If you have ever had a great mentor, you already know the truth: mentorship is not a one-way elevator where the expert lifts the beginner to the top. It is more like a staircase you climb together. Sometimes you walk side by side, and sometimes you take turns pulling each other up.
And as Swami Vivekananda boldly said, “All power is within you. You can do anything and everything. Believe in that. Do not believe that you are weak.”
That is exactly the energy behind the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) Dual Mentoring Program, where both mentees and mentors are leveling up. Everyone walks away with just as much clarity, purpose, and inspiration, sometimes more. It is mutual growth with proof.
Why This Program Exists (And Why It Matters Right Now)
Picture this: students juggling jobs, children, coursework, and real life before noon. Many are first-generation students, career changers, or adults returning to school after years away. One strong support system can be the difference between hoping to graduate and fully believing they will.
The Dual Mentoring Program was created as more than a helpful resource. It was built as a strategic form of support. It connects students with alumni mentors and provides them with access to skill-building and career development workshops, as well as a community that understands their unique reality.
More Read
The result speaks for itself.
- Higher GPAs
- Higher confidence
- Stronger networks
- Clearer next steps
One mentee put it:
“I came in hoping for advice. I left with clarity, motivation, and people who actually believe in me.”
And mentors do not just give back. They also grow.
“Mentoring reminded me that I still need mentors. We do not outgrow guidance. We forget to ask for it.”
A Quick Story (Because Numbers Do Not Tell the Whole Truth)
One student entered the program unsure whether she even belonged in her major. By the end, she not only raised her GPA but also landed an internship after her mentor walked her through mock interviews, résumé edits, and a confidence reboot. She summed it up this way: “It felt like someone turned the lights on in a room I thought I had to walk through alone.”
That kind of shift does not show up on a spreadsheet, but it can change a future.
What Makes This Program Different
Many mentoring programs are well-intentioned, but not memorable. This one is structured to create momentum, not just meetings.
Peer Spotlight Moments, where participants learn from each other, not just facilitators
Workshops that address real-world needs, from LinkedIn optimization to AI for Social Justice
A balance of structure and flexibility, enough guidance to support participants, and enough space to adapt to individual needs
Just like the program emphasizes adaptability, Peta-Gaye Smile, a program alum and coordinator, highlights that one of the program’s strengths is giving mentees the autonomy to choose support that’s most relevant to their personal goals. According to her, this personalized approach fosters a sense of ownership and agency, allowing clusters to grow in ways that are natural and sustainable.
Two of the most requested themes were Career Readiness, AI proficiency, and Tech Skills. CUNY SPS understands that the job market does not wait politely for students to catch up.
One participant described the workshops as educational and supportive, and then added a remark:
“More regular check-ins and upcoming trending topics will help mentees who need extra encouragement.”
That was not criticism. It was a collaboration. And that is exactly how the program grows, instead of repeating the same formula each year.
As Peta-Gaye Smile notes, “We reviewed feedback trends from the surveys and listened closely to what participants were asking for: stress management, stronger connections, career support, and practical academic skills.”
Confidence: The Unexpected Outcome Everyone Kept Talking About
There is a moment when someone finally sees the version of you that even you stopped seeing. For many students, that moment happened here.
For mentees, it meant stepping out of isolation and into possibility.
For mentors, especially alumni, it meant remembering how far they had come and why giving back matters.
Peta-Gaye also underscores the power of cross-campus collaboration, where mentors and mentees come together to co-create sessions that respond to the students’ immediate needs, such as resilience, career readiness, and confidence-building. This collaborative effort is key to the program’s success in fostering mutual growth and giving everyone involved a sense of community.
One alum called the experience “a full-circle moment,” which might be the unofficial motto of the entire program.
Where Is It Going Next
If the most recent results are the baseline, the future is promising.
- More mentors, more mentees, more programs involved.
- A full-time staff member to support program growth year-round.
- Cross-campus mentorship across the full CUNY system.
- Partnerships with employers who bring real DEI commitment, not lip service.
Picture themed mentorship circles, mental-wellness check-ins, industry-based cohorts, and reflection spaces that make every participant feel supported and seen.
In looking ahead, Peta-Gaye notes the value of giving students the space to lead their own growth journeys, supported by resources and tools that meet them where they are. She believes that this empowerment is key to truly serves students’ evolving needs.
It’s not just a program. It’s a mentorship ecosystem.
The Ask: Simple, Urgent, Worth It
The program works. The feedback is consistent. The demand keeps rising. Now it needs what every successful initiative eventually needs: funding, visibility, and champions.
Mentorship is not charity. It is a strategy. When a program builds confidence, careers, and community at the same time, the goal is not to contain it. The goal is to scale it.
“The Dual Mentoring Program is not just helping students graduate. It is helping them belong and thrive within a supportive community.”
Mentorship does not fix everything, but it changes something in everyone it touches.
Sometimes that change is a résumé.
Sometimes it is a mindset.
Sometimes it is the reminder that someone else has walked this path and believes you can too.
And as Latino leader Antonio Tijerino reminds us, “You are not lucky to be here. The world needs your perspective. They are lucky to have you.”
And every meaningful shift still begins the same way: with a conversation.
