Mentoring at Deakin

​In 2024, I wanted to give back to Deakin before graduating. Graduating feels like being in the first year of university, there is a lot of excitement but also uncertainty. I wanted to use this experience to reflect on my journey with Deakin and be a positive influence for other students. I wanted to share what Deakin has to offer and support other students who were adjusting to university life by becoming a mentor, I felt that this program was a great way to give back to Deakin University. As a former mentee in 2020, I was aware of the program objectives of “providing support and assistance with [the] transition to life at university”. 

With a focus on the “academic and social transition” to university, my co-mentors and I delivered weekly meetings and created a welcoming space for commencing students for the first 5 weeks of trimester 2. The weekly meetings were tailored to being a successful Deakin student, covering topics from acing assignments, becoming a competitive graduate, and providing helpful support services available. Knowing that the first 5 weeks of the trimester is a crucial time as students are most likely to discontinue their studies, my goal during my time was to support students the best I could. I aimed to create an approachable environment for students to share their experiences, ask questions and get supported. During these meetings, I encouraged discussions by checking in with our mentees and their understanding, clarifying and providing more information when needed. By engaging with mentees every week and encouraging them to get involved with Deakin events, I felt successful in creating a sense of community. This was important to me because I wanted commencing students to have a sense of community and feel supported during the crucial first 5 weeks of university. By sharing my university experience with others and encouraging discussions with my co-mentors and mentees, I saw the confidence of my mentees grow. Ultimately, reaching approximately 30 mentees over the course of our meetings and keeping up to 90 mentees up to date on the Microsoft Teams channel. Following this experience, I hope to continue mentoring in future because I find empowering others truly rewarding. This was apparent because I kept feeling that I could have gotten involved earlier, this pushed me to go for further opportunities within the program but also commit to looking for similar opportunities as a graduate. An example of how I met the objectives of “deliver[ing] a positive and supportive university experience” was during our meetings. There was a regular mentee who was shy and preferred to engage via the chat setting, with no camera or microphone. By encouraging them to engage in what way was most comfortable to them and taking the time to stop our presentation to engage in conversations, we mentors built a strong relationship with our mentee. During our weekly meetings, we had in-person events and encouraged them to get involved, although we were met with hesitation, I encouraged them to come along for prizes. Our mentee was then encouraged to come along to our mentor hub in Week 5. This experience taught me the value of supporting people to make their own decisions in their own time within their comfort. Overall, by planning the meetings, showcasing strong teamwork capabilities and being in tune with the needs of others, I was able to contribute to the development of others through mentoring.

In recognising my passion for mentoring, I was involved in other opportunities including the mentor hub, end-of-program celebrations and promotional content. During my mentor hub shift, I contributed to a supportive environment for all students. I welcomed interested onlookers and encouraged people to get involved with our hub. An example includes when a student was too early for class, I welcomed them to our group and we played games together. They felt comfortable opening up about their recent struggles in their studies, by validating their concerns and helping them maintain perspective, I eased their stresses and helped them take a break. This was meaningful for me because I was able to positively contribute to the wellbeing of others. Additionally, during my shift at the drop-in desk for the end-of-program celebration my role included answering queries of onlookers, encouraging people to join in and promoting the mentoring program to interested students.  As mentors, we were faced with a range of scenarios and drew upon the support of each other to help a range of people. An example of how I was able to empower students to become independent learners was when a lost student was trying to find a classroom for a fellowship seminar past the start time, finding the experience frustrating. Upon observing that my co-mentor needed support, I enquired what was wrong. The link provided to direct the student to the relevant classroom was providing a link to the unit site instead. I asked the student to go back to the email and locate the contact details for the person organising the event and asked them to give them a call. It was clear by the relief on their face as they headed off to find their classroom, that I was able to successfully address their needs. This experience was meaningful for me as I remember also feeling overwhelmed in my first-year, being able to support someone else in a similar position was rewarding because I gave back to my community and create a welcoming environment at Deakin, resulting in approximately 150 students attendance over the 2-hour celebration. By creating a supportive environment with the focus on other’s wellbeing, I discovered my passion for mentoring and hope to bring this into my future career. ​​​​

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