Category: Mentorship

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Academic Center for Excellence Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Academic Skill Development Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center First-Generation Initiative Honors and Scholars Mentorship Rotunda Scholars Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Academic Success Programs Student Success & Retention Tutoring University Advising Center Writing Center

SMU Featured in the FirstGen Forward Blog!

girls smiling holding first-gen t-shirt

FirstGen Forward is a nationally recognized program highlighting institutions committed to improving the experiences and outcomes of first-generation college students. This network provides collaboration, resource sharing, and innovation opportunities to better support first-generation students throughout their academic journeys.

This month, we are honored to be featured by FirstGen Forward, showcasing our work to foster belonging, provide mentorship, and advocate for first-generation students.

Check out our featured blog here: https://www.firstgenforward.org/blog/raising-the-first-gen-mark-at-smu

We’re proud to be part of this national movement and excited for the opportunities this will bring! Stay tuned for more updates on how we continue to uplift and empower first-gen students.

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Honors and Scholars Mentorship Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning - Entrepreneurship Student Academic Engagement & Success

Mustang Mentors Spotlight: Hayley and Fenix

Meet Hayley and Fenix, one of the first mentorship pairs in the Mustang Mentors peer mentoring program.

Fenix, a freshman at SMU, arrived on campus in Fall 2024 excited to explore every opportunity to invest in herself. As an undecided major, she was looking for guidance from someone who had been in her shoes and shared her academic interest and goals. Who better than a peer?

After receiving an invitation to join Mustang Mentors, Fenix was matched with Hayley, a senior majoring in Applied Physiology and Sport Management. Initially, Hayley said, “I was so nervous to be a mentor, and then once I met Fenix and realized how much we had in common, I knew I could actually help her with the things she needed.”

Fenix’s academic and career interests ranged from business to advertising, marketing to communications, and everything in between – very similar to Hayley’s.

“When I would talk to Hayley about her experiences with applications to Advertising and to Cox, then making her shift to sports management, it gave me confidence to say ‘Okay, I’ll end up where I need to be at the end of the day. There is so much I can do at this school,'” said Fenix.

For Hayley, the leadership opportunity to be a mentor during her senior year came at the perfect time. When the program came across her email, she knew “this could be a good opportunity to keep me accountable and to also meet someone I would’ve never met in any other setting.”

Both Fenix and Hayley shared the impact of peer mentorship on their college experience. “Having a peer mentor is motivating — especially knowing you are not alone and that you can ask for help. It gives you a foundation to keep you grounded in yourself and make more friends,” says Fenix.

“Being on the other end of this as a mentor, it’s a good way to see where I’m at with my leadership skills. I’m not one to normally put myself out there for positions like this, so it’s an experience I wouldn’t have ever gotten without this program,” says Hayley.

Peer Mentorship Matters

Hayley and Fenix’s mentorship highlights the important role of peer mentorship at SMU. Click here to watch their brief interview on youtube!

If you know a student who could benefit from Mustang Mentors, encourage them to email us at mustangmentors@smu.edu or visit our website smu.edu/mustangmentors!

 

 

 

 

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Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Mentorship Office of General Education Pathways to Industry Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Success & Retention Tutoring University Foundations Writing Center

15 Students Return from Leave, 12 Readmitted for Spring 2025 semester

Group of students

The Return from Leave of Absence (RLOA) initiative, launched by the Office of Student Success on October 23, 2024, aimed to welcome back Mustangs on leave last term and inform them about Spring semester enrollment updates.

Shun Colter, Assistant Director, and Saahil Mathews, Program Coordinator from the Office of Student Success and Retention co-directed this initiative.

The total number of students that originally indicated a return for Spring ‘25 was 38 undergraduate students. Currently, there are 15 students enrolled for the Spring ‘25 semester. 6 students extended their leave of absence to return at a later semester.

A total of 15 former students were readmitted (RADM), with 12 of them enrolling for the Spring ’25 semester.

To start off the campaign, emails were sent in October, introducing Shun Colter, Assistant Director, and providing information about helpful resources at SMU. This information was sent to the students personal and SMU email addresses. Second, postcards were designed and sent to the students’ mailing and home addresses.

The final outreach was conducted in January ’25, reminding students that their home at the Hilltop misses them. The communication also provided information for their School of Record and Academic Advisor/Degree Counselor to address any enrollment questions.

If you have any questions or want to know more details about the RLOA campaign, you can email us at ssr@smu.edu.

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Academic Center for Excellence Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Academic Development of Student-Athletes (ADSA) Academic Skill Development Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies First-Generation Initiative Hilltop Scholars Honors and Scholars Mentorship Mustang Scholars National Fellowships National Fellowships Office of Engaged Learning Office of General Education Pathways to Industry President’s Scholars Rotunda Scholars SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Academic Success Programs Student Success & Retention Tutoring University Advising Center University Foundations University Honors Program University Testing Center Writing Center

All SAES offices to close February 11 from 2 – 3:30 pm for division meeting

The Division of Student Academic Engagement and Success will gather for our semesterly division meeting on Tuesday, February 11.

To permit full participation by all division employees, we will temporarily close all offices from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

We will return to normal business operations thereafter. Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience in advance. If you have any questions, please email academicsuccess@smu.edu.

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Mentorship Office of Engaged Learning

National Mentoring Month – January 2025

Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? Peer mentorship is a valuable high-impact practice that fosters personal and academic growth in college students by creating connections, a sense of belonging, and providing the guidance they need to be successful. The Mustang Mentors Peer Mentoring program, launched by The Office of Engaged Learning, is bringing peer-mentorship to life.

National Mentoring Month was created in 2002 by MENTOR and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to “amplify, encourage, and strengthen mentorship for young people.”

