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Make a difference in the life of a High School student this summer!

The iCREAT project is designed to recruit, retain, and prepare students from underrepresented populations in STEM and to provide them with the opportunity to opt into a STEM career pathway. In Summer 2016, Mass Bay Community College in collaboration with Boston College and MentorNet will lead a four-week hands-on course in engineering and computing.  The students will also learn about the connections between science, technology and social justice, as well as learn about tools to connect their emerging interests to potential careers.

We will be using MentorNet, an innovative, virtual mentoring platform to connect students with mentors in guided mentorships during the four weeks. The objectives of the mentoring program are to:

  • Engage students in virtual mentorships with graduate students and professionals.
  • Help students and mentors learn how to engage in effective mentorships with individuals who are different from themselves and help students to develop a ”mentoring habit” that supports advancement and success in their educations.
  • Help mentees develop college-readiness skills and explore STEM career pathways through their mentorships.

How iCREAT MentorNet Works.   

Connect. Mentors and mentees complete a brief profile on the MentorNet platform. Mentees are presented with up to three recommended mentors and send a personal invitation to one mentor.

Mentoring is one-on-one – you receive at most two invitations and are matched with at most two mentees. Pairs choose how to communicate – email, video, phone, text – whatever works for them.

Learn. Pairs will receive one to two discussion topics per week. Topics are designed to help mentees explore career interests and pathways. Our topics help to start conversations that lead to meaningful interactions.

Share. Your perspective is valuable to your mentee. Mentor-mentee pairs communicate for about 20 minutes per week during the four-week mentorship.

Succeed. In addition to a sense of fulfillment, your participation and expertise will help us better understand the potential value of mentorships to help under-represented students develop social capital and relationships that can help them persist in their secondary and higher educations.

And helping your mentee can help you! Employers value potential employees who engage in skills-based volunteerism, actively integrating their professional and volunteer interests.

Contact: Dr. Michael Barnett at barnetge@bc.edu or 781-367-2337