Greetings SASP members,

As you may know, the SASP board implemented a diversity mentorship program this year in which professionals in the field of school psychology mentor school psychology students. One responsibility of both mentors and mentees is to complete a quarterly report that highlights overall topics discussed, rate of communication between the pair, and ways the mentorship program can be improved. Below is a summary from the first quarterly reports that were submitted by mentors and mentees. If you are interested in having a mentor, please email me for more information and see the application for mentors and mentees.

Reports Submitted: 17/28 pairs

Currently receiving more reports from mentor/mentee pairs and working on uploading the quarterly reports to survey gizmo for easier access.

Overall Topics Discussed Professional acumen, maintaining mental and physical health/wellness, limiting/eliminating unhealthy interpersonal relationships, applying to post-docs/academic positions, establishing lines of research; incorporating community-based work within research; work-life balance, academic job search, academic planning, what it means to be culturally responsive, review of CV, focus on using summer wisely, narrowing down research interests, cultural attitudes in a professional context, cultural self-awareness, dissertation, obstacles for diversity research in school psychology, collaboration on research projects, internship application process, funding graduation, portfolio, licensure, and meeting at the APA conference.

Topics to be Discussed during Subsequent Meetings Target setting goals to remain on track with educational milestones (i.e., proposing and defending dissertation), maintaining a presence in the professional realm by attending conferences and/or presenting at conferences, and using time/resources wisely, discuss practicum experiences, experiences in working with diverse communities, discuss diversity related articles, and pediatric psychology.

Rate of Communication (Average score; one-five scale): three

Ways to Improve the Diversity Mentorship Program

• Provide suggestions for planning and maximizing the mentoring experience
• Offer more instruction on how to structure activities, enjoy the program and benefit from it.
• Consider matching pairs not only on work interests, but interpersonal interests as well as this affects the mentoring process.