The Muslim Students’ Association started its first Declassified Survival Guide program last Thursday, which is a new program that offers a paired mentorship at UTM.
The program pairs a mentor who is a student in either third-year or above, including graduate students, with a mentee who is either in first or second year. Upper-year students who are interested in signing up as a mentee also have the chance to be paired up with a graduate level student.
The program launched its first session on February 9, where some mentors got to share their experiences, as well as the motivational stories behind reaching their goals.
Mohammad Amin, the program coordinator, told The Medium that there are currently 30 mentors and 28 mentees.
There are five sessions planned in total until the end of the semester, with each one lasting two hours. According to Amin, the sessions will be interactive between the mentors and mentees.
”So it’s [not specific to a certain program], however, we try to include perspectives from all the programs to appeal to everyone and create a learning opportunity for all the students,” he said.
Amin explained that the goal of the program is to provide first-year students with the insight and tools needed to not only be successful in university, but also to plan ahead and be aware of post-graduate opportunities.
He added that there have been similar programs before by the Undergraduate Commerce Society which focused on professional development, but MSA’s program would involve more “diverse range of university experiences” with “different audiences.”
He also stated that students of all backgrounds and programs are invited to join by signing up online or dropping in to the free sessions held.
When asked if the administration was consulted regarding the Declassified Survival Guide, Amin clarified that the program does not need an approval of the UTM administration.
The sessions are expected to continue until March 23.
