Cultivating Development through Mentorship - Adventures in Advising

In Ep. 98, Matt Markin chats with Raezheen Pascua, academic advisor and junior faculty specialist at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Dr. Michael Cersosimo, director of student success at Loyola Marymount University discuss cultivating learning through mentorship. Rae also discusses her additional responsibilities with scholarly contributions, as well as her goals and experience as a mentee. Michael discusses his new director role and the outcomes from NACADA Region 9’s pilot mentoring program. 

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Transcript

Matt Markin  
Greetings, everyone. Welcome back as always, to the Adventures and Advising podcast. This is Matt Markin, and we are at episode 98, just a couple episodes away from our 100th episode. Today's a fun episode for me we get to not only bring back a previous guest but also get to welcome a new guests and someone I've gotten to know over the last year. So let's get to it to returning is Dr. Michael Cersosimo, Director of Student Success within the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. Last time Michael was on the podcast was way back in episode 16, titled mentoring and transitions, which actually is a very fitting title for a topic we're going to talk about today. So Michael, great to have you back on the podcast. 

Michael Cersosimo  
Yeah, thanks, Matt. Thanks for having me. 

Matt Markin  
Yeah, and making her adventures and advising podcast debut is Raezheen Pascua, academic advisor and junior faculty specialist at the Manoa Advising Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. And also I got to be raised mentor in the mentoring program within the NACADA region nine. Rae, welcome to the podcast.

Raezheen Pascua  
Hi, Matt. Thank you for having me today.

Matt Markin  
So you both recently came from off the heels of conferences that you were attending NASPA and also the NACADA region nine and CAL-CAAN conference. So Rae, I'm gonna throw this first question to you. How was the NASA conference? And, uh, what did you get to present on? 

Raezheen Pascua  
So this was actually my first time attending at NASPA annual conference. So that was really awesome. It was really big, slightly overwhelming, but it was really cool to connect with some new people and connect with some people from the past as well. So even though it was my first conference, I actually got involved with quite a bit. So I presented my first national conference presentation there, it was on growing up poor trauma throughout the life stages. So I talked about just trauma, especially with poverty, and how that impacts our student success. And then outside of doing my presentation, I was also a part of the planning committee for our APIPC, so for Asian Pacific Islanders and professional excellence, pre conference. So that was really cool to to kind of help guide that conversation help others connect to one another. So overall, it's been like a really great experience, and I got to see Seattle, visit Pike's market, so that was an extra bonus.

Matt Markin  
And how was it like after you got done with your, your presentation? Did it feel like a lot of stress lifted? Like what was your feeling like?

Raezheen Pascua  
Yeah, it felt like I definitely could just like finally relieve that relief of psi that it was done as Matt knows, I had been stressing about it for quite a few months beforehand, and trying to make sure it was kind of goal unquote, perfect. And I was really nervous in regards to like imposter syndrome, if I was gonna do well with the topic. And they finally have it done and people seemed overall happy with it. I was like, relief. We did that. That was the first time and honestly wasn't that bad. I thought 15 minutes was gonna last forever. But 15 minutes goes by so fast. It's kind of wild.

Matt Markin  
Yes, absolutely. And Michael, how was your time at the Nakata region nine conference? And what did you present on?

Michael Cersosimo  
Yeah, I mean, so NACADA you know, region nine, the kalakand conference, it was great. You know, I made a habit of trying to go every year, I think I've been to every regional conference that since 2016. So, you know, it's always a great opportunity to, you know, reconnect with colleagues that really can't see unless you're at a conference just because a geographic challenges. So that, you know, that piece is always nice. And, you know, I've been able to build a lot of great relationships with, you know, fellow NACADA members during that time. You know, I, I'm currently serving as the Professional Development Coordinator for region nine, in NACADA. And one of the main responsibilities for that role is to oversee the mentoring program that we have, that we just launched this past year that you and Rae were both a part of, and, you know, so the presentations, most of them that I did, I, I, you know, I did it on the mentoring programs that we had, we had one that was more through the executive office where they talked about a number of different mentoring opportunities as a NACADA member. So you know, talked about the program in that sense, and also had a couple of participants share their experiences during that session. And then I also did another panel with on the mentoring program where I presented some of the data that we've collected in the first year, and, you know, had a panel of participants again, talking about their experiences in the program. So, you know, hearing from all those individuals that, you know, in those sessions was just so great to hear how impactful the program has been in only a year, I think there's always room for improvement. And while at the same time, I think it was kind of just blown away at how much people really got out of it. So you know, those really impactful sessions for me to be able to do. And then I didn't mix it up and do another presentation, too, with some colleagues talking about helping undergraduates transition to graduate school. So that was kind of just placed your pace panel that we did with, you know, some colleagues in region nine, wasn't all mentoring program. But I mean, I definitely wasn't very mentoring program, heavy conference, which again, I don't think is a bad thing, because I think we're just really proud in region nine to have that program. And again, we wanted to celebrate it and also just acknowledge how impactful and how much positivity is brought to so many members across the region. 

