UGA Mentor Program celebrates 5 years
The UGA Mentor Program has become a robust connection point between alumni and students.
The secret to its success, according to Bethany Bagwell (MED ’17, EDD ’22), director of the UGA Mentor Program, is that the program has been innovating and adapting its structure since the very first day. What began as a standard one-to-one 16-week mentoring model — which still exists today — has since evolved to include one-time-only quick chats and a new “Circles of Success” model, which involves one mentor working with a group of two to eight mentees.
“We wanted to communicate directly with the students and find out what would stop them from participating in a program like this,” Bethany remembers. “What we heard was that the formal interview-type structure can be intimidating, so we wanted to give everyone options that would best fit their needs.
“It turns out that that type of flexibility really appealed to the mentors as well,” she says.
In the five years since its inception, the UGA Mentor Program has become a near-ubiquitous sight for students on campus. This popularity, Bethany stresses, is all because of the students and their dedication to sharing their experiences.
Bethany Bagwell, Hairy Dawg, Rebecca Hughes and Drew Sanford celebrate the UGA Mentor Program’s fifth birthday at a student event in Tate Student Center.
During her freshman year, Priscilla Bissah ’25 thought she wanted to begin her UGA journey as an intended pre-law major. It wasn’t until she became involved with the UGA Mentor Program and heard from her first mentor about their experience in law school that Priscilla decided to pivot.
“Participating in the program was really good for me because it made me realize I want to be on a totally different path in my life,” the now-intended pre-medical student says.
“I definitely want to come back and participate in the program as a mentor once I graduate,” continues Priscilla. “It’s made such a huge difference for me, and I want to be able to pass on that experience to students in the future.”
College can be a confusing and stressful time for students. For many of them, it is their first time away from home and the world is at their fingertips. With all that opportunity, however, can be an immense pressure to perform at a high level. Mentors can help students navigate those pressures and forge their own paths in a way that can be difficult to find anywhere else.
“We hear stories of students who were scared or needed help and didn’t know who to turn to and were able to get that support from their mentors in this program,” Bethany says. “That’s what I’m most proud of: the impact that we are able to have on both mentors and mentees.”
Dr. Joe Bartges (DVM ’87), Bulldog Veterinary Medicine Professor at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, has been a mentor with the program since its beginning in 2019, and he still keeps in touch with those he’s mentored over the years. “The program is really beneficial for both mentees and mentors,” he says. “I’ve learned just as much and maybe even more than the students do from these mentoring relationships.”
Dr. Bartges has mentored students in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Georgia Veterinary Scholars Program as well as through the UGA Mentor Program. He believes that the process has kept him more connected to his students. “Mentoring has kept me engaged with where students are at mentally and emotionally more than I would be if I just stood at the front of the classroom and lectured all day long.”
For faculty like Bartges and Ron Walcott (PHD ’99), vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School, the UGA Mentor Program provided a formal structure for the type of work they were already doing with their students.
For Walcott, it was his experience as a first-generation student at Iowa State University that led him to mentor students through the program. “It wasn’t until I found a mentor who really worked to create a home away from home for me that I felt like I belonged,” he says. “From then on, my experience in college was much more fulfilling.”
Mentors and mentees gathered for “Bulldogs Connect,” an event facilitated by the UGA Mentor Program and Student Affairs.
Micarjo Benjamin ’26, another mentee and one of 24 UGA Mentor Program Ambassadors, also says that participating in the program helped to overcome anxiety about her future, especially as a first-generation college student.
“I was really uncertain about a lot of the decisions you have to make about your future,” she says. “Becoming a mentee gave me the opportunity to form a relationship with someone who is well-versed in those decisions and who has made a successful career post-graduation.
“It helped me to come out of my shell and eventually become an ambassador for the program so that other students can benefit in a similar way,” Micarjo concludes.
The UGA Mentor Program has had quite the impactful first five years as it celebrates its birthday this year. But participants and staff have their eyes on what the future holds.
“The goal would be to see every UGA student paired with a mentor at some point throughout their college experience,” says Bethany. “We also want to make sure that we’re staying on top of the most current research and trends in mentorship and adapting those to fit the needs of our students.”
Are you an alum looking to deepen your connection with UGA and share your knowledge with current students? Consider becoming a mentor today and help provide resources to students for generations to come!
