https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze en-us 2022-03-28 17:21:39 UTC 2026-02-21 03:54:10 UTC hello@padlet.com meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117699602 Hello everyone! My name is Megan and I am a fourth-year Biological Sciences major with minors in Chemistry and Political Science. I am graduating at the end of April and will be attending veterinary school at the University of Illinois in the fall. Outside of school and work, I enjoy going to concerts, playing video games, and spending time with my two cats, Yoshi and Waluigi.

I have been working for the Learning Commons as an SI Leader for five semesters and as an SI Mentor for two semesters. I have a passion for peer leadership and mentorship as well as the SI position, so I have thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to better support my mentees this semester by incorporating the Appreciate Education framework.]]> 2022-03-28 17:41:36 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117699602 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117713985 Appreciative mentorship means building meaningful relationships with others to help them reach their full potential. This involves truly getting to know my mentees, individualizing my approaches to encouraging and uplifting each of them, and using my own knowledge and experience to support them through challenges - all while making sure that they know how important and valued they are.]]> 2022-03-28 17:49:17 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117713985 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117721903 Disarming creates an environment where mentees feel comfortable opening themselves up to mentorship, learning, and growth. It helps builds the trust and rapport needed to effectively support them.]]> 2022-03-28 17:53:19 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117721903 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117727775 1. How are you feeling today?
2. What is one good thing and one bad thing that happened to you this week?
3. What are you looking forward to today, this week, this month, or this year?]]> 2022-03-28 17:56:27 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117727775 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117738600 At the very beginning of the semester, I sent out a welcome email to all of my mentees prior to our first meeting. In this email, I included some information about me, clear and concise information about our meeting time and place, expressions of excitement for the semester, and gratitude for my mentee's commitment to helping students.

My goal was to break the ice and make sure that my mentees knew who I was and that I was there to support them. I wanted to calm any nervousness associated with our first meeting, as it was new and different for some of my mentees. I also wanted to recognize them for their commitment to helping their students so they could start off their semester feeling inspired and valued.]]> 2022-03-28 18:02:15 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117738600 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117750610 2022-03-28 18:08:37 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117750610 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117765383 The discover phase allows for a better understanding of who mentees are, why they are working in their position, what they want to get out of it, and what obstacles they may face. This information can all be used to cater mentorship to each individual.]]> 2022-03-28 18:15:46 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117765383 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117769306 1. Why were you initially interested in this position and what keeps you coming back?
2. What activities outside of school and work give you a sense of fulfillment?
3. Tell me about an impactful experience you've had. What made it impactful?]]> 2022-03-28 18:17:33 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117769306 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117772198 The dream phase creates a space for mentees to uncover their skills, strengths, and talents and connect them to a world of possibilities. It helps them realize what they want to get out of their lives, related to their careers or not. ]]> 2022-03-28 18:18:57 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2117772198 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138155061 The design phase helps mentees develop plans to reach their goals by helping them become effective decision-makers, encouraging them to keep going in the face of obstacles, instilling confidence, and ensuring they have a network of support.]]> 2022-04-10 18:01:31 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138155061 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138159189 The deliver phase holds mentees accountable in achieving their goals by continuously motivating them, showing them how far they've already come, and helping them rearrange or refine their goals as they attempt to reach them.]]> 2022-04-10 18:08:20 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138159189 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138161571 Don't Settle keeps mentees' expectations for themselves high. It ensures that they continue to set and meet goals, challenging themselves to go bigger and better every time. It's also about celebrating their hard work and dedication!]]> 2022-04-10 18:12:16 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138161571 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163123 1. Where do you see yourself, both personally and professionally, in ten years?
2. What impact do you want to leave on your students and the SI program?
3. How do you define success?]]> 2022-04-10 18:14:33 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163123 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163194 1. What is one small thing you can do this week to reach your goal?
2. What skills or strengths do you have that you can directly utilize to reach your goal?
3. Who can you reach out to if you encounter a difficulty in reaching your goal?]]> 2022-04-10 18:14:40 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163194 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163248 1. What is one small thing you have done in the past week to reach your goal?
2. What is one strategy you've used to keep yourself motivated to reach your goal?
3. Tell me about one thing that has gone well in your role.]]> 2022-04-10 18:14:45 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163248 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163324 1. Has there ever been a time when you thought you couldn't accomplish something, but did?
2. If I challenged you to be the best SI leader you possibly could, what would you do differently?
3. What have you learned this semester that will help you grow even more next semester?]]> 2022-04-10 18:14:53 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138163324 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138175938 At our first mentor meeting, I had my mentees fill out a Microsoft Form with information about themselves. This included questions about their academic and non-academic interests, experience level within the position, and experiences and commitments outside of the position. I also added a place for them to ask any questions or express any concerns about the position.

With this information, I could immediately begin individualizing my mentorship of each mentee. I was able to better understand when my mentees were feeling burnt out or facing certain challenges and cater my advice to the specific situation.]]> 2022-04-10 18:35:51 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138175938 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138186706 The "What? So What? Now What?" method of reflection is encouraged by the University Honors Program to effectively understand how an experience has impacted you and explicitly focuses on how this impact can be carried throughout future experiences. At our final meeting of the semester, I asked my students to reflect on their semester as SI leaders using this framework because it would help them continue to grow as SI leaders and use their newly developed skills to improve as people, both personally and professionally.]]> 2022-04-10 18:54:18 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138186706 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138199232 When providing SI leaders with feedback after they are observed, the program utilizes a "grow" and "glow" framework. Mentees are provided with one thing they did really well, and one thing they could improve on. This helps mentees celebrate their successes, while also holding them accountable to improve in a specific area.

In my mentor meeting after the conclusion of observations, I was sure to ask each of my mentees for one thing they have already done or can do to improve on the "grow" that they were given.]]> 2022-04-10 19:14:34 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138199232 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138200932 During Week 6 of the semester, after mentees had time to adjust to their roles, I had them each create two goals that they wanted to achieve by the end of the semester: one within their role, and one related to professional development and their future careers. I had them use the S.M.A.R.T. goal template to ensure that these goals were specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time oriented. This way, they could have a more clear-cut vision of how the goal would be achieved and why they wanted to reach the goal in the first place.]]> 2022-04-10 19:17:28 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138200932 meganjoann99 https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138213771 This article explains how to make an effective "vision board" - a visual representation of a person's dreams, used to better understand what they want to get out of life and encourage them to go after it. This was not an activity that I used with my mentees this semester, but I have used it personally and recommended that my mentees experiment with it. I plan to use this in my future mentorship endeavors.

I love that vision boards do not have to be extremely focused, and can include many different kinds of dreams. They can help mentees visualize their desires so that they can be narrowed down and refined into specific goals.]]> 2022-04-10 19:38:53 UTC https://padlet.com/meganjoann99/89thrmtsi3ztpzze/wish/2138213771