Matt Markin  
And I know, we'll jump into some of those questions about the mentoring program. So it's a great, kind of great given a good foundation of what this topic will be about today. But of course, this is adventures in advising. So I always want to know about everyone's path into advising. So Rae, talk to us about your journey into higher ed. 

Raezheen Pascua  
So I'm going to kind of start back words and undergrad, because I feel like it kind of contributes to my story of getting into higher education. So I'm a first generation college student. And right after graduating high school, my family decided to come back to Hawaii because this is where my mom was born and raised. And then I kind of walked in that day and was like, hey, I want to go to college here. But I have no idea like how to get started. And I remember her name, her name was Danielle, she helped me with the application like step by step to fill it all out. And that's how I got started with my undergrad journey. And then like the next step, was then connecting with someone named Summer who introduced me to like different student organizations on campus. And that's how I got really involved with student government, which then led me to my next mentor whose name was Lexar. And she was someone that I always like, aspired to be, but I had no idea that her job was a job. Essentially, I thought she was like, this person that received the Golden Ticket. And that's how she became a Student Life Coordinator. So I never really questioned how she got there. And then when I transferred to my university, I met with her well, who was a part of NASPA over like, specifically, he oversaw the NUF program, so the NASPA undergraduate fellowship program. And he recognized me from my community college experience, and I naturally applied for student leadership positions once I got to my university. And he was like, hey, like, you're super involved all the time? Have you ever just considered working in higher education before? And I was like, no, like, what is that? Like? What do you mean? And he's like, Well, that's what I do, right? Like, you don't think this is a career as like, No, I just never really thought of that as you working a job, just kind of you wanting to hang out with us for fun, for whatever reason. But from him connecting me through enough, that's when I got to participate with a NASPA undergraduate internship. And then I also did the dentry Leadership Institute. And those two experiences kind of help solidified like, Okay, this is really the path that I want to be on for higher education. So when I, you know, went through the steps for applying for graduate school, and while I was writing my paper and thinking about, like, Why do I want to be in higher ed, I really thought back to all those different people who like kind of shoulder taps me or like, helps me with my application. And so my main thing was to ultimately become like a resource. And then once I got more into well, it took me a while to actually get into academic advising exactly, just because my G ship was in leadership. So my first position was a student life like coordinator position, with a little bit of advising mixed in with that little bit of advising, I was like, Hey, this is something I actually really want to do. It also flashback to my like, undergrad years, too, for being an advising peer advisor. So I was like, let me try to like build upon this a little bit more. And I went back to my grad institution and got my first like formal advising position as a career in academic advising coach. And then I had some like personal medical problems, I was in Florida. So with that, I was kind of like, I really want to come back to Hawaii. And it's also just really in alignment of like, what I was always taught for being a professional. Someone I went on that journey to figure out how I can get back there. But in my advising, like kind of Rome, I decided to build upon my wife or just being a resource, but to also be a resource specifically for people from underrepresented communities and lower socio economic statuses. Because I feel like those were always the hard parts when it came to like navigating higher education. So that way, by providing them those resources, they can eventually grow either personally and professionally so that way they can become social change leaders in their own communities as well.

Matt Markin  
And then and of course, you're able to give your experience, you know, going kind of navigating all that as well. And how hard was it? Was it an easy decision? hard decision? Going, leaving from Florida to going back to Hawaii? 

