MIDWEST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM—MIDWEST Mentors

Mentors who are interested in the mentorship program will:

• Meet with as many as 6 high-school students with disabilities who are interested in STEM in one-on-one mentoring sessions
• Share their experiences with STEM, transitioning to college, accommodations…
• Share what they have learned through their own experiences
• Be a role model for a student with a similar disability and interest in STEM
• Receive a stipend for their participation

 

Mentors and high school students (called Scholars) will be meet at least once/month in one of three ways. Scholars will be assigned to one of the following communication groups. Mentors can expect two work with scholars from a variety of communication groups (at least one Scholar will be from each of these groups).

Face-to-Face Communication (FFC):

Mentors will travel with MIDWEST’s Mentoring Program Coordinator to the high school once a month for face-to-face meetings.  A monthly topic or prompt will be suggested, but Mentors and Scholars are free to discuss other topics in addition to (but not in place of) the suggested topic.  College students will mentor Scholars about STEM, transitioning to college, accommodations, self-advocacy, etc.

Mentors and Scholars may also work on projects or presentations that can be shared with local elementary and middle schools.

Computer-Mediated-Communication (CMC):

In this communication group, Scholars and Mentors will communicate via e-mail or electronic chat.  Unlike Face-to-Face Communication, Scholars and Mentors will not be restricted to a particular day or time, but will be able to communicate at their convenience.  A monthly topic or prompt will be suggested, but Mentors and Scholars are free to discuss other topics in addition to (but not in place of) the suggested topic.  College students will mentor Scholars about STEM, transitioning to college, accommodations, self-advocacy, etc.

Mentors and Scholars may also work on projects or presentations that can be shared with local elementary and middle schools.  Because this communication is completely computer-mediated, the projects would need to be computer based (like an online presentation, online discussion hosted by Mentor and Scholar, etc)

Hybrid Communication (HCP):

Mentors and Scholars will meet for sessions that will take place either in person (at the high school) or via the internet.  The Mentor and Scholar will meet Face-to-Face regularly and will be able to communicate via e-mail or electronic chats.

Mentors and Scholars can work on projects or presentations that can be shared with local elementary and middle schools.  Mentors and Scholars in this group can create live presentations and projects or electronic versions of them.

Mentors will be assigned to work with students from each one of these groups; therefore the mentor will be engaging in FFC, CMC, and HCP.

TRAINING

Training will be provided and will include information about boundary setting, etiquette, Mentor/Scholar responsibilities, and goal-setting.

APPLICATION

Select the application format that will work best for you.  Download the application; and follow the instructions on the first page.

Application in .pdf format (Requires Adobe Reader -- Download the latest version of Adobe Reader)
Application in .doc format

MORE INFORMATION

Contact:
Alicia R. Blegen
Mentorship Program Coordinator
MIDWEST Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
University of Wisconsin—Madison

608-890-0992

Page last updated 02/28/07