Mentor Program

The International Student Programs Mentor Program selects returning U.S. and international students to serve as mentors to incoming international students and domestic Ametrica participants. Students will meet their mentors during orientation and will consult with them regularly throughout the semester. Mentors will provide a student’s perspective on both academic and personal life at Macalester. Their job is to help international students feel comfortable at Macalester and answer their questions about policies and procedures related to life in the residence halls, campus facilities, registration and academic procedures, as well as questions about U.S. culture and off-campus opportunities in the Twin Cities Metro community.

Where have the ISP mentors been all summer? Check out this video to find out!

Ke (Christina) Cai (Class of 2020) is a sophomore from Beijing, China. She is an Economics and Applied Math double major and is considering a minor in political science. She loves to talk to animals and people. At Mac, she is involved in Macalester Consulting Group, Chinese Culture Club and Women in Econ. In her free time, Christina enjoys playing the piano, sketching, swimming and, of course, sleeping. She is very excited about her first year as an ISP mentor and can’t wait to meet all the freshmen soon!

Alison Chi (Class of 2018) is a senior from Lawrence, Kansas. She is double majoring in Computer Science and Linguistics and minoring in Chinese, and she loves learning and practicing different foreign languages. This past spring, she studied abroad in Singapore, which was a fantastic experience. She is excited to get back to Mac, where she is involved with the Department of Multicultural Life and Chinese Culture Club.  In her free time, she enjoys trying out new recipes, playing the piano, and reading.

Paul Chery (Class of 2018) is originally from Nancy, France. He moved to Peoria, Arizona in 2009. Paul is a Physics and Computer Science major with a Critical Theory concentration. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, taking pictures, and searching for the meaning of life. Paul started working for ISP in the spring of 2015.

Arianna Dart (Class of 2019) is a Junior and is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is majoring in Neuroscience and is on the pre-med track. She spent a year living in Northeastern Brazil and loves speaking Portuguese. She also loves learning new words and phrases in other languages- her favorite thing to learn how to say is “ice cream”. In her spare time, she enjoys taking walks to the river, lying in the grass, and drinking coffee. She is so excited to be a mentor and can’t wait to get to know everyone!

Sheena Diong (Class of 2018) was born in Singapore but at the age of four moved to Beijing, China where she remained till she graduated high school. Sheena is a Psychology and Educational Studies double major. In her spare time, she enjoys sleeping, snacking and pretending to do homework in the library. Last Spring, Sheena spent a semester abroad in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where she learned zero Dutch but can now bike like a pro. This is Sheena's third year as an ISP mentor.

Kamelia (Kami) Drenkova (Class of 2020) is a sophomore and is originally from Sofia, Bulgaria. She plans on majoring in Biology with a Biochemistry emphasis and minoring in Chemistry. During her free time she likes to hike (her favorite hiking place is the Seven Rila Lakes), cook and bake, and spend time with her friends. She is super excited to become an ISP mentor and meet new people from all over the world. Kami started working for ISP in the spring of 2017.

Julia Fritz-Endres (Class of 2019) grew up in a State Park in Carlisle, Massachusetts. She's majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Creative Writing, and you can often find her climbing trees by the river or writing bad poetry to procrastinate. She spends most of her time outside getting lost on runs, exploring the Twin City's music scene, or throwing a frisbee on Old Main. In the winter she skis but will hibernate for a few chilly weeks in January. She's involved in several groups on campus, including the Mac Weekly, the "Chanter" literary magazine, and the Macalester Orchestra. This is her second year as an ISP mentor and third(ish) year as an office worker. She had lots of fun last year and can't wait to meet all the new students this fall!

Stacy Gerondelis (Class of 2019) lives in Atlanta, Georgia and is a junior. She is double majoring in International Studies and Political Science with a minor in German and a concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism. At Mac, Stacy is involved in student government and Asian Pacific Islander Americans in Coalition (APIAC) and enjoys Friday Talk and Tea in ISP and attending on-campus performances. Otherwise, she likes musicals, reading, and learning languages. 