Raezheen Pascua  
I would say yes. And no, it was very, like Laird decision. So I was definitely starting to, like build more of a community in Florida. But ultimately, I decided that like lifestyle wise, and then just being closer to family kind of trying to just make it work in Florida, and feel like that sense of, I guess, wholeness while I was there, and thankfully, I have a really supportive partner who had always wanted to live in Hawaii anyways. So when he came out for vacationing, and then he was also sold to, and I was like, hey, well, then like, let's actually try to make this work. And like, come back, if we feel like it's gonna make like, our lifestyles better just make us happier overall. Yeah, so it was really nice. It worked out ultimately. 

Matt Markin  
And Michael, of course, listeners can go back if they haven't, and listen to episode 16. But things have also kind of other things have happened to us since then. So can you kind of give us your story as well? 

Michael Cersosimo  
Just briefly a diversion from the beginning, or?

Matt Markin  
Sure.

Michael Cersosimo  
Well, I mean, I'll, I'll be brief, because you mentioned you definitely can listen to episode 16. It's crazy that actually, it's been that long ago. But, you know, I'm similar to Rae, I always, always like to acknowledge, I mean, I'm a first generation student, myself, and my career in higher education was not planned by any means. I had no intention to go into higher education when I was an undergraduate. And I would have never imagined that happening. You know, i my i bachelor's degree is in you know, film production, I have a BFA in film production, which I know we talked about in the last episode. And that's kind of tied into how I mentor and aspect of my life, which still exists, you know, like, do a lot of volunteer work and mentor kids on the weekends, teaching them how to make movies and all that. But I, you know, worked in the film industry for a bit after I finished my undergrad. And for a number of different reasons, I decided that wasn't how I wanted to spend the rest of my my life. And I wasn't really just happy with the person that I was at that moment. And I was figuring out, well, what's next? What's the best option? I really just always resonate, I think with this mentoring aspect, like helping and, and I looked at Loyola Marymount University, you know, they had a counseling program for a master's degree. And, you know, I learned a little bit more about that, and decided to enroll in that program. And that really began my journey, you know, at LMU, which was all the way back in, you know, 2009. So I, you know, came to LMU to, you know, get my master's, and working as a graduate assistant, you know, I initially thought I may do some more like school counseling, but I really, I realized that the K-12 school system just wasn't what I what I thought was the best fit for me, and I was working at LMU as a graduate assistant. So I really didn't, you know, like the higher ed setting. So I focused on that I dropped like my credential to become a school counselor and focused on that. And, you know, that led me to it shortly after I finished my master's to say, you know, get a job at LMU is just a, what's called a senior administrative coordinator. So it had nothing to do with advising or anything, really just an opportunity to get my foot in the door. And I probably was overqualified for the position. But, you know, it was an opportunity to, I needed a job. And I just thought it was like, hey, you know, I really liked this institution. So I did that for a few years. And then I was ultimately had an opportunity to become an advisor, you know, mostly working with undergraduates pursuing careers in teaching. So I did that for a while. And then I started about six years after that around like, 2020, right before the pandemic, I started working more with, like, graduate students and some of our like, counseling, school psychology, higher education administration programs, did that. And then I, you know, this past year, you know, six months ago or so, back in, like, October of, you know, 2023 opportunity finally came up for me to become a director of student success in the School of Education, which was just it was a combination of a journey that started so long ago when I was ready for the move to administration and it's been very eye opening. But, you know, that's I just found a home at LMU have been here full time for 12 years. And you know, I really do enjoy the work and the institution, the students and so a lot of things just fell into place. You know, life just happens in but I definitely was not like somebody that was like, oh, I want to work in higher education or I want to be an advisor not that too many people ever say that. when they were younger anyway, right? I think that's always like a running joke for those of us in academic advising, but But yeah, it's been great. And like I said, it's been a been in this role. It's been a lot, but it's, it's, uh, I'm, I'm ready for the challenge. And it's been a lot of learning, but it's been a lot of fun.

Matt Markin  
And I guess that's a good segue into the next question, which is to learn more about your current roles and and what that all entails. So, Michael, let's, let's start with you. 

