Mentor a College Student

The Gavilan College Puente Program is seeking volunteer community mentors for college students. The ideal mentor is able to communicate with college-age students, is open-minded and a good listener, can make time in their schedule for meetings and conversations. Mentors should have earned, at minimum, a Bachelors degree and live or work in the Gavilan College district. Each Puente student is matched with a mentor from the business or professional community. Mentors share their personal, academic and career experiences and provide a window into "real-life" work environments. The network of trained Puente mentors provides many resources for the Puente students, their families, their colleges and the communities. Mentors are matched to students by a combination of gender, interests, personality type, family background and cultural background. Prospective mentors will be scheduled for interviews. All those selected must be able to attend required Student and Mentor Socials (October 26th, December 7th, February 8th, March 15th) from 6 pm to 8 pm; Parent/Student/Mentor Celebration (April 27th, Friday) and a required Mentor Training , Saturday September 23rd. The mission of the Puente Program is to increase the number of educationally underserved students who plan to transfer to four-year colleges and universities, earn degrees and return to the community as leaders and mentors to future generations. Research indicates that Puente students transfer at a high rate and succeed academically at the university level. Contact Diane Sousa for general information and an application at (408) 848-4723 or email dsousa@gavilan.edu. ###