91探花

Mudders Mentoring Mudders

Introduction to M3 Program

Research on the college experience has repeatedly shown that mentoring increases student retention and boosts students鈥� overall well-being. Mentoring has an especially large effect on underrepresented students, who often report feeling isolated at 91探花 Mudd and typically have higher rates of attrition. M3 was created in 2011 by 91探花 Mudd Alumni Lupita Bermudez and faculty to meet this need. We hope this will continue to impact all participants in a positive way to help expand your community and support network throughout your time at Mudd.

M3 is designed to provide support for Mudders at the fall of their sophomore years, which has traditionally been the most stressful point in college for students. Students report that in their second year, many of the support mechanisms present in the first year fall away, while their course load increases in intensity.

M3 was created in 2011 by 91探花 Mudd Alumni Lupita Bermudez and faculty to meet this need. We hope this will continue to impact all participants in a positive way to help expand your community and support network throughout your time at Mudd.

Theme for 2025-2026: Exploring Reciprocity, Abundance, and Values

Book cover for 鈥淭he Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance鈥漛y Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Learning Outcomes for Mentees:听

  • Understand reciprocity and abundance as explained by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer in The Serviceberry and be able to critically apply these ideas into your major selection and other decision-making processes
  • Identify core personal values using the Dr. Brene Brown Inventory Worksheet
  • Identify leadership strengths and areas for improvement using Dr. Brene Brown鈥檚 Daring Leadership Assessment
  • Create a plan to achieve and share progress towards one personal goal for the year related to the 10 dimensions of wellness

Learning Outcomes for Mentors:听

Understand reciprocity and abundance as explained by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer in The Serviceberry and be able to critically use these definitions as you think about how it relates to your current position

  • Understand reciprocity and abundance as explained by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer in The Serviceberry and be able to critically use these definitions as you think about how it relates to your current position
  • Identify core personal values using the Dr. Brene Brown Inventory Worksheet
  • Identify leadership strengths and areas for improvement using Dr. Brene Brown鈥檚 Leadership Assessment
  • Create a plan to achieve and share progress towards one personal goal for the year related to the 10 dimensions of wellness

Connection to the Strategic Plan:听

  • Guiding Statement 3 鈥� Inclusive Excellence and Social Justice
  • Guiding Statement 7 鈥� A Healthy and Vibrant Campus Community
  • Objective 3.2 鈥� Ensure Access and Equity
  • Objective 4.2 鈥� Foster Holistic Wellbeing and Purposeful Growth
  • Objective 4.3 鈥� Empowered and Engaged Faculty and Staff

Encouraged readings/activities:

  • Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry鈥檚 relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth鈥攊ts abundance of sweet, juicy berries鈥攖o meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, 鈥淪erviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.鈥� (Amazon prime book description)
  • Discuss picking a career that aligns with your core values. Use to help learn about personal values and then explore some career opportunities related to that.听
  • Each of you take the from Dr. Brene Brown to learn about your strengths and weaknesses and talk about the findings with each other. Optional extra work would be going through Dr. Brene Brown鈥檚 Dare to Lead to discover how to further develop your leadership skills.
  • Each person(mentor and mentee) will select their own personal goal to create action steps based on one (or more) of the ten dimensions of wellness for the academic year and have check-ins with each other about progress toward that goal. This helps build accountability and connection as you both work towards your own personal goals.听

Meeting suggestions:听

  1. Introductions, setting shared goals and expectations, establishing communication plans (email, text, etc) 鈥� establish one non-work/school related goal for each person in the pair.听
  2. Book conversation with conversation prompts. Have you heard of a gift economy before? How would you envision this at Mudd? How did this make you think differently about your major/career path/future? 鈥� 听
  3. (optional but suggested) Book conversation with another mentor pair. What are your take-aways? How have you started incorporating these ideas in your every day?听
  4. Join OID Events such as First Gen+ Lunch and Learns
  5. Take a walk at the California Botanical Gardens
  6. Join an OID Community Garden event
  7. Review Brene brown values inventory together
  8. Share results of Brene Brown Daring Leadership assessment and talk听
  9. Check in on major selection听
  10. Reflection on goals for the year, did you both accomplish them?