Michael Cersosimo  
I'm the director of student success in school of education. As you noted, in the beginning of the episode, I oversee our academic advisors in the School of Education and our credential office, because a lot of our students are pursuing life insurance to become teachers, counselors, administrators. So I oversee those two units, that really is the umbrella of student success, and the School of Education. So supporting that work, and you know, leading those efforts of trying to basically enhance the student experience at LMU. And in the School of Education, I also work closely with, you know, faculty on certain areas, like, you know, academic programs, so if they're doing like provisions for their program, I do provide some support through that, or if, you know, like doing less stuff with like, core scheduling or bulletin. So there's, it's not like, strictly just academic advising that I do in this role. I mean, but that's, that's a huge component of it. And that's obviously my expertise. But, you know, it's, we, I do a lot of work with faculty, and I work closely with an Associate Dean, to work with the faculty and the program directors on a lot of those areas, too. But, you know, like I was mentioned in the being that I'm still new to the role I haven't done a lot of, I'm a big believer in not doing too many drastic changes too quickly. So I'm still like, really, in this learning and understanding phase of the work that I'm doing. So I'm really just trying to understand more on like that organization lens, and the director lens. And that's been one kind of cool thing about being recently at anakata conference even is, you know, I had an opportunity to hear even just some administrators and like one of the networking sessions, it's just, like, nice to, like, it's interesting to hear from individuals are more seasoned of how they approach things. So I'm hoping to, like, build those relationships more to with the work that I'm doing, but But yeah, those are like the main areas of the work. So there's a lot of other things I mean, that come up, of course, you know, when you're administrator, you get emails all the time, I'm sure when I opened my, my email after this recording, I'll probably have a bunch of things come up, you know, often I have to take care of day but but again, that's, you know, part of their work in the enjoyable part.

Matt Markin  
So Rae, how about you what's going on at University of Hawaii at Manoa?

Raezheen Pascua  
Yeah, so I work specifically in our mental advising centers. So our center is dedicated to supporting exploratory students, and certain pre major students as well. So I would say, with our department, we have several different exploratory pathways underneath it. And then our population of students really vary. So some students actually know exactly what they want to pursue for their major, but they need to just meet the school, our college's admissions requirements to get into the program formerly, and then some students are truly exploratory. So it's a lot more of like a major exploration, conversation every appointment to figure out like, what makes the most sense, what are your goals? Is it for some students, right, if they're in the upperclassmen, like range, sometimes the goal more so becomes like, I just need to graduate with a degree helped me find something. And then for more like freshman, sophomore class students, it is about like, let me see everything. Let's keep having this discussion and talk about all of my interest areas. So that's been really fun to help navigate those conversations with them and see like what makes sense for like their future careers. And then within the office outside of advising, I oversee two major kind of like projects. The first one is being the front desk supervisor. So I just actually recently hired on two front desk, knees, which I was really happy about going through that full process. And then the second part is our mandatory advising. So for our UH Manoa students, what we have them do is come in to meet with an advisor so that way they can talk about how their current semester is going. And then also the next semester is going and they have the opportunity to speak with either our office or another advising units office to get their whole like reboot. And there's a couple of other options to listed within there for our students. And then we have all their holds go active before registration, again, kind of trying to push them to get in and make sure that they're taking classes that's going to keep them on track. Because as we all know, in revising rooms, sometimes students will take a class way out of left field, thinking that it will count out for their requirements when it doesn't. So yeah, to help mitigate that problem, so that way doesn't happen so often. That's why we do the mandatory advising. And then for the other part with my title, so full titles, academic advisor, junior faculty specialists, I will first say caveat, the University of Hawaii is re-classifying for their faculty. But essentially, there's several different faculty positions under that classification. So you have your traditional instructional faculty, your research faculty, librarians, and then myself as a specialist. So there's there's different like categories that we have to meet within that. So outside of our professional activity, so during the formal advising, my mandatory advising and front desk supervisor, I have my scholarly contributions. And when I went to NASPA, just a few weeks ago to do that, and do our presentation, and the last part is the volunteering. So becoming a lot more involved with our different professional organizations like naqada. So that's been interesting to learn a little bit more about because similar to Michael, I'm fairly new to my position I came on in June of last year. So the first semester was a lot of training, right? Learning all the different programs. And someone like not making tons of changes, and then this semester doing like very small changes, such as, like, how are we going to change the signup forms for mandatory advising? How are we going to do interviews for our front desk, students staff, and that's just because as you're on the faculty track, in that five years, you have to have to contract renewals, and then your official promotion and tenure comes up at the fifth year. So my contract renewals coming for this year. So that's why, even though I was hesitant to make some changes, like I make a little bit changes here and there, so I, I can, yeah, monitor that for data and stuff.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, so both of you newer to your roles, but also have a lot on your plates, taking care of the day to day and, and just me personally, it's great to know you both. And over the years. Well, you Rae over the last year and Michael for many, many years, you know, Michael, and I got to connect at, you know, one of the region conferences, and then we've kind of been friends ever since. So it's, it's all great. Everything you've been doing at NACADAand NASPA and presenting and what you do at your institution. So definitely keep it up. I mean, I'll tell you about having full plates. But one of the other things you both been part of has been the pilot of the NACADCA region nine mentoring program. And yes, granted, there's been open mentoring programs during, throughout different regions in the kata other organizations. But I thought it'd be great to have you both on to chat about that. And so Michael, you know, as the quarter to the professional development quarters in region nine, you know, what was the process like creating a mentoring program? I know, you know, the previous PD chair, or coordinator, Maria Domingo kind of started it, and then you came on to then take over from there. So what was that process? 

