It was a real privilege to be part of the Futures Initiative Mentoring Workshop the past two days, hosted by the Graduate Center with participants from 8 additional CUNY campuses. As part of the Futures Initiative course offerings, undergraduate mentors from the first FI course (“Mapping the Futures of Higher Education“) will mentor incoming undergraduate students for the 2015-2015 academic year.
These students, hailing from New York City’s five boroughs, proved to be motivated and remarkable. They were led by very capable hands — Hilarie Ashton, Rachel Oppenheimer and Natalie Oshukany (FI Teaching Fellows) — and easily took the lead as well, to build and learn together.
To kick off, Rachel Oppenheimer introduces BINGO, for students to get to know one another.
Undergraduate mentors before talking and learning about each other.
Mentors playing BINGO and learning about their fellow mentors.
Hilarie Ashton working with a mentor and filling out BINGO sheets.
A mentor filling out his BINGO sheet and learning about his talented cohort.
Futures Initiative Director Cathy Davidson welcomes the FI Mentors after the BINGO kick-off.
Mentors respond to the first Think-Pair-Share, thinking about the challenges they face as college students, and what skills they have used to work through their challenges.
Mentors share to discuss their challenges.
Challenges and skills are recorded on our Google Doc and on large posters for the larger group to reflect on.
Mentors reflect on what makes a good mentor, and discuss motivational interviewing.
Jade Davis, Associate Director of Digital Learning Projects at LaGuardia Community College, weighs in on the discussion.
Mentors work on mentoring scenarios in groups to share with everyone.
Joined here by Teaching Fellow Natalie Oshukany, mentors develop their mentoring scenarios to share with the group.
Mentors acting out mentoring scenarios.
Mentors got creative with costumes while acting out mentoring scenarios.
The audience enjoying the mentoring scenarios.
After lunch, mentors talk about transferable skills, led by Emily Seamone from the Graduate Center.
Mentors sort through cards to determine their skill set.
Emily Seamone working with a mentor to determine and record her skills.
Once sorting through their skills, mentors come to look at their skill profiles.
The day continued with mentors being led by Futures Initiative Fellows Alison Guess and Mike Rifino to work on collaborative Résumé Building. Jade Davis, Associate Director of Digital Learning Projects at LaGuardia Community College, discussed public writing with the Futures Initiative Mentors, and Hilarie Ashton led a Guided Writing and Exit Ticket activity.
As was tweeted out from @FuturesED the first day, “Such a difference once people start talking, learning about each other! Palpable difference in energy.”
