(564h) Cultivating Pathways to Graduate School: Investigating the Impact of Peer Mentoring on Hispanic Engineering Students

Mentorship is critical for fostering academic and leadership development among underrepresented groups in STEM. Research shows that strong peer relationships, effective communication skills, and favorable academic and career development factors are vital in encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue advanced degrees and careers in engineering. To further support the pursuit of advanced degrees by underrepresented populations, we propose that graduate students can play a crucial role in mentoring undergraduate students, thereby providing guidance towards graduate-level degrees and advanced career opportunities. We seek to enhance Hispanic representation in graduate school through a hybrid mentorship program that analyzes the factors enabling successful mentoring. Our program focuses on cultivating belonging within the field of engineering by bringing together Hispanic graduate students and undergraduates. Participants had the flexibility to meet virtually or in-person. In the first iteration, 12 graduate students mentored 12 undergraduate students from various departments in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. The program enabled 50% of graduate student participants to gain their first experience as mentors. By the end of the first iteration, 91% of graduate mentors expressed interest in acquiring more skills to better support their mentees. Although none of the undergraduates in the first cohort were eligible to apply to graduate school, two of the three senior undergraduates in an ongoing second cohort have applied to graduate programs or fellowships. Our program underscores the importance of representation, guidance, and monitoring in successfully boosting students' interest in graduate school participation. By incorporating mentorship into chemical engineering classrooms, students can receive the guidance and support they need to succeed academically and professionally. Such efforts can help increase diversity and representation in the field, especially for underrepresented groups in STEM.