Faculty Mentors: Making a Difference

Shannon (a pseudo name) graduated 2 years ago. We were in regular contact while she was a student at W and M and we kept up quite regular contact after graduation.  Chatting with her on Saturday when we met for lunch—just a few days before she departed to attend graduate school at Harvard–reminded me that faculty often play a very important role in the lives of their students. Shannon is that special student who profited enormously from having an advisor/mentor who gave her extra attention. Six years ago she came to my office as a shy, deeply religious and somewhat insecure young woman schooled in an inner-city Virginia school. On one hand she was thrilled to be at William and Mary; on the other, she felt like an imposter who would not fit in—either academically or socially. Throughout her four years she often struggled–both academically and socially. Yet, she and I had built an early bond and she never hesitated to email me with issues or to come by my office to seek help or advice. It helped that she decided to major in Sociology and that she was a student in two of my classes. It also helped that her classes were mostly on my floor in Morton and, on a daily basis, we could chat—if only very briefly sometimes. I knew I was a friendly and supportive presence in her William and Mary life and I was very conscious of the responsibilities that accompanied that knowledge. When times were tough she would come to my office and throw herself in a chair and unload her frustrations. She knew I would listen but also she knew that I would push her to keep on going. I loved her gritty persistence and I admired her strength of character. I also liked the fact that she found balance in her life and didn’t let her academic life totally dominate. A dancer, she found joy and accomplishment in this avocation. For me, her recitals were special evenings where I saw this young woman glow with pride in her accomplishments. Overall, a little sympathy went a long way with Shannon—she mostly needed to know she had someone who cared about her and that there was a faculty member who believed she could make it through William and Mary.

After graduation, Shannon taught for 2 years in the public school system of her childhood. Late last semester she found a graduate program at the Harvard School of Education that focused on bringing the Arts (in her case, Dance) to inner city children. A flurry of emails and drafts of letters and personal statements later, her application was in the mail! Not long after that a phone call from one of the program’s faculty confirmed that she was accepted to Harvard and that, indeed, she was a prize candidate. Words are not adequate to convey how thrilled Shannon was when she learned of her success. As she herself told me, all of her struggles at William and Mary were worth it. So, here we have a wonderful story of success—a story that illustrates a student’s persistence and that also underscores the importance of faculty care and support for our students.