Peer Mentor Program - CU EMPower
CU EMPower stands for Cornell University Engineering Mentoring Partnerships and is a peer mentor program sponsored by Diversity Programs in Engineering. The primary goal of CU EMPower is to support the personal and academic development and achievement of students in the College of Engineering, especially women and underrepresented minority students.
Within the CU EMPower framework, new students in the college are partnered with upperclassmen or graduate student peer mentors. This structure provides students with the opportunity to help their peers create stronger connections to the university community and its resources as well as have increasingly positive experiences in and outside of the classroom.
What are the benefits? Proteges benefit personally and professionally from the insight and guidance of their more experienced Peer Mentors. Benefits to Peer Mentors include knowing that they are making meaningful contributions to the development of their peers while experiencing continued growth themselves. Benefits for everyone also include belonging to a fun and dynamic group that celebrates their successes and helps them triumph over their challenges!
Regular CU EMPower events include a day of team building facilitated by staff from the Cornell Team & Leadership Center as well as monthly group meetings and dinners. Some of the topics covered during group meetings include Time Management, Curriculum Planning, Managing Stress Through Wellness, and Corporate Networking Strategies. Guest presenters include corporate representatives, massage therapists, physicians, as well as Cornell students, staff, and faculty.
CU EMPower participants also engage with each other during one-to-one and small group gatherings and at CU EMPower social events such as snow tubing, skate night, and bowling. To stay in touch, Peer Mentors and Proteges take advantage of several communication tools; connecting with each other via phone, e-mail, Facebook, instant messaging, and text messaging.
See the DPE Calendar of Events for dates, times, and locations of monthly meetings.
Interested in becoming a Peer Mentor or Protege? Complete an online Peer Mentor or Protege Profile. Annual priority date to submit completed forms is the first Friday of September.
Interested in learning more about CU EMPower? Contact Sara X. Hernandez at sh267@cornell.edu.
CU EMPower Documents & Resources
- CU EMPower Handbook
- Ideas for Mentoring Activities
- Tips on How to be a Great Peer Mentor
- Tips on How to be a Great Protege
- CU EMPower is sponsored in part by generous grants from the Lockheed Martin Corporation and 3M.
