{"id":22882,"date":"2023-02-03T15:58:04","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T20:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=22882"},"modified":"2023-02-06T09:03:29","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T14:03:29","slug":"students-say-thanks-to-their-furman-mentors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/students-say-thanks-to-their-furman-mentors\/","title":{"rendered":"Students say \u2018thanks\u2019 to their Furman mentors"},"content":{"rendered":"

In January, to observe National Mentoring Month, Furman asked students to share words of thanks to those who have helped guide them through their time here. Dozens of students responded, and their reflections prove that mentoring is as much an integral part of Furman\u2019s culture as the Bell Tower and Furman Lake, said Melanie Armstrong \u201994, mentoring coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cMentoring and advising<\/a> is a key component of The Furman Advantage,\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cMentors assist students in exploring their interests, discovering their strengths and reflecting upon experiences during their four-year journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armstrong cites the 2022 Gallup survey, which revealed that 80% of Furman employee respondents \u2013 99% of the faculty \u2013 reported regularly having conversations with students about career planning, advising, social support, well-being and financial concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents find their mentors in many ways on campus, whether it is in the classroom, co-curricular experiences, research or extracurricular activities,\u201d said Armstrong.<\/p>\n

Several students share their stories below. For more information on finding or becoming a mentor, visit Furman\u2019s mentoring page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Katherine McCann \u201923<\/p><\/div>\n

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Ang\u00e9lica Lozano-Alonso<\/p><\/div>\n

Katherine McCann \u201923, biology and Spanish major
\n<\/strong>Mentor: Ang\u00e9lica Lozano-Alonso, a professor of Spanish<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Lozano-Alonso has taught me about Latin American language and culture in the classroom and about being the kind of person who values and fights for the culture and rights of others. Dr. Lozano-Alonso has opened my eyes to the richness of the Spanish language and cultures inextricaby entwined with the language. She has shown me how I can use the ability to speak a language and the understanding of associated cultural practices to close the gap in inequality of dreaming for Latin American and LatinX individuals in my circles of influence both now and as I continue on in my career in medicine. She has been one of my biggest supporters on campus and someone I know I can trust to connect me with resources, listen to and discuss my questions and concerns, and push me toward my best self.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Haley Shadburn \u201924<\/p><\/div>\n

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Brad Harmon<\/p><\/div>\n

Haley Shadburn \u201924, individualized curriculum program \u2013 public policy studies major
\n<\/strong>Mentor: Brad Harmon, assistant dean for the first-year and second-year experience<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI have learned an extensive amount of skills and information about conducting regulatory research for developing programs on campus. I have also learned team and partnership skills through working with Dr. Harmon, which has been an invaluable experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Samantha Beeson ’24<\/p><\/div>\n

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Liz Seman<\/p><\/div>\n

Samantha Beeson \u201924, communication studies major
\n<\/strong>Mentor: Liz Seman, chief of staff, liaison to the Board of Trustees<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Liz has taught me the importance of balance. She has lived a full career in both politics and nonprofit work while still maintaining a tight-knit family. She inspires me to work harder and ask bigger questions. Mrs. Liz is never afraid to speak her mind, even if it isn\u2019t popular. The truest test of integrity comes when you\u2019re in a room full of people who believe the opposite and you stand firm in your convictions. Mrs. Liz is the perfect mentor for me, and I am so grateful Furman\u2019s Pathways programs brought us together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Anna Richardson ’26<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lt. Col. Sarah Whitten<\/p><\/div>\n

Anna Richardson \u201926, history major
\n<\/strong>Mentor: Lt. Col. Sarah Whitten, a professor of military science<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShe believes in me even when I don\u2019t believe in myself. She holds me to high standards and doesn\u2019t let me fail. She pushes me both physically and mentally, while supporting me in every way that she possibly can. She has changed my outlook on life both academically and physically. I\u2019m not sure what I would do without her guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kyria Santa ’24<\/p><\/div>\n

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Darren Hick<\/p><\/div>\n

Kyria Santa \u201924, health sciences major
\n<\/strong>Mentor: Darren Hick, an assistant professor of philosophy<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI learned critical thinking and how to \u2018why?\u2019 and \u2018how?\u2019 in\u00a0regards to my or others\u2019 beliefs. This frame of thinking has covered all aspects of my life and has helped me write not only philosophy papers but all papers I write for my other classes. I\u2019ve learned more about how to write well from him than in any other writing course I\u2019ve had so far. Plus, he\u2019s funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Botamina Sorial ’24<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rolyn Rollins<\/p><\/div>\n

Botamina Sorial \u201924, health sciences major
\n<\/strong>Mentor: Rolyn Rollins, program coordinator, Cothran Center for Vocational Reflection<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve learned how to approach conflict in an efficient and validating manner. She has also taught me how to be intentional with my reflectional time and be more introspective. She has created a safe space for me to discover myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As these firsthand stories illustrate, at Furman, mentoring is as much a part of the culture as the Bell Tower or Furman Lake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":22912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-furman-advantage","category-top-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}