Bethel Education Students Continue Recently-Developed Mentoring Program 

MISHAWAKA— Bethel University’s Department of Education is continuing the mentoring program it began last school year. The program matches upperclassmen education majors with underclassmen education majors, giving the education students a built-in way to give and receive mentoring with the people most likely to understand the program and need advice for moving forward. According to Education Club Officer Sarah Koontz, the department is planning for this program to be available throughout the whole school year and hopes it will gain more interest. 

Koontz said the program still has more mentoring spots available for this semester, so the club is leaving the QR invitations open for a little longer. 

“Oct. 31 we’re having a meet and greet for mentors and mentees,” Koontz said. “So, what happens is they fill out the google form from the QR, and it asks about their special interest so that we can pair up a mentor and mentee that have similar interests. Then, on Oct. 31, they get to meet and learn information about each other.” 

Koontz said the program is a benefit to the department because it offers benefits for both the mentors and the mentees. 

“From the mentor perspective, it’s to just be able to serve other people in the education major, to give advice and knowledge that we have and things that we wish we would have known when we were underclassmen,” Koontz said. “Mentoring is just to help them in the way that they need help and to build community within the Education Department.” 

Dillion Watkins is an underclassman education major who also sees great value in this form of mentorship and how it emphasizes the community the Education Club wants to cultivate. 

“When it comes to the Education Department, I feel like, especially the professors, they’re the best professors on campus,” Watkins said. “From the upperclassmen that I’ve talked to, they say it’s just a loving community. Everybody supporting each other especially with student teaching, can be a big stressor, it can be a big change . . . having that support group kind of mentors for these underclassmen is really important for them to feel not only comfortable but to pursue their education and be a teacher, but also not to freak out thinking about future things coming.”  

If you are interested in signing up for the program, scan one of the QR codes on the posters around campus, or email sarah.koontz@betheluniversity.edu for more information.