The goals of National Mentoring Month are to:

  • Raise awareness of mentoring in its various forms.
  • Recruit individuals to mentor, especially in programs that have waiting lists of young people
  • Promote the rapid growth of mentoring by recruiting organizations to engage their constituents in mentoring

The Mustang Mentors program has an exciting semester ahead with cohort events and recruitment for the upcoming academic year.

Do you know a student who is looking for community or an opportunity to build their leadership skills? Encourage them to sign up to gain a mentor or become a mentor by visiting the Mustang Mentors website.

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Mentorship Office of Engaged Learning Student Academic Engagement & Success

Forging New Pathways: Tiffany Nguyen leads as the inaugural PBI PAL

Headshot of Tiffany Nguyen

Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) are vital at SMU, offering support to fellow students across campus. This year, Pathways to Business and Industry partnered with the program to create a dedicated PAL role for students exploring careers in business and industry. The inaugural PBI PAL, Tiffany Nguyen, is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Data Science with a minor in Cognitive Science. 

Tiffany’s academic path wasn’t straightforward. Initially planning to double major in business and computer science, she discovered her passions weren’t within a business major but within courses offered by the Lyle School of Engineering, which led her to focus on her major in computer science. Her computer science background is preparing her for a future in business and industry. “Computer Science at SMU gives me a balance of technical, leadership, and communication skills. Our faculty encourages group work, which you don’t always get at other universities,” she noted. 

As a THRIVE Scholar and Rotunda Scholar, Tiffany benefited from peer mentors who introduced her to opportunities like the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) She appreciates the flexibility of her BA in Computer Science, which allows her to take electives and pursue her minor in Cognitive Science. A psychology class she took for her minor was particularly impactful. 

Balancing her many roles, Tiffany emphasizes the importance of passion. “If you have a passion for something, you can balance it. It’s what keeps me going!”

For students exploring career options, Tiffany advises, “Don’t be afraid. If you want to go into business, go for it. I realized I could be a software engineer at a finance firm, combining the business and technical aspects I enjoy.”  

Tiffany’s enthusiasm and leadership shine through in her role as PBI PAL. She meets weekly with students, guiding them on academic and career paths while helping them discover their passions.

If you know students interested in business and industry, encourage them explore the PBI program and connect with Tiffany for mentorship and support.  

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Mentorship Office of Engaged Learning Student Academic Engagement & Success

An Unexpected Friendship: Walker and Bianey’s Journey with Mustang Mentors

Sometimes the connection you need is one you don’t go searching for – just ask SMU transfer students Walker Homan and Bianey Rojas. As members of the inaugural Mustang Mentors Peer Mentoring cohort, they’ve found in each other not only a peer mentor and mentee, but also a friend who has enriched their college experience.  

Walker, the peer mentor, and Bianey, the mentee, were first paired together in September 2024 through the Mustang Mentors’ matching survey, which pairs mentors and mentees together based on shared academic interests, hobbies, and backgrounds. Both transfer students majoring in Economics, Walker with a Math minor and Bianey with a double minor in Business and Spanish, the pair quickly found commonality in their academic experiences and transition to SMU. However, it is the different perspectives they each share with each other that makes their mentorship truly unique.  

Reflecting on her academic experiences, Bianey recalled how close-minded she felt towards math as a subject until she met Walker. “Walker will just do math for fun! Being mentored by him has shifted my mindset about math and he always encourages me to not give up in my classes,” says Bianey.  

Meanwhile Walker, who initially felt unqualified to be a mentor, says, “with it being only my second semester at SMU, mentorship to Bianey has given me another way to define myself. In the context of SMU, it’s given me another SMU identity. Yeah, I’m an Econ student, and I do undergraduate research, but I’m also a Mustang Mentor.”  

Bianey also describes how Mustang Mentors has deepened her sense of belonging at SMU. “I love SMU, but I thought being a transfer and commuter student would really make it different for me. Being a commuter, I just would come to campus just for class and then go back home, but through this mentorship program and the events, it has given me a reason to stay and meet other people in the program,” says Bianey.  

The two agreed that there is no way they would’ve met if not for Mustang Mentors. “This program connects you to people you otherwise wouldn’t have met. If you can be a peer mentor in Mustang Mentors, just do it. Especially if you’re a transfer student, it’s just nice to have one more friendly face on campus,” says Walker.  

The Mustang Mentors program goes beyond academics. Through shared insights and consistent encouragement, peer mentoring empowers students like Walker and Bianey to make the most of their SMU journey.  To learn more about Mustang Mentors, visit our website at smu.edu/mustangmentors.

 

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Mentorship Office of Engaged Learning Student Academic Engagement & Success

Celebrating the Inaugural Mustang Mentors Cohort Lunch

The Mustang Mentors peer-mentoring program, through the Office of Engaged Learning, had its first-ever cohort lunch, bringing together new mentors and mentees from across campus. The lunch served as an opportunity for mentors and mentees to build relationships with their peers in the program.

The inaugural cohort currently has 41 match pairs that represent a diverse range of academic disciplines, career interests, and involvements in extracurricular activities. The mentors, comprised of upperclassmen students who have been successful on the Hilltop, meet with their mentees at least once a month for goal setting in their collegiate career and to further peer-to-peer connection.

The Mustang Mentors Program is an essential, university wide retention tool for students at SMU who do not belong to an academic community or a larger group of affiliation. You can be a part of this campus wide effort as a faculty/staff member by nominating a student to serve as a mentor or be a mentee with this form. 

More updates to come as the Mustang Mentors program progresses, showcasing the stories of mentors and mentees who are making connections at SMU.