Since 2008, every Point Flagship Scholar has been matched with an individual mentor who connects them with networking opportunities, provides feedback on academic and professional projects. Point mentors help our students build a strong foundation upon which they can build a successful career.
According to a recent campus mentors study by College Pulse, more than 45% of college and university students do not have access to a mentor. When asked what the biggest barrier was in accessing mentorship, 53% of students reported they didn’t know how to find one. By providing a vetted and trained mentor to each Point Flagship Scholar, Point removes this barrier, ensuring our LGBTQ college students have the guidance needed to successfully complete their degrees.
What is the role of a mentor?
Point Flagship Scholar Yvin Shin shared that her mentor, Point Alum Adaobi Kanu "provides the type of mentorship I’ve always wanted—close enough in age where she seems accessible yet experienced enough to share her wisdom."
Yvin said mentor-student relationships are like "a microcosm of Point as a whole."
"Whenever I look at this organization, I see the unconditional celebration of passion, hobby, accomplishment, and complete and total personhood," Yvin said. "That’s my favorite part of Point: being part of something that affirms every single part of me, and where I can affirm every single part of others. Because there will never be a world that is made worse off by empowering brilliant, deserving LGBTQ college students to do what they care about."
What are the benefits of a mentorship program?
Tim Bresnahan, a Point Alum and current Point Mentor said Point mentorships are an essential part of the Point programming.
“The mission of Point is to prepare us as members of the LGBT community for career, for community service, for relationships at large (…)and having navigated the mentorship experience at Point, I feel like it prepared me to be successful in my first experience in the corporate sector,” Tim said.
At Point, we’ve seen how mentorship positively impacts Point Scholars. 75% of Point Community College Scholars transfer to four-year colleges and universities — which is triple the national average. This year, 19 Point Alumni who, like Tim, recognized just how important mentorship was to them while they were studying, have returned to serve as Point mentors and coaches for current scholars.
Interested in becoming a Point mentor? Learn how you can provide life-changing support for LGBTQ students by visiting our volunteer page.