Gary Huang (Class of 2020) is sophomore originally from Los Angeles, California. He moved to Beijing, China in 2006 and lived there for ten years. He plans on majoring in Computer Science and Biology. He enjoys singing (in choirs), Ultimate Frisbee, cooking, baking and board games. He’s excited to be a mentor this year and meet all the new students coming to Mac.

Meha Jain (Class of 2019) is from Mumbai, India and is majoring in Economics and International Studies. She is trying to learn French and will potentially minor in it. She loves to read, write, spend time outside, and meet new people! She is especially excited to be an ISP mentor and can't wait to meet all the incoming first-years.  

Ellie Janda (Class of 2019) is a junior from Stoughton, Wisconsin. She is working on an International Studies major and an Environmental Studies minor. Ellie works in the Studio Arts Department, and also fills the position of Macalester’s favorite freelance haircutter. In her free time, Ellie enjoys reading, sitting in the sun, and drinking good coffee. She is also always excited to meet new people, and can’t wait to mentor a new round of first years this fall!

Minji Kim (Class of 2019) is Korean by birth, but is Kiwi at heart. She spent almost 7 years in beautiful New Zealand. She is a wannabe Chemistry nerd and a lover of the French language. She has spent two summers in Minnesota already working in a Computational Chemistry lab at Mac and loves biking around the Twin Cities, chilling by the lakes and going to summer festivals. During the semester, Olin Rice becomes her second home but she also enjoys playing the percussion in the Wind Ensemble, playing the Cajon for the Mac Christian Fellowship and organising events for the Asian Pacific Awareness Month. Don't get her started on archery, Earl Grey tea or old movies before you brace yourself for a 2 hour conversation!

Haruhiko Kuramochi (Class of 2019) is a junior from Palo Alto, California. He is a chemistry major and wants to pursue more studies in mathematics. When he’s not in Olin Rice, he spends his time listening to music, reading world literature and the daily news, and watching movies with friends. At Mac, he’s been involved with Quizbowl, Mac Yarn, and Asian-Pacific Awareness (APA) Month. He’s excited for another chance to meet the newest faces at Macalester and really wants to get to know them!

Meng (Stella) Luo (Class of 2020) is a sophomore from Beijing, China. She is born and raised in Beijing. Her major is going to be Chemistry, possibly with an emphasis in Biochem. Also, she enjoys music as a huge part of her life. So she minors in music,and her instrument is contemporary voice. At Mac, she is part of Team Asia and Macalester Chorale. Stella loves to travel during vacations and learning new languages/cultures. She is very excited to be a first-year mentor and meet new people from all over the world!

Billan Omar (Class of 2020) grew up in Northern Virginia and is originally Somali. This past summer she went back to Boroma in Somalia for a couple months, where she taught English classes and spent time cooking with her grandmother. She is a sophomore who intends to be an International Studies and Political Science double major with an African Studies concentration. She is part of Afrika!, the Black History Month Committee, and Chromactics. On any day you can probably find her on the swings outside the LC with her journal, playing tag on the fourth floor of the library, or going on late night rants in the Loch. She is so excited to meet the new students and show them the best way to make cinnamon toast in Cafe Mac without making the toaster catch on fire.

Selma Osman (Class of 2020) is a sophomore living in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She was born in Cairo, Egypt and moved to the UAE at age 8. Selma plans to major in Economics and concentrate in Urban Studies. Given her mixed cultural background (she is half Egyptian and half Minnesotan), she loves to travel and explore new cultures. Selma also enjoys baking, taking walks, visiting art museums, and playing basketball. She is very excited to be an ISP mentor, and looks forward to meeting everyone in the fall!

Dongmin Park (Class of 2018) is a senior from Seoul, South Korea. She spent her whole life living in different places, including Japan, Sri Lanka, Chicago, Qatar, and Egypt. She studied in the Netherlands last fall and loved traveling around Europe and chasing majestic clouds. Dongmin is a Computer Science and Political Science double major and she enjoys working in ISP and in the Mairs concert hall. In her free time, Dongmin eats strawberries, watches late night comedy, plays the tuba/piano, bikes to Lake Nokomis, and stays out of trouble. :)

Aman Rai (Class of 2019) was born and raised in Ghaziabad, India. He is planning on double majoring in Economics and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. He spent his last two years of schooling at UWC Mahindra College in Pune, India. He loves playing Basketball, Table Tennis and also plays on the Macalester Ultimate Frisbee team. Aman started to work for ISP in Spring 2016.

