Mustang Mentor Spotlight: Cydney Leach

The Mustang Mentors peer mentoring program is designed to help first-year, second-year, and transfer students feel right at home. We match incoming Mustangs with upperclassmen peer mentors who share their academic interests, hobbies, and goals for the future.

Cydney Leach, a junior Music Education major from Frisco, Texas, first served as a peer mentor last year. This year, she has returned to the program not only as a peer mentor but also as the very first Mustang Mentors Ambassador.

In this new leadership role, Cydney will serve as a key representative and advocate for the program. Her role will help increase peer-to-peer engagement, support event planning, and foster connections across the cohort. 

Q: What initially intrigued you about returning to the Mustang Mentors Program this year? 

I wanted to create more organic connection throughout the program. The connection I built with my mentee last year was a great opportunity to meet and connect with someone outside of my major who shared similar interests.

Q: How has being a peer mentor shaped your career readiness? 

This program has really shaped me as a leader. It’s been cool to have a mentee and learn to identify and encourage their strengths that they may not be aware of. I’ve learned how to help guide people in the right direction.

Over the summer, my job was a music education summer camp counselor, and I got to employ those skills that I learned as a Mustang Mentor and help the kids grow musically and personally.

Q: What are some tangible skills that you have developed since being a peer mentor? 

Organization for sure! Always having to prepare for my meetings with my mentees and think through what I’m going to talk about requires me to stay organized so that I can better help them.

A soft skill that I’ve developed is empathy. Especially being paired with someone who is on a different major path than I am as a music major, I’ve had to learn how to relate to the academic struggle as a whole even though my path as a music ed major looks very different.

I’d also say just learning how to be a coach is something I’ve developed. Like I said, being able to see the strengths in my mentee and pull them out of them is something I’ve gotten better at in my peer relationships.

Q: How are you hoping that being the Mustang Mentor Ambassador will spark growth in you, personally and professionally? 

I am hopeful that this opportunity will make me the kind of leader that not just meets other people, but can then foster connections between others. I think connection is a very important part of feeling welcomed anywhere, so I just want to be that person for others.

Q: What advice would you give to a first-year who is in Mustang Mentors?

Go to all of the events, it’s a great way to meet new people. I’d say connect with different organizations on campus, even if it only piques your interest a little bit. It’s better to say that you tried something and it wasn’t your cup of tea, than to be questioning whether or not it would’ve been a good fit for you.

Q: Can you share a favorite memory from being a peer mentor last year? 

My mentee and I were really big foodies. So we would use our mentorship meetings as an excuse to try all of the restaurants that would rotate in the revolving kitchen in Hughes Trigg.  We would do taste tests and pretend that we were giving food reviews.

To learn more about the Mustang Mentors Program and upcoming events, visit our website or email us at  mustangmentors@smu.edu.