Inspiring Each Other to Flourish: Inside a RISE Mentorship
Chatham’s RISE (Retain. Involve. Strengthen. Excel) Program was created in 2012 by Shamin Mason ‘13. Shamin felt strongly that students of color at Chatham would benefit tremendously from a program devoted to their success. Today, the program aims to increase the academic success, professionalism, and leadership skills of students of color at Chatham. Incoming students are each paired with a student mentor to help ease their college transition. Additionally, the RISE program offers benefits including a group orientation, co-curricular programming, and institutional support. We caught up with mentor and mentee pair, Leah Johnson, Interior Architecture ‘22 and Komal Kaur, Political Science ‘25 to learn more about the benefits of participating in RISE and the impact of having a mentor from day one—
RISE Mentor, Leah Johnson
Can you tell me a little bit about what the RISE program is and how the two of you participate in it?
RISE Mentee, Komal Kaur
Leah Johnson: RISE is a mentorship program for minority students. I joined RISE during my first year. I arrived early for orientation and was with students from different ethnic groups across the world. We did activities together like bowling and arcading. Being able to explore Pittsburgh with like-minded people was a lot of fun. Six people from that group are still my really good friends to this day. It's good to know, especially from a minority standpoint, the people who look and see the world like you in a space when there might not be so many of you. From there, I decided to be a mentor. Komal is my first off-campus student and with COVID, everything is a little bit different now.
Komal Kaur: When I was still in high school, I was looking at the Chatham website for resources specific to a first generation college student, and student of color—any resources that would be helpful for me. It's hard being a first-generation student, and the pandemic makes things harder. I got an email from RISE when I committed to Chatham that encouraged me to apply. So I did. [Thanks to] RISE orientation, my first introduction to the university was with a much smaller group. It was a really nice few days, even with COVID. We were able to be outdoors and have lunch together, [as well as] participate in activities and workshops. I hadn't done anything like that in so long because of the pandemic. It was such a good introduction to Chatham.
How do you check in with each other and work together?
KK: In the fall, Leah and I met and set goals for this semester. Leah had questions to help me lay out what I wanted my first semester to look like. The whole first few weeks, and even months, were a big blur, but it was helpful that I had this outline in my head of what I wanted the semester to look like. It would have gone very differently if I hadn't sat down with the intention of goal setting and laid out a plan for myself. Leah and I text. She is always checking in. It is so nice to have someone text you and ask, "How are you holding up?" As a commuter student and because of the pandemic, I haven't been able to meet very many people on campus. Leah is the best, basically.
How does attending the RISE orientation benefit first year students of color?
KK: Having my first introduction to the university in a small group setting was definitely impactful for me. I went to a really small high school, there were 23 people in my entire graduating class. I was nervous about being thrown into orientation. But I was eased into it by coming onto campus for a few hours each day for RISE orientation to meet people and familiarize myself with the campus. Now, I have familiar faces in some of my classes that I met during RISE orientation. When I see someone walking on the quad, I'll stop and talk to them.
LJ: Literally same. Since I'm not from the Pittsburgh area, I was super nervous going into orientation. It was going to be seven days long and I didn't know anybody. But doing the RISE orientation a few days before was super helpful. It is a close knit group of people that can understand certain issues or experiences you've been through, and can talk about those hard things. It helps open up your shell a little bit.
“You have a mentor from the get go, literally from the first week of college, and you don’t have to go out of your way to establish that relationship because, thankfully, RISE does that for you. ”
Tell me about the RISE family dinners.
RISE Orientation participants in 2019
LJ: Family dinners are different each time. We've had Thai food, Jamaican food, Chipotle. It's a catch up session where we can eat good food, talk, laugh, and play games. It's a stress-free two hours where we're together and not worrying about anything else.
Is there a specific experience you've had while participating in the program that stands out to you?
LJ: We've had panelists come in and talk to us from all different backgrounds. Each person brings something different, whether it’s talking about race or inequality or certain things that most people don't really want to talk about. Even within RISE, we’re happy but there are still things that need to be brought up and discussed.
KK: During RISE Orientation, we did a mood board session where we had a speaker who introduced the concept of mood boards to us. We had an hour to sit and reflect about what we wanted to go on that board. Because I'm a first-generation student, thinking about what I want out of my college experience was super important for me.
What has the RISE program provided to each of you in terms of mentorship and community?
LJ: My mentor is now flourishing. I'm trying to follow in his footsteps. The successes of my mentors have been very impactful. I haven't graduated yet, but when I do, I hope to get there.
KK: It's no secret that Chatham is really white. Most of the student population is not so diverse. I was nervous as an Indian American, first-generation American. I was worried there wasn't going to be anyone for me to relate to [at Chatham]. But then I came and saw 25 beautiful faces smiling at me, ready to hear my experiences, and share their own. It helped put my worries at bay.
Returning RISE students and incoming RISE students gather at RISE Orientation 2019
Why would you recommend incoming students of color join the RISE program?
KK: In college, it can be harder to make connections with upperclass students, but there are so many benefits to becoming closer with students who are further along. They can offer you guidance and look out for you. I see Leah thriving and it provides constant motivation.
LJ: You can utilize your mentor, reach out to them with internship questions or questions about campus. Maybe your mentor can connect you with someone else who is older and pursuing the same field. And if you're a mentor, you can really utilize that leadership.
KK: As students of color it's so important to take advantage of the resources that are there for us. Sometimes we're not really provided with those things, but if they're there, then why not jump in and try to make the most out of them. They personally reached out to us before we even started classes to say, Hey, this is here for you. This is a community if you want to be a part of it.
LJ: RISE isn't just made to pair up one African American student with another African American student. Coming in, I knew there weren't going to be a lot of people like me. I'm a Native American and African American student. I didn't expect to be paired up with another Native American student. The expectation is to find those experiences for all types of students of color. I may not understand everything Komal goes through and she may not understand everything I go through, but we can learn from and bounce off of each other. I highly recommend joining. It's a really great opportunity and they also offer separate opportunities, like scholarships and panels for minority students.
Interested in joining the RISE Program? Learn more at the link or contact the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at odei@chatham.edu for more information.