Angel Sylvester (Class of 2020) is a sophomore from Maple Grove, MN. She is a Chemistry major with Biochemistry emphasis and considering a Computer Science minor. She plans on doing pre-med track. This year, she will be working with the ITS Help Desk. With her free time she enjoys obsessing over k-dramas and visiting hiking/walking trails. In addition, she is also an excessive nap taker and book worm. She is ecstatic to be a mentor for the first time this year!

Yen Sheng Tan (Class of 2018) is a senior from Penang, Malaysia. He majors in Biology and Biology only. This summer he is doing research with the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota. At Mac, Yen Sheng is involved in Macalester Badminton Club, APA Month, and Wind Ensemble. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports such as badminton, basketball, table tennis. He also likes cooking, playing guitar and piano, exploring the cities and talking to people.  

Qian Wang (Class of 2019), pronounced tszch-i-an, is from Beijing, China. He is double majoring in Econ/Math. He feels emotionally charged when doing math, and also has a passion for poli-sci topics about "capitalism". In his free time he cooks waffle in Cafe Mac and plays with his pet goldfish. He plays piano, and can even improvise a little if you give him a tune. The coolest thing he can do is make electronic remixes with music software. He also watches anime, plays video games and browses silly youtube videos. He used to be a vegetarian.

Ruotong Wang (Class of 2019) is from Beijing, China. She likes her home city because of the infinite possibilities that could feed her curiosity. At Mac, she is involved with ISP, CCC and spontaneous events on campus. She majors in Sociology and Mathematics, but she also likes Philosophy. In her free time, she likes taking pictures of the cities, talking to people, learning their perspectives and people watching although everyone says it’s a creepy hobby. Her happiness comes from eating, more precisely, snacking, but only recently did she start cooking. She is not good at cooking but is willing to learn! Hope she can cook for her mentees by the time PO4IS starts!

Qingyu (Alice) Zhu (Class of 2019) is a junior who double majors in Math and Economics. She is from Nanjing, China, a city where duck is the residents’ favorite meat. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, watching vlogs and exploring cities for beautiful nature, interesting history and delicious food. On campus, she organizes events as part of Chinese Culture Club frequently, and also plays badminton and contract bridge (a card game) every week. Her big goals for the coming junior year includes (but are not limited to) improving her cooking skills and reading one book per two weeks. She is super excited to become a mentor and can’t wait to meet all the first-years!

*Note:  Information about the mentor dean application will be sent to returning mentors directly.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROLE AS A MENTOR

As a mentor, you will each be directly responsible for approximately five students as well as aiding fellow mentors with their mentees in the Fall 2017. As students themselves, mentors can answer questions and give suggestions about life, culture and academics on-and off-campus. Mentors work closely with ISP staff to organize informational, cultural and educational discussions of interest for new students. Other expectations include acting as an information giver, tour guide, encourager, educator and learner. 

The hours a mentor works per week vary depending on if whether you are involved with Ametrica facilitation. You can expect to work at least 5-9 hours a week between meeting every mentee in person, journaling, meeting Aaron, Luyen, or Kara, and attending planning meetings. Some weeks may require more hours due to ISP or Ametrica events.
 
As a mentor you will be required to arrive by August 20, 2017 (not confirmed) to begin mentor training at 9 a.m. on August 21. Plan on being at Mac and available to work until school begins. Mentors will work until late October/early November. Because of this, you may need to find another on-campus job that does not interfere with mentoring. Remember you may not exceed 20 hours/week, combining all of your jobs.

