About
Our History
This program originated from conversations around racial justice in the context of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. That summer, a group of graduate students in the Department of Comparative Literature drafted a statement of support and commitment to the cause. Below is an excerpt of that statement:
“As graduate students, we are a part of structures that reinforce the oppression of black and brown bodies in a systematic fashion. To counter this, we design pedagogical and research strategies that aim to undo the damage of this structural violence. However, we acknowledge that the work we do in the classrooms and in our research goes only so far. Therefore, we will strive not just to eradicate anti-Black racism in our scholarship and Academia, but we commit to engage in the efforts to change policies at the local, state, and national level.”
Eligibility
Mentees
The MFF welcomes applications from students from diverse cultural, economic, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds who are interested in pursuing graduate studies in the fields of languages, linguistics, literatures, and cultures.
Learn how to become an MFF mentee.
Mentors
Mentors must be current graduate students and faculty in the School of Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Penn State.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, contact us .
How It Works
Prospective MFF mentees apply to participate in the MFF program (typically by mid-March).
The virtual workshop is held during the summer (typically at the end of May).
After the workshop, MFF mentees are paired with their mentors (including graduate students and faculty members).
Mentor pairs/groups devise a working plan to meet throughout the fall semester to work on preparing the applications for graduate school.
The mentoring relationship is expected to last for several months (typically until the mentees accept an offer to graduate school). However, some mentor pairs continue their relationship well past graduate school!
Get more information
Please reach out to us at MentoringfortheFuture@psu.edu with any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Mentoring for the Future program?
In a nutshell, Mentoring for the Future supports students who are first-generation, black, indigenous, Hispanic, and/or from underrepresented groups across the globe during their application process to graduate school.
What is the time commitment/length of the mentoring program?
The mentorship is expected to last for several months (typically until the mentees accept an offer to graduate school). However, some mentor pairs continue their relationship well past graduate school!
2024-2025 Mentoring Timeline
| November 2024 | Applications for mentors and mentees open |
| March 2025 | Application deadline (March 31st) |
| April 2025 | Notification of acceptance |
| May 2025 | Two-day workshop series (online, May 15-16) |
| May 2025 | Mentors-mentees matches occur |
What are the requirements of the mentoring program?
Mentees and mentors plan to meet based on what works best for them. There is nothing set in stone, but participants (both mentees and mentors) are expected to meet regularly.
How are students and mentors matched?
Mentees and mentors are matched as best as possible based on career aspirations and personal interests.
I'm interested in becoming a mentee, how do I apply?
Participants can apply by going to the How to Apply page.
I'm interested in becoming a mentor, how do I apply?
Mentors can apply by sending an email to MentoringfortheFuture@psu.edu