Mentorship program manifesto:

The San Jose State University (SJSU) chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) established the Mentorship program in the Spring semester of 2015. The program matched lower-classmen with upperclassmen and graduate students. The goal of this program was to support and guide lower-classmen through their undergraduate careers.

Fall 2024 will be the sixteenth semester of the SJSU BMES Mentorship program. Building on the previous mentorship programs, the 2024-2025 program has three main pillars: support, community, and diversity. The Mentorship Committee is responsible for ensuring that the goal of the program is achieved and that the rules are observed by all members of the program.

Pillars:

1. Support

The Mentorship program aims to support incoming freshmen, lower classmen, and transfer students (mentees) by matching them with upperclassmen and graduate students (mentors). In doing so, mentees will gain valuable knowledge about the school, coursework, professors, and on-campus resources. Additionally, mentees will also gain practical advice, and further develop their professional network. Mentors will not only gain community service hours, but a sense of confidence, leadership experience, and fulfillment from knowing that their presence and experiences are aiding another Biomedical Engineering student.

2. Community

The Mentorship Program will foster a sense of community amongst mentors and mentees by organizing social and ice-breaker activities that will allow Biomedical Engineering students to get acquainted with one another. Freshmen and transfer students, often the most vulnerable and isolated groups at a university, would gain the most from getting to know other Biomedical Engineering students who have bone gone through and are going through similar classes and circumstances. It is the hope of the Mentorship Program that by forming a tight-knit Mentorship community, these vulnerable groups will not only gain a sense of belonging but seek to become more active in BMES.

3. Diversity

SJSU BMES has some of the most diverse students in the SJSU Engineering department. This program will celebrate this diversity by featuring special talks, discussions, and activities aimed at the inroads made for members of different ethnic groups, orientations, classes, and physical, mental, and social abilities. Consideration will be given to ensure that dialogues involving diversity are inclusive and respectful to all different types of people.