UNDERSTANDING THE MENTOR APPLICATION STEPS

Below are the various mentor application steps. Each year, ISP receives many more applications than mentor positions available. We are very strict about deadlines so please note them. This is because we believe that applicants demonstrate responsibility by meeting deadlines, and because we receive far more applications each year than positions available. Decisions on choosing mentors will be made by the ISP Mentor Selection Committee, composed of former mentors who graduate in 2017 Aaron, Luyen, or Kara will change decisions if there are outstanding conduct, academic or other concerns. If you are not certain about an issue and if it could affect your eligibility, please check with Aaron, Luyen, or Kara. Note, mentor deans (those who have mentored in the past) go through a different process than new mentors, one that we will describe in more detail once you fill out the Mentor Dean Interest Form

To apply to be a new mentor, you must complete the following steps to be considered by the Selection Committee. 

STEP I – INTEREST FORM For New Mentors

You must complete the STEP I Interest Form to be eligible to receive STEP II, the full written application.  This form can be found under our "Forms and Letters" section. The purpose of STEP I is to:

• Provide detailed information about the criteria used to select mentors as well as ISP’s requirements and expectations for mentors.
• Give you ample time to consider if being a mentor is right for you since the expectations and application steps – (especially STEP IV - Simulation) are very rigorous.
• Give ISP time to plan for STEP IV - Simulation.

The deadline to complete STEP I is by 11:59 pm on Monday, December 12, 2016, St. Paul time (CDT) aka GMT-6 hours.  ISP will not accept applications after this time. Each year, numerous students ask that we extend the deadline. We don’t. STEP I can be completed in a couple minutes.

Tip: We take note which applicants complete this step early.

The Interest Form is now closed.

STEP II - APPLICATION

A lengthy online application will be sent to all eligible who completed the STEP I - Interest Form shortly after the deadline. The STEP II - Application will be due by 11:59 pm on Monday, January 9, 2017, St. Paul time.  No late applications will be accepted after the deadline.

Tip: We take note which applicants complete this step early.

STEP III - SUBMIT A RESUME

Email your resume to kwarren1@macalester.edu when you submit your application, or by 11:59 pm on Monday, January 9, 2017, St. Paul time.  No late resumes will be accepted after the deadline.

Tip: We take note which applicants complete this step early.

STEP IV - SPRING MENTOR SIMULATION

This is a simulation of being a mentor that gives you the experience of what to expect and gives ISP a real view on your ability to be responsible and follow through.

• STEP IV is time-consuming, but a rewarding experience.
• Feedback from the simulation is very influential to the Mentor Selection Committee.
• You will be assigned two "mentees" who will either be seniors or a combination of a senior and a non-senior. 
• There will be a training session to prepare you for meeting your mentees.
• The simulation is a trial run of the experience of being a mentor during the fall semester. You will have all the same duties as a mentor, but you mentees will have different needs. 
• Applicants meet weekly with mentees and then journal about meetings.
• Applicants meet with your ”mentor dean" who supervises you, along with a few other mentors in your mentor group, once a week to go over how your mentees are doing. Mentor deans are returning mentors.
• Expect a time commitment of 3 hours/week for 3 weeks  (Jan 29-Feb 18).
• Mentor deans and ISP staff will provide feedback to the Selection Committee.

STEP V - APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

The selection committee will review applications in groups, according to how well applicants meet the criteria. Depending on your qualifications, you reach a certain group - A is best and your application is read first, F is worst and your application is read last. All documents and other proof of meeting the criteria must be emailed to kwarren1@macalester.edu by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 17, 2017, St. Paul time .

The Mentor Selection Committee will review applicants in the order listed below.  We need a certain number of eligible van certified drivers. Because of this, we prioritize reviewing individuals who meet all criteria first. We then review individuals who meet close to those criteria second, and so on.

*If training hasn’t happened by February 20, 2017 you can show proof of registration. If you show proof of registration but do not complete the training, we will no longer consider your application.

We will not consider late/incomplete applications. Other things that will be considered:

• Active participation in Ametrica, Mentor, and ISP programs;
• Manageable Fall 2017 semester co-curricular schedules;
• Diversity in years, personalities, home countries, regions, gender identities, languages...

Van certified mentors would be hired at Macalester's Tier III pay rate. If we hire students without licenses, they will be paid at Tier II (see Student Employment website).