Join our mentorship program!
There’s a possibility we will announce a second round of matches in November to make sure that everyone who wants to participate can connect before the conference! Our program will culminate at the conference (virtually or in-person) and we’ll start the process anew in September 2025.
SERCAL Mentorship Program
With a wealth of knowledge and experience to impart, and resources to share, SERCAL mentors can bridge the gap for their mentees and set them up for success in our field. Our goals are to:
Provide a platform which facilitates individual growth opportunities for students, emerging professionals, and youth in environmental and STEM fields; and
Ensure equity in educational opportunities and professional advancement for historically underrepresented groups.
The structure of this mentorship program consists of year-round (~quarterly) meetings between mentors/mentees, culminating in mentors and mentees meeting (in-person or virtually) during SERCAL’s annual conference.
This is just the first step…
Watch for updates and, potentially, year-round opportunities! Please contact Julie@sercal.org if you would like to get more involved in developing our Mentorship Program.
Mentor Expectations
Meet at least quarterly with your Mentee (virtually or in-person) and make a plan to connect (virtually or hopefully in-person) at the next conference
At least one week before the annual conference, reach out to your Mentee and make a plan to connect in during the conference
Be available to connect with your Mentee during breaks — shoot for at least one 10-minute check-in each day of the conference
At the conference, you will have a special “MENTOR” nametag — some mentees may be completely new to scientific conferences and may not know what to expect — please take a moment to answer any questions
Within a week following the conference, set up a 20-minute appointment to debrief and have 1:1 time with your Mentee
Participate in a 5-minute survey to provide feedback so we can improve next year’s program
Write a “Meet a Member” profile for an issue of Ecesis
Some ideas for providing a valuable experience for your Mentee:
Demonstrate active listening — ask questions and follow-up questions; listen to their answers and invite their questions
Who can you introduce your mentee to at the conference or in your network — think of others with relevant subject matter, career path, or shared interests
Share SERCAL’s job board (http://www.sercal.org/job-openings), other job boards, and resources for career opportunities
Highlight skills that may be valuable to prospective employers (e.g, data entry & analysis, field experience, technical writing skills, etc.)
If comfortable, please share your contact information and encourage ongoing conversation
Go on a hike
Invite your Mentee to your office or field site
Think of other colleagues to introduce your Mentee to
Some example conversation prompts:
How did you become interested in ecological restoration?
What classes have you liked, what classes have you not liked?
Is there a particular part/sector of ecological restoration that interests you?
Have you attended a professional conference before?
How are you applying the concepts you’ve learned in your education/previous jobs in ecological restoration?
Do you have questions about advice you’ve heard previously?
What advice would you give other students or early career professionals?
MENTEE EXPECTATIONS
Meet at least quarterly with your Mentor (virtually or in-person)
Meet with your Mentor at least a week before the conference and ask questions!
At the conference, connect with your mentor and try to meet at many mentors as you can! Mentors will have special “MENTOR” nametags — Connect with as many as you can!
Meet with your Mentor soon after the conference to debrief
Participate in a 5-minute survey to provide feedback so we can improve next year’s program
Reach out to at least one other Mentor
Some ideas for getting the most value out of this experience:
Communicate with your Mentor — how frequently you want to meet, what the easiest way to communicate is, how you’d like your Mentor to help you with professional development
Mentors are busy and get a lot of emails, but they have expressed interest in mentoring you — if you don’t get a response, don’t be shy about emailing them again to make sure they see your emails
Some example conversation prompts:
What was your education and background that helped you get to where you are now?
What inspired you to serve as a mentor?
Why is [insert particular subject] important within ecological restoration?
What are some ways to get experience in ecological restoration? Internships, funding sources?
Some ideas for getting the most value out of the conference:
Practice asking follow-up questions to presenters
Practice introducing yourself — in person, via the chat function, or over email
Practice taking notes in a format that will be easy to review in the future
Some example conversation prompts:
What are key points I should be looking to take away from a conference?
What are some methods that I can practice to approach a speaker or session chair to get more information?
Do you know if anyone in the conference is an expert in [insert particular subject area]
