Faculty and Staff Student Mentoring

Faculty and Staff have the opportunity to mentor upper-level first-generation students as part of the You First Mentoring Program. At the beginning of each fall and spring semester, faculty who have self-identified with You First as first-generation are asked if they would like to mentor a student. 

The mentoring partnership is designed for the student and mentor to meet several times during the course of the semester, with the option of staying in contact for future semesters.

The mentorship focus is personalized to the student's needs. For example, they may want to talk to about balancing life, work, family, and school responsibilities; becoming a first-gen professional; or navigating the challenges that come with upward mobility. Mentors do not need to be experts in any of these areas--simply talking to someone who the student sees as having gone through a similarly journey can build their confidence.

Mentors and mentees both complete surveys that are used to guide the matching process. If you are a faculty or staff member who is also a first-generation graduate, and you are not already receiving communications regarding mentoring, please email Dr. Elizabeth Bambacus at bambacuses@vcu.edu to get started.