TAPPI Mentor Initiative

By: Laiken Edwards ’27

A new academic year has started- which means the TAPPI mentorship program is back in full swing! Dedicated to strengthening connections within the PSE community and ensuring wisdom can be shared between students, the mentorship program connects first-year students with an upperclassman mentor based on common interests, both personal and academic, considering each person’s needs.

The first step of the selection process was done through a Google Form survey. Mentees were asked questions such as if they are interested in pursuing a minor, what companies they are interested in pursuing an internship with, what advice they would find useful during their first year at NC State, and more. Mentors were asked similar questions as well. The responses to these questions set a good precedent for who would pair well together and provided insight into the personalities and experiences of all participants.

The next step of selection was our in-person “Speed Friending” event. The event took place on September 2 in Biltmore 2010, where 25 mentor and mentee candidates had the chance to speak with one another to gauge who they would pair well with in a real-life social setting. The event was full of lively conversations, laughter, and new friendships! After the event concluded, mentors and mentees filled out another Google Form to rank the connections they made. Final pairings will be made based on mentor and mentee responses to both the initial Google Form and the form filled out after the speed friending event.

At the time of writing this article, we are still in the process of finalizing mentor and mentee pairings, but final results can be expected to be released the week of September 8. With interviews, career fairs, and internships rapidly approaching, this program offers a great opportunity for first-year students to be well-informed in their decisions, and offers upperclassmen the chance to reflect on their time as a PSE student and offer advice to the minds of our future. We have an amazing pool of mentees and mentors, and this round of pairings will no doubt be a rewarding experience for all who are involved.