Taylor Bembery
Blue & White Flash/Staff Writer
Sarah Brown, Miss Jackson State University 2012-2013, has put her “Molding the Minds” mentoring program into action.
“Molding the Minds” pairs JSU freshmen with upperclassmen, and upperclassmen with JSU alumni and employees in an effort to provide guidance to students and produce student leaders and academic scholars.
More than 100 freshmen have signed up for a mentor, and over 50 upperclassmen have enrolled to mentor them.
“When I first came to JSU as a freshman, I had no one who was around my age to talk to about general advice only an upperclassmen would know; simple things like that. I said that once I got in a leadership position, I would give the incoming freshmen what I never had,” said Brown.
Mekel Johnson, a junior marketing major and mentor in the “Molding the Minds” program from Los Angeles, Calif., believes that the program has given her the chance to better herself.
“I wanted to be a mentor because I didn’t want anybody to start school how I started school with no positive guidance,” said Johnson.
Johnson also believes that the program is helping her gain more responsibility.
“I’m learning that my actions affect other people and they can be mimicked by my mentee. I’m trying to better myself by mentoring someone else in a positive way,” said Johnson.
Jessica Stubbs, a freshman psychology major from Ridgeland, Miss. and Mekel Johnson’s mentee in the “Molding the Minds” program, explained that being in a mentoring program was nothing new to her.
”During my senior year at Ridgeland High School, I was a mentor at an elementary school and I thought it would be interesting to actually be a mentee to someone,” said Stubbs.
Stubbs added that being in this program gives her the opportunity to call someone her “Big Sister”.
“I encourage freshmen to get mentors because it gives them a chance to have guidance from someone they can relate to easily,” said Stubbs.
Brown encourages students to join this program because they will have a chance to build friendships, connections, and bridges that will help them through their college matriculation.
“My platform is all about bigger service, bigger impact, and bigger success. This mentoring program falls under impact,” said Brown.
Brown encourages all students, faculty, staff and alumni interested in becoming a mentor or a mentee in the “Molding the Minds” program to send an email to missjsu2013@gmail.com or call the Center for Student Engagement and Inclusion at 601-979-4224 for more information.
