Kylie P Schlesinger
Julie R Berenblum
| Kylie P Schlesinger | Julie R Berenblum |
Schlesinger, Kylie P, Berenblum, Julie R, Aigbokhan, Iyayi O
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, Division of Community Oral Health
In light of COVID school closures, this program currently takes place in the virtual space via Zoom. Mentors and mentees meet about once every other week for an hour. Mentors were provided with a prompt to facilitate communication in preliminary stages. Over time, conversations will flow organically and students will be able to request help from their mentors, as needed. Four student mentor/mentee coordinators are responsible for ensuring all pairings are meeting on a regular basis. Two PDM students are in charge of program analysis and will study program progress over the course of the year.
Project OverviewPenntorship is a one-on-one mentorship program between Penn Dental students and West Philadelphia High School students. The primary goal of the program is to foster meaningful mentoring relationships to enhance personal growth, high school success and engagement in post-secondary exploration and planning.
OutcomeMentor/mentee pairings have developed meaningful relationships that foster a culture of community within Penn Dental and West Philadelphia HS. Students have learned skills related to academic and social success, identification of strengths, passions and interests that align with various career paths, and self-advocacy. Individual mentor/mentee relationships are evaluated through the weekly mentor assessment forms.