Michael Cersosimo  
It was a lot of work. You know, but I do want to, like, you know, like, give props, definitely, to Maria, because she, you know, she did a lot of the groundwork. And I, you know, I mentioned that at the conference, you know, recently have, I think, you know, it really was such an essential part of like the work I mean, her you know, creating the subcommittee and in, you know, doing some of the research, you know, it helped that we didn't have to start from scratch, I became the Professional Development Coordinator for region nine, and, you know, March of 2023. So, you know, been about a, you know, it's been a year, and I, you know, it's, it was helpful to have that base already. But, you know, coming in, though, it was still a lot of work that we had to do, because, you know, our big goal was to try to launch it before, like, I know, what are your goals, as the region share previously was to create a mentoring program, and I know, we were trying to launch it before you turned out and not just specifically for you, but we were like, We got to get this off the ground. So we, you know, we set a date of like, let's get it going for the summer. Let's plan to launch it then. So, you know, there was a lot of work just trying to get the applications and, you know, great some of the assessments and I also want to give a you know, major props to to a lot of the other region mentoring programs because I reached out to a number of those colleagues across anakata and you know, so many of them are so helpful, just sharing resources of like, oh, yeah, we use this for an application or we use this for a pre and post survey and like, it wasn't like oh, well I'm not giving this to you because it's our region's not, you know, yours and, I mean, I always tried to do my best to give them credit for it. I mean, I don't I never claim to claim that region. Nines created everything from scratch because it No, we we definitely borrowed a lot from regents to help us. I mean, we tweaked it to meet the needs of our region, of course, but it was helpful to have a lot of great people that were willing to again, like help and get that off the ground. So, but yeah, we spent a couple of months ago last spring to, to, you know, finalize a lot of things and get the application out. And we were, again, ultimately able to get it out, like, I forget, if we sent it out on like, May or June last year, but send it out over the summer with the idea of getting it, you know, officially launched and we get the orientation in September. So, you know, we did only have the pilot wasn't a full year, which, you know, had its challenges. But I'm just glad that we were able to launch it when we did, because even though it was an abbreviated timeframe, it still again, like was very impactful for the people that did, you know, participate, and we had 41 People do the pilot. So we had 22 mentees and 19 mentors. So a few of the mentors agreed graciously to do two mentees, which was I don't want to save doesn't seem like a big deal. But you know, that's a heavy ask. And I mean, like, but those people were, at least from what I heard, you know, able to make it work. So, you know, again, like, hats off to those individuals especially. But overall, though, again, like, it was great to have them participate in for us to have that and now be I think almost every region in the kata has a mentoring program, which is great. So I'm glad to read you and I will lead the way in a lot of things. But for you know, the mentoring program, we were, you know, a little behind on that. But hey, you know, it's no shame in that at all. And I'm glad that again, we have one and we're gonna keep chugging along and, and keep it going even long after I took out his professional development coordinator a year from now.

