January is National Mentoring Month. We reached out to three graduate students to get some insight into how Graduate Studies' mentoring resources have impacted their educational and scholarly journey. We asked each of them two questions:

• Why is mentoring important to graduate student success?
• Why is it important for Graduate Studies to offer mentorship programs that cultivate a strong mentorship culture at UC Davis?

See their responses below.

Manasvin Rajagopalan (Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature, with designated emphasis in the Study of Religion)

1. Mentoring matters immensely in supporting graduate students — both in success and in failure. In a precarious academic environment, a mentor serves as a guide and confidant. They use their experience to further yours, and they share valuable insight into both feelings of dejection when confronted with negative outcomes and help form clear plans of action when there are things to be done. Most importantly, they offer clarity when graduate students lack their own. 
2. It isn't easy to navigate the often confounding nature of academic life. Mentoring allows students from diverse backgrounds to learn navigational strategies and further their careers with acquired knowledge of the hidden curriculum that stymies many graduates, as they enter the ivory tower. Graduate Studies facilitates collaboration and encourages connection when it supports mentorship programs — building diversity and inclusion into how every graduate student and faculty member can participate in the larger community that is UC Davis. Consistent and strong mentorship advances the well-being of students and mentors alike, creating convivial conditions where research, teaching and professional development can thrive. 

Analisa Brown (Ph.D. student in education)

1. Mentoring is important because it allows graduate students to enhance their social capital by developing deeper relationships with faculty and staff. Having the right mentor plays a key role in a graduate student’s ability to thrive while pursuing their degree. With the right mentoring, graduate students graduate with a sense of purpose, knowing their challenges in school were worth it. As graduate students seek support from a variety of sources, the right mentor aids in this process. Mentoring is an active process and one where the mentor intentionally chooses to lead by example and support their graduate students in becoming independent scholars and better humans in general. 
2. It is important for Graduate Studies to offer mentorship programs because students want and need holistic support. When a graduate student graduates from their degree program, this achievement was only possible due to the accumulation of a variety of resources. Whether that be affinity centers, student organizations, faculty, spiritually or family. Graduate students not only want mentors who can support them in their academic and professional pursuits, but also mentors who can support them in more personalized areas. When students enroll in graduate school, they are not just students, but come with many family roles, expectations and needs. Mentorship should not be only left up to faculty advisers, as they may not be able to holistically mentor their graduate students in a way that aligns with their idea of support. In order to cultivate a strong mentorship culture at UCD, Graduate Studies needs to step up and demonstrate to current students that the department values retaining graduate students, not just recruiting new students.

Anna Vernier (Ph.D. student in chemistry)

1. Strong mentoring relationships are essential for surviving — and thriving — in graduate school. Everyone needs support in one way or another when taking on something as difficult as grad school, and mentorship is an essential source of stability, accountability, sponsorship, motivation and much more.
2. I have come to learn through mentorship programs such as Mentoring Up and Becoming a Mentor that mentorship, both providing and receiving, is a skill that can be honed and optimized to best serve both mentor and mentee. The resources and knowledge I've gained from these mentorship programs have dramatically improved my relationship with my PI, encouraged me to build a network to have more mentorship needs met, and become a better mentor for undergraduates and new graduate students. I highly recommend these workshops to anyone interested in personal and professional development.