The Sanford Mentoring Program provides Master of Public Policy students and Master of International Development fellows with the opportunity to develop a partnership with alumni who have graduated from Sanford. The program’s goal is to offer opportunity for relationship building and guidance during student’s last year as they navigate being policymakers.
Who is eligible?
Sanford MPP students and MIDP fellows in the last year of their degree program are eligible to be “mentees”
Who are the mentors?
The mentors are Sanford MPP and MIDP alumni, or public policy undergraduate alumni with five years or more experience in a relevant role.
Program Timeline
August 1 | Mentor Application Opens |
September 6 | Mentor Application Deadline |
September 9 | Mentee Information Session |
September 11 | Mentee Application Opens |
September 16 | Mentee Application Deadline |
October | Matches Complete |
October | Mentee and Mentor Orientation |
November | Mentor/Mentee Agreement Due |
October-April | 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.”
FAQ
We have our mentors apply first, that way relevant information can be included in our mentee application. When applying, mentees will have access to mentor profiles (years of experience, policy interests, career, lived experience). On their application, mentees will use this information to rank their ideal top five mentors. Once applications are closed, the Sanford Mentoring Program committee will review the best matches based upon both mentor and mentee applications.
Yes, all mentees are guaranteed a mentor. While you are guaranteed a mentor, you are not guaranteed your top match. Our committee spends quality time analyzing strong matches, but please keep in mind no mentor/mentee relationship is perfect.
Mentors and mentees should meet monthly. Meetings can include phone calls, video calls, 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 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