Matt Markin  
I mean, that's always the goal is that you don't want it to and you want it to keep going. I mean, yeah, when I was reaching nine share what I ran on, one of the things was, hey, we're gonna create a mentoring program. I didn't know how I was like, but then it was, hey, Maria, can you start looking into this? And then Hey, Michael, can you take it from there? So I mean, really, kudos to you with with everything that you had to do? I mean, yes, you had your your your subcommittee, but a lot of the work, I know how much you were involved in it to get it off the ground? And yes, I was very happy. The pilot started before I ended my term as region chair. I mean, I know I played it as a mentor. I know for me, it was one of those decisions of like, should I should I not? Rae was talking about imposter syndrome about presenting. And then for me, I was had an impostor syndrome about am I even a mentor? You know, I think of you know, I'm an academic advisor, I don't have, I don't want to be in any management position. And don't see myself in that. But I know for some titles can kind of be a thing. And I was like, well, there's that imposter syndrome of like, if I don't have that title of director or assistant director or coordinator something, should I be doing that, but it was also like, Well, I've been in the cutter for so many years, you know, is this a way also for me to give back and I was cycling off the region nine role as chair. So I was like, Well, I don't really have many official things I'm doing so timewise you know, I would have some time to devote to this. So that was kind of so many reasons to to apply. But Rae, I wanted to kind of throw this question to you as applying as a as a mentee. You know, what, what was your decision process like to say, you know what, let me fill this out and see if I can be part of this program.

Raezheen Pascua  
So I really just wanted to learn about everything that NACADA had to offer. So as I mentioned earlier, I was like, fairly new still to like the advising aspect of higher education. So there is a lot of theories once I actually got into this role now with UHManoa that the advisors were kind of just casually going out around the office, regardless, from like advising theories to actual just like, well, Student Affairs theories, I was fine, but advising theory aspect, I was like, how do you all know this information and then kept being like, well look at NACADA look at NACADA pull up this on this website. And there, they were also, like, heavily involved and I just, it was kind of like an eye opener to me because outside of NASPA, I didn't really realize that there were other higher educational like professional organizations, especially for like the different functional areas underneath higher education. So to start learning a little bit from them, I was like, I have to learn more about this organization and then it worked out because then the email naturally went out for the mentorship program. So I was like, Oh, perfect. Let me go ahead and and sign up for that. Just to like, get start somewhere, even though slightly was also nervous because I was like labs if they question it, like how did you get an advising job? And now you need like mentorship and you don't know anything about anakata but then I realized it was actually pretty common for people not to know too much about anakata or ways to get involved. So overall it was really happy about my experience for being our that I chose to sign up for the mentorship program and then like my overall experience this past like year. 

Matt Markin  
I mean, I think for me, same thing when I started as an advisor, it was like my, my director at the time was always talking about NACADA. And I was like, what's this NACADA thing you know, and then I got to go with my first conference, I felt so overwhelmed because I had come from admissions and really had more of the transactional pieces in that role. And so it was such an eye opener of like, what not to get myself into being an advisor now going this conference where everyone seems to know what they're doing, and they're talking about all these advising theories and approaches, and it really just had to like set in, I need to start learning some of this and reading up on articles and books and all of that. But in your office, you actually have to be by know that I consider friends. There's Matt Eng, and also Megumi Makino-Kanehiro kind of hero who work in that office. So I can imagine both of them are like, yeah, check this site, go here, go here and talk to this person or whatever, you know, whoever, whatever questions you might have, everything can relate to NACADA. But, Ray, when, when you when you went started the program? Did you have any sort of expectations? Or what was like your first impressions when you started in the program? 

