Earlier this summer, WIT Mission celebrated the mentors and volunteers involved in our Mentoring Circles. We were proud yet also a bit overwhelmed (in a good way) to have such a huge amount of interest from our high school students and were so elated to have not only enough mentors but also such diverse backgrounds to create both an engaging and personalized experience for the mentees.
This fall, we look to continue the Mentoring Circles. Interested in being a mentor? We are always looking to add more volunteers to the WIT Mission family. During our celebration, we had many questions come from interested volunteers, so we decided to make a short faq below.
What if I’m not in a technical role?
We are interested in mentors of all backgrounds. Actually, most mentoring sessions emphasize building soft skills, such as networking, public speaking, collaboration, etc.
Will I be in charge of coming up with topics for my mentees?
We let our mentors choose how they want to run their sessions, whether that be their own topics, or we provide guidelines for those who want a jumping off point. Mentors can also encourage mentees to voice topics of interest.
How much time can I expect to commit?
We ask our mentors to establish a cadence with their mentees that best fit everyone’s schedule. Usually, we’ve had mentors try to do a session once or twice a month.
Can I volunteer remotely?
Of course! Our mentors choose how they want to run their sessions, whether that be in person or virtual. Usually, students have a variety of after school commitments, so hopping on a virtual meeting makes timing flexible.
What is the best part about being a mentor?
While our mentors all have different answers, a common theme is fulfillment from helping our students, whether that be giving them more insight into what they want to do in the future or simply giving them more confidence to step in front of the classroom for the next presentation.
A statement from a previous mentee below:
“Something I learned was what elevator questions were & what to expect. This is something I never knew existed until we discussed it. Another thing I learned was what to tell the college one may plan to go to, why we chose to go to their college in comparison to another & what to send to stand out more. I never really thought about the process one may have to go through when applying to a college, so this information was extremely helpful for when I begin to apply to one. “
How do I sign up?
Fill out an interest form and we’ll get in contact with you!
As always, we are so grateful for the continued support and hope to further make an impact, one girl at a time.