Peer power: The lifelong value of mentorship

International Student Services (ISS) has facilitated the International Student Mentorship Program (ISMP) for over 15 years, bringing together incoming international students with current UCalgary students, domestic or international. As a mentee, you will benefit from the knowledge sharing and support provided by your mentor. While as a mentor, you will gain valuable volunteer experience in a one-on-one setting helping a fellow student get settled in Calgary. 

We spoke with two former mentors and mentees to learn more about their experience:

Denisse

Denisse is now in her fourth year at UCalgary, studying Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology. She was a mentee in 2021 and returned to ISMP as a mentor in 2022.

It can be challenging to move to a new country and experience living by yourself for the first time. I remember I was very anxious before arriving in Calgary, I wanted to find out everything I could about the university so that I could be prepared. The truth is, you are never prepared for such things, but you can certainly try your best. Having a mentor guide me through my first steps was very helpful and allowed me to answer some questions that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to answer, such as what is the campus experience like? Where can I purchase affordable groceries?

My first year at the university was certainly challenging. As an international student, I felt the pressures of learning how to live alone, all while trying my best at classes and adjusting to a different classroom culture. Navigating a huge campus with so many things to explore and so many resources available was also overwhelming. Over the years, I found out that this was a very common experience among international students, and that I was not alone. After developing my own strategies and ways to adapt to a new life, I wanted to share my tips and advice with others that were going through the same thing I did when I first arrived in Canada.

Being a mentor was a very rewarding experience; helping someone who was in the same circumstances as me when I first arrived at the university and being able to answer their questions and bring them peace of mind was very rewarding. I wanted to share with them what I wished someone had told me when I arrived; “you are doing great, you are trying your best, its normal to have doubts, it is normal to feel lonely and to miss your friends and family, it is okay to struggle to make friends, and everything will get better with time”. For some, hearing these words can make a huge difference. If I have the answers and knowledge that can make a new international student feel less anxious and more at peace about their experience, make them feel that they are not alone, why not share it with others?

Isabel

Isabel was a mentee in 2014 as an undergraduate student and also returned as a mentor in 2019 as a graduate student. She now works as one of the International Student Advisors at International Student Services, supporting international students along their own journey. She shares her experience developing a life-long friendship with her mentor: 

Ten years ago, when I was preparing for my August 2014 arrival in Canada, I reluctantly signed up for the International Student Mentorship Program. I had been an international student in the United States for two years prior and thought the transition to Canada would not require adjustments as I incorrectly assumed both countries were “the same”. 

Thankfully, my family pushed me to sign up for the ISMP and I was assigned a mentor in the same undergraduate program as me. My mentor Ashley, a Calgary-born Sociology student, was the most supportive person in my network for the first years of my transition to Canada. I struggled adjusting to the city and to the university, as class sizes were bigger, and I had to balance school and a part-time job. Ashley would check in on me and ensure I was doing alright as I navigated a new school as a transfer international student. She would give me tips on how to excel in courses, what to wear for the wintertime and how to become involved on campus. If I had not signed up for the program, my experience would have been significantly harder and not as enjoyable. 

Ashley invited me to visit parts of the city, like the Kensington neighbourhood and introduced me to several of her friends. Our relationship grew beyond the mentorship program, and we quickly became close friends. In February 2015, we went on a trip together to the US to visit old university friends of mine and had an amazing time. 

Fast forward ten years, and we're still close friends. Recently, she invited me to be one of her bridesmaids for her wedding in August 2024. Needless to say, joining the ISMP as a mentee was one of the best decisions I ever made throughout my UCalgary journey. 

As Isabel and Denisse show, the ISMP not only offers volunteer opportunities for students but can positively impact the experience of incoming international students for years to come. Don’t miss this opportunity!