Raezheen Pascua  
So I went in just kind of only wanting to learn about the resources. And then I saw my goals, email, prepping us in advance for the first session of like, what is your goal? And that's when I kind of paused like, what is my goal, because I don't know a lot about the organization itself, like what it has to offer. So I kind of lead into like my position itself, especially with those different kind of requirements, I need to meet for the faculty track specifically. And I made that become like my goal to talk about that was like, maybe if I just like bring up like the fact that I have to do scholarly contributions, and I have volunteering, that I need to do to that my mentor will know about certain resources and start just casually connecting me, and it worked out honestly, really well. And it's funny that you mentioned that and Megumi because they asked me advance, like, oh, who was your mentor, and I was like, Oh, I got that mark, and, and they're like, oh, my gosh, you're like the best hands, he's gonna connect you to all the resources. He is like NACADA. And that's been very true. Like, helps me tremendously to learn about like the DEI position that I was recently selected for. So that's been really fun. And then just getting more involved, like through the weekly announcements to participate with the different advising groups and their topics, just to like, start somewhere. And then the second part with the expectation was just have someone that I can also talk to you about problems, either personally, or professionally, that was outside of my institution. So that way they can give me that other perspective. And again, major kudos to Matt, because we have talked about that in regards to like some of the things I've have found challenging as a young professional, and then even like, my goals for the future and how I'll reach them. And kind of just like those different barriers I see as challenges along the way. So it's been really nice to have that just getting that outside party that can speak with about all this and not have it be like, well, yes, I understand your challenges, but you still need to meet the marks of like XYZ things. Because I feel like sometimes I can be kind of hard within like our actual institutions itself, just to, you know, let, let it go and like, again, take that off your chest a little bit and just rent it out with someone else. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, so I will tell you this. I didn't I've never I don't think I've told you this. But I was really nervous about our first meeting, you know, because for me, I was like, I don't know, what if, what if the mentee has interests that I know nothing about? And am I going to be able to help this person you know, or are they going to be like, this is not going to work out? I don't want to be part of this program. Now. Thanks to Matt. But luckily Yeah, well, I think however the matching went and you know, we'll chat with Michael after this. But you know, I to me, I was so glad for that first meeting because I was like what outrageous seems like an amazing person, I think we have so many commonalities, similar paths and a way, some similar interests. And you just seem so open to like, I want to learn more, you know, maybe here's some areas, but it wasn't like, specifically I want to learn more about this, or this, those came like later on in our meeting or monthly meetings. But it was like, I just really kind of want to take it little by little, you know, and then kind of build a solid foundation of instead of trying to take everything out once, and I think for me, that like calmed me down. I'm like, Okay, I don't need to like race to you know, find this resource or whatnot. Like, we can literally work on one aspect at a time. So Michael, for you, coordinating this? Can you share in terms of like, once applications came in? Like, what was the process, like with matching? And then if there's any, any comments, or anything that you've heard from other mentors and mentees about the program?

Michael Cersosimo  
Yeah. I mean, it's funny, the, somebody asked this question now, on one of the panels we were doing, because we were joking, like, they're like, what, what information? Do you have that, you know, like, you have a secret database or some like secret, you know, magic or that, you know, to help do the matching? And it's not a really, not much. I mean, when we look at the, when I looked at the spreadsheet, you know, the applications, I, you know, I just trying to do my best to, like, match people up based on like, things that they, you know, had in common, or, you know, maybe they had a, you know, had a goal that they both had, and you know, that they wanted to accomplish. It's hard to match, I mean, because sometimes you think when you're matching someone, you think you have like a great match, and then it doesn't work out. And then other times, you're like, I'm not sure about this match, and it works out perfectly fine. I think a lot of times, it's comes down to the flexibility of the pairing and being open to different ideas and directions of where you make where you may go based on your initial meetings and goal setting and all bats. But, you know, some, I'm sure that some matches didn't work out that well. And, you know, we got some feedback that I know, some people were struggling with, like goal setting. And just like, they didn't know what to talk about, and all that. But it's, you know, some of those challenges are hard to no matter what the match is, I mean, because you have to kind of again, go into it with an open mind. And in really being able to just, again, like, be flexible and adapt and all of that. But I you know, like I would look though, when I did the magazine, like I would sometimes it would even be like a personal thing. Like I was sharing again, this I'd like the panel, like, if you both people were like really passionate about, I don't know, like fantasy novels or something sometimes even though that may sound like silly, that connection can be like, you can really like oh, wow, like you really like this and you know, and then you start like having these conversations. And well, if that's like a surface level connection, in a lot of ways, it can really like open the door to have like deeper connections, longer term too. Because then you get comfortable, you're able to like say like, Oh yeah, well, this person really likes I don't know, like Lord of the Rings or something, you know, and a lot of Star Wars or, you know, whatever. And it's like, you're more open to talking about more professional related goals and aspirations. So it's, like shared identity. And mentoring is so important. And sometimes that shared identity can be something like that. I mean, I, you know, I was I did my dissertation on that on mentoring and shared identities, I was more or less like, first generation, but I remember the, like, some of the interviews and the data that I collected about how impactful that could even be just like, again, like creating that space and having those like, you know, shared interests in, you know, in all baths. So, that was like, part of like, how I approached the matching. And again, like, I know, I wasn't batting 1000 with it, by like, I, I know, like, based on the feedback, a lot of the matches were they were like, I don't know how you did this. I couldn't imagine myself being with somebody else. And I was like, what, like, Sure, I'll take credit for it, but I'm just trying my best here and then trying to like, make it work. So, you know, I was happy with it. And I'm hoping that year two has similar results with that, but it's not like a, you know, an exact science by any means of how that works. But yeah, that's kind of the method behind the madness.

