When you hear the word “mentoring,” what comes to mind? You might be thinking of someone who helps make social or professional connections, allows you to shadow them at work, or shares their story and experience with you. At Yleana, mentoring can include all of these elements, but it’s also something more: when we think of mentoring, we imagine a task force of advocates and experts who are ready to go to bat for you the moment you say the word. Much of Yleana mentoring is focused on identifying specific obstacles to college access and college persistence (staying through college to the diploma) and deploying the right people/resources to help students solve that problem. 

What obstacles are students facing to applying to, enrolling in, and graduating from college?

First-generation, BILPOC, and low-income college students encounter a specific and wide-ranging set of challenges to achieving higher education:

1. Homesickness: Adjusting to life away from home can be emotionally challenging, particularly for students who are far from their families and support networks.

1. Mismatched College Selection: Choosing a college that doesn't align with one's needs or preferences, whether it be in terms of size, location, or support services, can contribute to feelings of isolation and disconnection.

1. Family Responsibilities: Balancing academic pursuits with familial obligations, such as caretaking for siblings or parents, can place additional stress on students.

1. Financial Struggles: From the cost of textbooks and technology to unexpected financial crises, students may find themselves grappling with severe financial burdens.

1. Cultural and Social Challenges: Experiencing college as a person of color or a first-generation, low-income student at a predominantly white institution can lead to feelings of isolation, culture shock, and difficulty finding a supportive community.

1. Academic and Emotional Wellbeing: Managing the academic workload while navigating emotional challenges such as imposter syndrome, anxiety, and depression can be overwhelming for students.

1. Navigating Campus Resources: Understanding how to access academic support services, financial aid, mental health resources, and other campus resources can be daunting for students, particularly if they are unfamiliar with college systems and procedures.

1. Work-Life Balance: Balancing academic responsibilities with work obligations can be difficult, especially for students whose incomes are critical for the economic survival of their families. 

1. Academic Preparedness: Some students may struggle with the learning curve of college-level coursework, particularly if they come from under-resourced high schools or require remedial classes.

1. Lack of Diversity and Representation: The absence of diverse faculty and a lack of representation in higher education can contribute to feelings of marginalization and impact the overall academic experience for students of color.

Read the full list, with examples, here. 

Many college access and persistence obstacles are very personal: they are related to a student’s sense of self, their family and financial situations, their identities and personal needs. These are sometimes embarrassing and difficult things to talk about, especially for students who are already in a state of emotional overwhelm. 

Yleana staff is in constant communication with alums of the summer camp, proactively offering support to all students—and students often reach out separately to ask for support. Through a “swoop-in” method, Yleana connects students with a mentor with expertise with the issue they are grappling with, who “swoops in” to solve the problem, advocate for the student, and provide ongoing support as needed. Yleana mentorship is not simply “building a network;” it is instances of targeted and specific problem-solving that erase the barriers to college persistence and transition into sustainable careers.