The Sanford Mentoring Program connects Master of Public Policy (MPP) students and Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) fellows with Duke Sanford alumni serving as mentors. The program helps students build meaningful professional relationships and gain insights as they transition from graduate study to careers in public policy and international development.
Mentees and Mentors
Who is eligible to be a mentee?
Sanford MPP students and MIDP fellows in the last year of their degree program are eligible to be “mentees.” Applications to be a mentee open in September.
Who are the Mentors?
Mentors are Sanford MPP and MIDP alumni, as well as public policy undergraduate alumni with five or more years of experience in a relevant role.
Program Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 3 | Mentor Application Opens |
| September 8 | Mentor Application Closes |
| September 11 | Mentee Application Opens |
| September 18 | Mentee Application Closes |
| End of September | Matches Complete |
| October | Mentor Virtual Orientation Video Released |
| October 30 | Mentor/Mentee Agreement Due |
| October-April | Monthly Mentor/Mentee Check Ins |
| Ongoing | There will be various professional development opportunities throughout the year. |
Brittany Gabriel MPP’24 (Mentee)
“During my time participating in the Sanford Mentor Program, I can 100% say that the Sanford team did the best job matching me with my mentor. Sonia Sekhar (MPP'14) is amazing! She is kind, compassionate, informative, and easy to talk to. She gives practical advice and challenges me to think of situations differently. Hands down, she's a 10/10 human, and I am grateful she is open to sharing her life and experiences with me so that I can learn and develop into the person I am meant to be."
Sonia Sekhar MPP'14 (Mentor)
Sonia Sekhar MPP'14 served as a mentor. Sonia is Deputy Director of the NY State of Health, New York’s official health plan marketplace. “It was a real privilege to get to know Brittany through the Sanford mentorship program," she says. "Like many Sanford students I’ve met over the years, she is extremely organized and thoughtful, and I feel lucky that the program helped forge what I hope is a long-term friendship and connection in the policy world.”
Mentorship Program FAQ
Sanford mentors apply first, so that way relevant information can be included in our mentee application. When applying, mentees will have access to mentor profiles which include information such as years of professional experience, policy interests, career roles, lived experience, etc. Mentees will use this information to rank their top five mentors. Once applications are closed, the Sanford Mentoring Program committee will make the best matches based upon both mentor and mentee applications.
Mentees are guaranteed a mentor. While you are guaranteed a mentor, you are not guaranteed your top match.
For mentors, a mentee is not always guaranteed based upon student interest in the program. However, Sanford's alumni relations team supports navigating other volunteer opportunities for interested alumni.
Our committee spends quality time analyzing strong matches, but please keep in mind no mentor/mentee relationship is perfect.
Mentors and mentees are expected to meet monthly. Meetings can include phone calls, video calls or be in person. Communication is determined in the mentor and mentee agreement. Mentees are responsible for setting up meetings and making sure program requirements are being met.
Open, clear, and effective communication makes strong connections. It is not necessary to have the same career goals, personality, or even interests as your mentee or mentor. Mentorship is building connections and creating a pipeline for engagement into the Sanford community that has over 10,000 alumni.
Absolutely! Although you will be joining the alumni network, many of our relationships continue past the program cycle.
Contact Us
Have other questions? Feel free to reach out to us at sanford-mentoring@duke.edu