Description of the video:
[Music]
[Words appear: IUPUI presents]
[Words appear: A look into the Graduate Mentoring Center]
[Words appear: IUPUI, Randall Roper, Director, Graduate Mentoring Center and Associate Professor, Department of Biology]
Randall speaks: As a former graduate student, I know that mentoring is important. I know that good mentoring makes a difference in the lives of our graduate students.
[Video: Randall works with a graduate student in his lab.]
[Words appear: IUPUI, Tabitha Hardy, Assistant Dean, IUPUI Graduate Office]
Tabitha speaks: So for us it’s really the opportunity to insert some best practices not only for students, but for also for our mentors here on campus, and faculty members, and even staff members who serve as mentors to our students.
[Video: Students at a Graduate Mentoring Center event.]
Tabitha speaks: For our students, I think it is really important for them to be empowered, so that they can have conversations with their mentors about what they’re dealing with, what they’re going through, what their process is like.
[Video: Tabitha in her office.]
Tabitha speaks: And for our mentors, I think, you know, everybody has been trained a little bit differently, so it’s really important for them to be able to get that wider aspect of “OK, her experience may not experience, so I would love to be able to meet that person where they are and provide some really insightful mentoring for them.”
[Words appear: IUPUI, Jasmine Beecham, Graduate Student, Department of Psychology]
Jasmine speaks: I think that our mentoring center has helped improve my relationships by helping me kind of understand where the expectations we have between each other.
[Video: Jasmine meets with her mentor.]
Jasmine speaks: And then if I realize that there is a disconnection, how to bring that up and address that properly. It’s also helped me be more confident, and taking the first step to talk about any concerns or focuses I would like to have; and just stating my goals for what to expect out of this relationship, but also my goals on what I would like to gain before graduation.
[Video: Graduate students listen to a speaker at a Graduate Mentoring Center event.]
Janice Blum speaks: I think it’s broken down a lot of the, kind of distance between people.
[Words appear: IUPUI, Janice Blum, Vice Chancellor, Research & Graduate Education]
Janice speaks: And I think it’s been real benefit to our students.
[Video: Tabitha sits in her office.]
Tabitha speaks: I think my favorite part about being involved with the Graduate Mentoring Center is, just seeing our students kind of light up at the thought that, “Oh I could do this,” and, “Yes, I feel empowered enough to have this conversation now.”
[Video: Jasmine meeting with her mentor.]
Tabitha speaks: I also love seeing our students kind of mature and develop over time from coming in and maybe feeling very isolated, to going to a few events and becoming more part of the campus community and then blossoming into young professionals.
[Video: A graduate student works in a lab with Randall.]
Randall speaks: Being a graduate student is hard, and having a faculty mentor that is invested in the student and that tries to help the student -- to try to open doors, to help them along the way -- I just think is really important to help our students set up their careers and to go great places in life.
[Words appear: To learn how to get involved with the IUPUI Graduate Mentoring Center visit go.iupui.edu/gmc]
[Video: IU Trident appears]
[Words appear: IUPUI, iupui.edu]
[Music]
