The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) CURE Scholars Program is seeking mentors for its Career Navigator Program, its new pipeline specifically geared toward 11th- and 12th-grade students as they fill out college applications, apply for scholarships, and make professional connections to help them secure internships and other educational opportunities.
In this new mentorship role, the mentors will participate in a virtual speaker series to help the scholars learn more about different STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career fields and opportunities.
The Career Navigator mentorship role will also open up doors to summer internship opportunities for the scholars. The summer between their junior and senior year of high school is the most important, as this is the last opportunity for the scholars to add a professional internship to their resumes before applying to colleges in the fall.
The mission of the UMB CURE Scholars Program is to prepare West Baltimore students for careers in the health sciences and cancer research. This groundbreaking program was the first of its kind to introduce a STEM pipeline as early as sixth grade. When the scholars reached high school, the program expanded by adding a high school component called CURE Connections (C2), which is geared toward ninth- and 10th-grade students. Now that the Cohort One scholars are in 11th grade and on the verge of applying to colleges, the CURE Program has expanded once again with the Career Navigators Program.
The mentors and CURE staff will also be helping the scholars build individual portfolios of their work and what they have learned over the last five and a half years. This includes all of their research posters, STEM projects, and awards and accolades they have received.
“We are looking to the mentors to help the scholars complete their journey,” said Gia Grier McGinnis, DrPH, MS, the executive director of the CURE Scholars Program. “The scholars will have to make several life-changing decisions in a very short time frame, so we'll be looking to our Career Navigator mentors to help them process all the different options they'll have, as well as share with them the importance of why they need to start building a professional network.”
If you’re interested in becoming a mentor for the Career Navigators Program, you can submit your application here.