Per Residence/PSO & Welcome Period Topic
Do you think you were successful in providing newcomers / mentees with support and assistance in the adjustment and transition in their new university environment?
I personally think I did and tried my best, despite the circumstances All my mentees were quite nervous and anxious about their new journey, but I managed to change their mind during welcoming and told them about all the positive things about university There was a few times when I was able to assist and help my mentees when they struggled academically with the changes of university I also think I really helped my mentees to settle in at res and help them through the process, since none of them had stayed on a hostel before
Yes I believe I was. I have created great bonds with them and believe I assisted them in everything that they needed me for. I have seen them flourish and grow and they have become extremely independent in their university environment yes there are still some things they ask me for however I believe by the end of my term they will be fully equipped to be independent.
What has been the most challenging part of being a mentor? What will you do differently? What will you advise prospective mentors?
The most challenging part was definitely having to stay in touch with all your mentees and trying to balance your academic life I also found it challenging having to connect with a new mentee that joined after welcoming, since she wasn't part of the whole experience from the beginning Something I would do differently is definitely scheduling more times with my mentees, in order to make sure that you are constantly up tp date with them, because life can get hectic sometimes from both side and then one tends to miss catching up with them Something I would advise prospective mentors is to at least find a moment every month, even if it's once in a month to check up on every mentee, either do one on ones or do it as a whole group Also when you mentees need you urgently or asks your help with something, especially academics, try and help them as soon as possible
The most challenging part of being a mentor was definitely keeping myself accountable for all the things I planned to do at the beginning of the year and it was difficult to remain consistent. If there's something I would do differently I would make a list of my goals and my vision and put it on my wall to remember why I'm doing it. I would also not go into my team with preconceived ideas of my team.I would advise prospective mentors to be themselves and stay authentic.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "communication" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
When I meet new people I tend to be an introvert, so I tend to talk less, but being a mentor allowed me to get out of shell and gave me the opportunity to get to know and talk to new people I was able to communicate and voice the way I feel about certain things regarding mentoring with new people, people I never thought I would communicate with on such a scale I also refined and strengthened my communication skills by listening more to others and how they feel, since becoming listener helped me to be an effective communicator
I was generally a good communicator before I became a mentor however I had to learn to not only communicate with my mentees and my mentor team. I had to communicate with my house mother and the house Committee as well. It wasn't a two way relation it had many streams and I had to make sure everyone was aware of everything at all times.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "collaboration" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
When applying for mentoring I originally wanted the physical or emotional well-being pillars, but instead I go something completely out of my comfort zone, which was the intellectual pillar Taking on this pillar that completely falls outside of my comfort zone forced me to rely on the expertise of others, which helped to strengthen my collaboration skills The time spent with my fellow mentors, doing activities together and working with them to reach the same goal also strengthened my collaboration abilities,
I have never been good at working with people my accountability partner Alyce and my head mentor really helped me with this. I was able to learn how to adapt my ideas and merge them with my accountability partner and my team as a whole. When my accountability partner and I planned our event I had to learn to collaborate our ideas.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "critical thinking" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
As a mentor I faced many unexpected challenges which I had to deal with immediately, having to approach these challenges and trying to figure out a way to handle it in the best way possible allowed me to think critically to the way I will respond to the situation Every decision I had to make had an objective and identifying exactly what that is, what I actually want out of it, gave me a starting point to work with the situation, which allowed me to strengthen my critical thinking My critical thinking got developed further by allowing myself to look at the bigger picture in every situation
I was put in situations where I had to think critically for example when my mentee could not work and was having mental health problems I had to think critically and I did this with the help of fellow mentors and my head mentor if it wasn't for their guidance this skill would not have been refined.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "creativity" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
My creativity skills was strengthened by working and collaborating with my fellow mentors when having to complete a task My creativity skills was also strengthened way more by asking for advice and feedback from my fellow mentors, other leaders on the way I did certain things with my mentees and how I handled different situations
I am naturally born creative and I have always been creative this is the different element I brought to the table. My creativity was stretched when it came to problem solving during orientation week however I believe I assisted many other with their creativity which improved my own as a result.
www.sun.ac.za/bewell