In an attempt to build stronger bridges between the graduate and undergraduate communities, the Graduate Student Center has launched a new program designed to couple professional and graduate students with undergraduates on campus, offering a candid take on pursuing a career -- professional or academic -- after Penn.
"The goal is to provide support and guidance to undergraduates to navigate through major career decisions during their time in college," said Hilal Nakiboglu, a mentoring fellow and third-year doctoral student in Higher Education Management.
She added that Project Learn, Enable, Aspire, Develop "gives a more holistic sense of what a campus climate should be -- more cohesive. It just becomes better."
According to Nakiboglu -- a former Daily Pennsylvanian columnist -- Penn is one of the first institutions in the country to offer this kind of mentoring.
Entirely funded by the GSC, this pilot program started in September, when e-mails were sent out to students announcing the project's launch.
Until now, most pairs have partaken only in "e-mentoring," exchanging information through e-mail and Instant Messenger. But soon, the students and tutors -- who volunteer their services -- will meet "in whatever manner they want to carry it on," Nakiboglu said.
So far, 20 pairs have signed up, but the organizers hope to expand the number soon.
"I have more mentor volunteers than undergraduates," Nakiboglu said.
The GSC recently held a preliminary meeting with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, which has put together "a very solid system to store mentor and mentee information."
Once Project LEAD is fully implemented, it will likely tie up with GAPSA, forming what Nakiboglu called "a much cleaner system, to allow LEAD to grow."
The graduate students who volunteered specialize in many disciplines, ranging from the Dental and Veterinary schools to the Linguistics Department.
Both a second-year Chemistry graduate student and a full-time science teacher at Benjamin Franklin High School, Abraham Lo said he joined the project as a mentor to guide undergraduates interested in becoming teachers.
"I think [the project] is really important," Lo said. "As an undergrad, it would have been nice to have someone to show me the way."
The couplings are formed by Nakiboglu, who decides upon the pairs after both parties have filled out an online survey.
Questions on the survey cover both sides' academic curricula and extracurricular interests to maximize their compatibility.
Lo was coupled with College freshman Michael Goldstein, who is interested in becoming a history or English teacher.
The project "seemed like a good idea, because I can get good input from a person who has been through what I'm about to go through," Goldstein said.
Lo said he hopes to provide Goldstein with the information necessary to achieve his career goals -- ranging from advice on tutoring responsibilities, required certificates and course selection.
"This has been very helpful," said Goldstein, who has already begun meeting with his mentor once every couple of weeks.
Pairs are designed to meet for one academic year, but shorter terms are possible if there is the feeling that the relationship is not progressing adequately.
Upon request, undergraduates can be paired with mentors from a field different than the one of primary interest, allowing them to explore and debate alternative possibilities.
"Cross-campus [pairing] is new, and we're excited about it," Nakiboglu said.
Even undergraduates who were unaware of the program's launch commented positively on the concept behind it.
"It seems like a good idea," College senior Alison Adachi said. "Penn is a very professional school, and if you want to go into grad school, it would be a good resource."
Some students said that they had not seen the advertisements, but they applauded the idea nonetheless.
"I haven't heard about it," Engineering and College junior Lindsey Lu said. "But it sounds like a pretty good idea."
