Forsythe Grange Mentoring Program

The Forsythe Grange Peer Mentoring Program provides four scholarships to rising juniors and seniors in CNS to mentor first-year students for a full academic year. 

Mentors will receive training and will have the support of faculty advisors. Each mentor will work with 4-5 students (or mentees) who are first-generation college students, Pell-eligible, and/or underrepresented minorities. Mentees will be matched to mentors with similar majors and backgrounds. Each mentee will meet the mentor once a month at a Forsythe Grange workshop. 

Scholarships for the mentors will be renewable if eligibility requirements are met. 

Scholarship Details

Forsythe Grange Scholars will receive a scholarship for the academic year. Students selected as Forsythe Grange Scholars will be mentored directly by faculty members in their science area. In turn, the Forsythe Grange Scholars will mentor a group of incoming first-year students. All mentors and mentees will be matched at the beginning of the fall semester.

Eligibility

• A UMass undergraduate student with a primary major in a department in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS)
• A rising junior or senior (greater than 60 credit hours completed)
• Good academic standing
• Minimum cumulative science GPA of 3.0

Application Instructions

Apply to become a mentor. Professors or advisors, please submit your letter of support by TBD. Student mentors are responsible for the completed application and an unofficial transcript. Applicants must also provide the email address of a UMass faculty member or staff advisor who will provide a letter of support separately. After the letter of support has been uploaded, the applicant will be notified by email.

Program Benefits

The Forsythe Grange Mentoring Program creates opportunities for all undergraduate students to be engaged in mentorship, especially students belonging to underserved groups in science disciplines, such as first-generation, underrepresented minorities, and those demonstrating financial need. The program is looking for academically talented students who are willing to serve as mentors, open to sharing experiences and knowledge about their science area with incoming first-year students, and passionate about science and helping their peers.

Forsythe Grange Scholars:

• Receive financial support
• Learn effective mentoring approaches
• Gain valuable communication and leadership skills
• Develop personally and professionally
• Network with faculty

Mentees:

• Participate in a key educational component
• Have a student peer to connect with at UMass
• Receive personalized academic direction
• Discover more about their science area of interest

Meet the 2022-2023 Forsythe Grange Mentors: 

• Ana Belen Moscoso Gonzalez, Senior, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Rashi Shah, Junior, Psychology
• Cristina Hernandez Vence, Junior, Food Science
• Kayla Bioh, Junior, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology