Become a Mentor, Coach, or Campus Champion

 

‌‌‌Explore  |  Excite  |  Inspire ‌
‌UMB CURE Scholar Jackson Collins and his mentor

‌‌Are you interested in the education and professional development of Baltimore youth? Become a UMB CURE Scholars Program mentor!

Your commitment will help West Baltimore students prepare for careers in health care.‌‌

Mentors will work with scholars throughout their middle school and high school years and as they go on to college and perhaps even to graduate school.

Mentors are integral to the effectiveness of the UMB CURE Scholars Program. Research shows mentors play a vital role in the success of children and young adults.

APPLY NOW

 

Benefits of mentorship

  • Demonstrate that research is interesting and rewarding
  • Provide opportunities for laboratory experiences
  • Provide expertise in research area and techniques
  • Introduce your trainee to the scientific community
  • Help your trainee understand scientific organizations, their relationships, and various aspects of their function
  • Provide needed resources and information
  • Act as a sounding board for professional and personal matters
  • Provide encouragement
  • Offer personal attention and guidance
  • Help trainee contend with academic barriers and provide advice about thesis and authorship issues
  • Provide advice about balance between home and laboratory
  • Provide advice about career options
  • Provide help with self-promotion and professional survival

‌What will mentors do? ▾

Mentors serve as an additional layer of support for CURE scholars as they learn about careers in healthcare at CURE. CURE Mentors actively participate in after-school hands on STEM activities, career exploration events and interactive presentations to guide scholars as they navigate their career interests.

With a 1:1 mentor-to-scholar ratio, mentors cultivate relationships with their scholar to:

  • Open doors to expose scholars to science-related experiences as well as professional networks of people and businesses that may become important career connections.
  • Offer guidance and advice to help scholars explore experiences while navigating through middle school, high school, the college application processes, and through college.
  • Offer hands-on and innovative ways to excite scholars about science and health care career options.
  • Provide support and encouragement that will inspire scholars to move beyond their current realm of knowledge to reach higher goals, broader aspirations, and greater dreams.
  • Become a part of the scholars’ network of support that truly cares about the scholars’ health, education, and well-being.

Mentor eligibility and requirements ▾

Mentors can choose to participate in one or all of the following:

  • After-school component
  • Saturday tutoring component
  • Summer enrichment component

Also consider becoming a flex mentor (designed for professionals with greater constraints on their time) or a lead mentor (paid internship; see Lead Mentor Application).

A minimum of a one-year commitment is necessary to be considered for mentorship. A minimum of two in-person mentoring sessions is required per month. All mentors are screened and trained by nationally acclaimed training agencies. 

Mentors can be UMB graduate students, professional school students, faculty, staff, neighboring university students and staff, or alumni; business professionals, community leaders, or community volunteers. Mentors can serve in the capacity of tutor, activity planner, workshop presenter, life-skills coach, and/or general supporter.

Mentor training topics ▾

  • Mentor commitment
  • Cultivating relationships
  • Ongoing trauma training
  • Impact of race and poverty
  • Mentor/mentee matching
  • Parameters of mentoring/risk management
  • Utilizing the support team and case managers
  • Scheduling/documenting hours, activities, and referrals
  • Exposing and inspiring scholars to study STEM and health care
  • Ongoing support and assessments