Mentorship Program

The mentorship program will provide students with a local Nashville practitioner and/or designer who is familiar with the aims and context of Belmont and the O'More College, providing a resource for navigating students' educational preparation and entry into the profession. The group arrangement is favored for fostering richer conversations during regular meetings and supporting peer mentoring and support on campus. The mentor will be available to talk and answer questions one on one as well.

This program will be open to students starting in the second year of their educational program and it is the intention that the mentor is making a multi-year commitment (as is the student) to the relationship, so the mentee and mentor will be linked through the program for the remainder of the student's time at Belmont. The first and last meetings of the program will occur on campus, starting with a big meet and greet in August. Beyond that, it's up to the mentor and mentee groups to arrange meeting times and places, which could occur at coffee joints, the professional's office, or whatever works for them!

It is important to note, that while the mentorship program will be primarily administered by the Advisory Board and will therefore have a presence largely off campus, the Board's program leaders will liaise with the college's Assistant to the Dean, Emily Kynerd, who will be a supportive presence on campus for our students!

This program will increase the already-strong connections that the O'More programs have with the local design community while providing contacts, advice, and connections for students that will enhance their educational experience, guide their professional development, and strengthen peer groups on campus. While professional in nature, we are emphasizing "relationship" over "networking." This is a great partnership between the college and the professional design community in Nashville that supports our commitment to vocational discernment. Students who participate in this mentorship program will not only gain professional skills to aid in landing a job post-grad, but will also gain confidence in how to apply their calling to their career. We want our students to be driven by purpose in addition to professionalism; this program provides the space to explore and nurture this sense of calling.