Mentoring in the Storm: Finding Light When Darkness Falls

• In Event: Cultivating Urban Education Leaders: A Collaborative Mentorship Model for Systemic Transformation

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution and sustainability of mentoring relationships between doctoral students during the unprecedented global crisis. Through in-depth analysis of the nationally recognized Doctoral Fellows program within The Urban Education Collaborative, we explore how a mentorship model pairing senior doctoral students with newer doctoral students created reciprocal relationships fostering scholarship, strategic development, and comprehensive support. While the world presented extraordinary challenges to traditional mentoring approaches, this paper demonstrates how integrating culturally relevant and trauma-informed mentoring practices enabled the program to not only survive but thrive during this turbulent period. The study reveals that when mentorship models incorporate robust trauma-informed approaches and cultural responsiveness, they develop resilience capable of withstanding crisis conditions with success across various climates.

Authors

• Torie Wheatley, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

• Stephanie Thomas-Woodard, Lenoir-Rhyne University