New Alumni Mentorship Program Offers Opportunity for Connection

While college is exciting, it can also be overwhelming. Challenges like courseload, being in a new place, and financial obligations often lead to feelings of stress, loneliness, or isolation. To help reduce these feelings, Buffalo State University has launched its new Alumni Mentorship Program, which pairs alumni mentors with current students to provide access to social support in the form of friendship.

A grant from the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation has enabled a partnership between the Buffalo State Alumni Engagement Office and Compeer Buffalo, a non-clinical social service agency that promotes mental wellness through the healing power of friendship, to create one-to-one mentorship pairings between alumni and current students. To ensure participant safety and well-being, mentors must undergo a background check, fingerprinting, and interview process-all of which Compeer has years of experience with.

"Compeer has a long-standing reputation for making a positive difference in their clients' well-being," said Katelyn Brickhouse, director of alumni engagement. "We knew the organization would be a valuable partner in making sure our students have the support they need for a great Buffalo State experience."

Any full- or part-time Buffalo State student is eligible to enroll. Interested students submit a self-referral and other documentation such as an interest and information questionnaire, expectations agreement, and information release. While waiting to be matched, interested mentees can attend group events to meet mentors and receive updates.

Alumni mentors, once onboarded, are presented with two to four potential mentees from which to choose. Once a selection has been made, the mentors contact the student to set up the first meeting, which takes place at a mutually agreed upon location and with a Compeer staff member present.

Mentors and mentees are matched for one year based on similar interests and hobbies, area of study, or goals. Pairs are expected to spend a few hours together each month, either in one-on-one settings, or by attending low-cost or no-cost activities and events hosted by Buffalo State and Compeer. The program offers perks to facilitate these meetings; the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore is giving free drink vouchers to the first 10 matches, and all pairings can gain free access to any Erie County YMCA. The program will also offer career networking opportunities and mental health resources.

Kathleen Piske, '77, speaks with Buffalo State students.

"As a former university student, I faced many challenges and know firsthand how valuable a mentor could have been," said Raymond Wasielewski, Compeer's adult coordinator. "Having someone to turn to for guidance-whether it's scheduling classes, navigating campus, or working towards mental wellness-can make all the difference. A mentor is there to support you every step of the way."

Brickhouse said it doesn't matter how pairs choose to spend time together; the goal is connection.

"They can see a Theater Department production, attend a sporting event, meet at the bookstore to have coffee, or just take a walk in Delaware Park," Brickhouse said. "There are many missed opportunities for students to immerse themselves in Western New York culture, because it may be different from where they came from, and they don't know how to access it."

Kathleen Piske, '77, is an onboarded mentor ready to be matched. A series of challenges during Piske's first year at Buffalo State-including being forced to leave her childhood home and the tragic loss of a friend-allowed her to see the value of mentorship.

"The face of difficulty looks entirely different from our preconceived notions," Piske said. "When you are going through difficulty, your heart is broken, and you are looking for a hand. I got to a certain point in my life where I wanted to be the hand for other people."

Brickhouse said the program was also created to help alumni stay connected to the university.

"We want alumni to understand they are always a part of the Buffalo State community," she said. "The vast majority of our alumni live in Western New York or New York State. If a recent graduate walks into a company, odds are, someone from Buffalo State works there. That's an easy connection. Even as far as New York City, there are connections to be made."

And these connections, Piske said, are beneficial for both mentee and mentor.

"You might not know how to reach out or how to accept help, but there are hands available; there are hearts available," she said. "I can't change what my childhood was like, but I can be my authentic self."

Photos by Jesse Steffan-Colucci, Buffalo State photographer.