How to Build a Mentor Program: Bridge the Gap Between Academic and the “Real World” with Human Centered Connections

Develop a successful mentoring pod program with students and alumni. The presenters will share their program’s 5-year transformation, including participant feedback. In a 1:3 mentor to mentee format, students and alumni build trust and a sense of belonging through engaging and vulnerable conversations about authentic storytelling, building confidence in students’ skills, and networking. They reflect on the program’s challenges, triumphs, lessons learned, and benefits of multi-generational community support. Attendees receive a mentor playbook.