.
Stacey Lee Dr. Leslie Sombers