Mentoring: The Key to My Educational Journey
September 2016 brought about more change in my life than I could have expected in two big ways. First, I became a dad! Second, I was notified that I was a recipient of the Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education. With the Pearson Scholarship I was also matched with a mentor to help me manage my transition from community college to a four-year school. I wondered how this would help since my mentor lived in Pennsylvania and I lived in Mississippi.
An interesting dynamic
I met my mentor Dan Belenky in a virtual call. I learned that he is an education researcher at Pearson and to my surprise, he had a child due soon. This presented an interesting dynamic. As we got to know each other, we would bond over our experiences and over our children. He gave me advice regarding how to handle certain scenarios, and I gave him advice regarding what I have experienced as a parent.
Navigating the transfer process
Dr. Belenky and I spent hours perfecting my college transfer and scholarship application essays. He helped me to choose which schools I would apply to and provided feedback on my applications. I applied to six universities – Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi, Vanderbilt University, the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, the University of Virginia, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison. To my surprise, I was accepted to almost all of them! Dr. Belenky helped me to organize my own thinking in regard to which university to attend. I decided and soon became a Wolverine at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
Standing by my side
Dr. Belenky now had the difficult job of calming my nerves, helping me prepare, and guiding me in the process of moving across the country to one of the country’s preeminent universities. Since arriving in Ann Arbor, I have run into many difficulties, such as: rearing a child while studying, coming down with the flu during midterms, strengthening my study habits to handle the difficult courses that the university provides. Dr. Belenky stood by my side through this difficult process, and continues to support and encourage me.
Successfully transferring to a 4-year school seemed insurmountable at first, but with the caring guidance of Dr. Belenky, I have been managing. Mentorship has become the key part of my educational journey, and Dr. Belenky is at the cornerstone of any success in my educational journey from here onward.
About the author
Brendan Massey
Brendan Massey is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in Mathematics. He transferred there from Pearl Community College in Mississippi where he was a member of Phi Theta Kappa.
Brendan is a Pearson Student Insider. To learn more about the program and apply, click here.
