"The Work I Do Does Matter": A Graduate Student Mentor Case Study

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Mentoring for Higher Education Students (Table 10)

Abstract

Programs to mentor undergraduates, particularly those who identify as first-generation college students, are important in terms of academic and non-academic outcomes. This qualitative case study examined a graduate student over the course of three years as she mentored first-generation students within a Title V-funded student center. Findings demonstrated that the graduate mentor utilized her multiple identities to build connections, expanded the undergraduates’ view of the university and beyond, as well as created activities as a mentor. This case study builds on prior literature on mentorship, elucidating a graduate student mentor’s view of her role and what she felt should or should not have been included in that role, which can be helpful for other programs developing similar mentoring programs.

Authors

• Krista L. Lucas, Pepperdine University

• Sarah Ann Roberts, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Michael Lloydhauser, University of California - Santa Barbara