Mentoring is a powerful practice for college students, and learning from someone who has similar life experiences to you can boost confidence and promote growth. For some students who don’t feel represented as equals on college campuses, connecting with a professional mentor can be difficult.

To address this issue facing women of color, colleges and universities are connecting female students with members of the campus community who share their identities and can support them in their career goals.

In numbers: Young women face challenges and often lack confidence in themselves and their abilities throughout their lives. A study by Être published in February found that the number of girls who think they are smart dropped by 50 percent between the ages of 13 and 18, and the number of girls who feel confident also dropped by 20 percent.

However, mentoring can help reverse this trend. Over 90 percent of participants in Être’s study said they would be more confident with a mentor, and those who have a mentor said they feel more confident when applying for internships and speaking publicly.

Among Americans in general, 56 percent say they do not have a mentor, and 34 percent say a lack of mentoring or support from their professional network has held them back in their careers, according to data from the University of Phoenix’s 2023 Career Optimism Index.

Finding a mentor may be even more difficult for students of color from low-income families. An October 2023 study by Gallup and Amazon found that young adults who grew up in poverty were also less likely to have someone with a successful career to look up to compared to their peers from affluent households.

Mentoring models: Three institutions are helping women of color connect with mentors on campus.

Dimensions Mentoring Program, Syracuse University

Syracuse’s peer-to-peer mentoring program pairs freshmen with seniors who share similar interests, helping to create a sisterhood among women of color at the university.

The program meets weekly and offers activities designed to foster learners’ leadership skills, critical thinking and confidence, while also promoting their academic success and intercultural engagement. Dimensions is designed for women of color but is open to all eligible students regardless of race, gender or other characteristics, the university’s website states.

Msaada, Davidson College

Msaada is a Swahili word for “help.” It is a program specifically for Black women in college. Each participant is paired with a Black alumna based on their area of ​​interest, professional aspirations, and career goals. The program launched in 2021 and matched 50 mentor and mentee pairs in its first two years.

Mentors commit to working with students for at least one year, providing career advice, field insight, networking opportunities and professional engagement, the program’s website says.

Any student who is Black and identifies as female may apply, regardless of their grade level at Davidson.

Your Garden: WOC Mentoring Initiative, Duke University

The name is inspired by Alice Walker’s collection In search of our mothers’ gardenswhich draws a metaphor for Walker’s journey to find her identity through the legacy of women of color who came before her. In the same way, Her Garden inspires women of color at Duke to thrive and grow in the community.

To participate, undergraduate or graduate students must be women or identify as female and belong to a racial, ethnic group, or cultural identity considered marginalized in the U.S. Mentees attend an orientation, a day of engagement, and regular events including dinners and lecture series, and meet with their mentor once a month.

In addition to regular face-to-face meetings with mentees, mentors regularly complete surveys about the mentoring relationship and other programs.

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