Someone Like Me

Exploring How Mentors Influence Sense of Belonging for Undergraduate Students of Color

Abstract

At the university level, students’ sense of belonging has been recognized as a possible lever to foster success, engagement, and well-being. A student’s sense of belonging entails an intrinsic motivation to persist with their degree as well as social acceptance; for students of color, their sense of belonging is affected by race related issues as well. Researchers have explored the sense of belonging and experiences of students of color at predominantly white institutions, as well as the dynamics of mentoring relationships between students and staff of color, but the influence of having a mentor of color as a student of color on the sense of belonging is unclear. This article uses data from a survey of students of color and an interview with a student of color to understand the impact a mentor of color has on students of color. Our findings indicate that a combination of both academic and interpersonal support from mentors of color are uniquely influential for students of color and their sense of belonging at the university level. It is clear that mentors provide significant support to students of color both emotionally and professionally, so efforts to improve or create support systems for students of color should be encouraged.