Matt Markin  
Well, I would say take take the credit, I mean, whatever method you ended up matching everyone together, so you know, I think with with Rae and I, we we didn't plan out all the meetings we did in like month to month. So it was we had our initial meeting. And that was kind of like, it was before the orientation. So it's like, let's just take half an hour and just get to know one another, and then, you know, kind of connect where we can. And then it was alright, based off our different schedules and what might be peak times for one or the other both. What would be the next time we'll meet? And then we kind of scheduled it and then did that the next meeting and so forth. At least for me, I think it worked out. I don't know how you feel, right?

Raezheen Pascua  
Yeah, I literally liked the format of like how we creator timeline for meeting as mentor mentee, it just seems very, like seamless, like worked well for us, honestly. And then it was always really fun. Once it hit like the beginning of the month, because that's typically right, you would say when it would land it is the beginning of the month. Because every time with Matt and I's conversation, we didn't expect it to just like, take up the full hour. Like it wouldn't be the end of the hour. It's like, oh, no...

Matt Markin  
It's true. Yeah. Because initially would be like, Hey, how are you? And how are you? And then we just start chatting, and then it just go from one conversation and another and then we're like, oh, yeah, we got 10 minutes left, we just start talking about like, goals and things.

Raezheen Pascua  
Right, exactly. Make sure to schedule that next one. Last minute scramble.

Matt Markin  
But I thought that yeah, I mean, yeah, the way we had the time, I think definitely worked. And then we were flexible in case like something happened. And you know, some other priorities, you know, took precedence. It was like, alright, we can't need to cancel, but let's schedule. But one things we did, too, is even like, we would schedule the next meeting, but it was like, Okay, what's the goal that we need to accomplish? Between now and our next meeting? Like, what will be the next topic we'll talk about? You know, Rae had a lot of ideas, you know, and and I'm happy to say like, I think you accomplished all of them. But we kind of wanted to focus on like, one goal at a time or, you know, what was the what was coming up sooner that needed to get done? And then kind of discussed, is it something that, you know, needs to be done now it can it be later? Is it a goal that you have for this mentoring program, or maybe that's a goal for next year or something, but Ray are kind of mentioning the DEI, whenever you can share with listeners about some of the all the goals that you actually had. And if you feel you accomplish those.

Raezheen Pascua  
There were quite a bit of goals. When you mentioned that I was like, that's a good point. Because we did start off just very casually with each other, like, I just want to know about NACADA. So I would definitely say that goal was met, in the sense of like, what ways I could get involved. And then from there, after learning what the opportunities were, that's when I did bring up the goal of like, well, how do I now formally apply for one of these positions? And then Matt, kind of like broke down, like, what is that kind of like nomination election process, like? And then what are the responsibilities once you are in those type of positions, so that way, I had a really solid understanding, so I felt comfortable enough to pursue it. And yeah, that really worked well. And then when it came to presenting, that was another goal that more so came up, probably the midpoint of the fall semester, once I saw it come out, and I was like, hey, like, I've always wanted to do a conference presentation, I think I'm gonna, like, try to shoot my shot at this, what do you think, and then was 100% supportive and like, helped me talk out like different topics, ways to like set up a conference presentation. And then the last goal that I guess still is in works is to eventually publish. So that introduced me to like our different journals, and then timeline for publishing. So that one's like, in the works, but I feel like would be accomplished at some point, hopefully, this year, fingers crossed. 

Matt Markin  
I'm looking forward to reading that too, whenever it does get published. And then I guess, Michael as coordinator, you know, now that the pilots done, you started in Cohort Two, any takeaways about the mentoring program, you know, whether as a coordinator, what others have have said, anything else to add?

Michael Cersosimo  
Yeah, I mean, I think one thing that we are trying to do more in year two is provide a lot more resources on like, goal setting, and just a bit more structure. But I'm always hesitant, though to like have too much structure because I think you have to, like find that balance because some of the, you know, mentees in the program, you know, like Rae was sharing aminos are amazing goals to have. And then there's but there's others that are in the program that just are really just looking for, like a sounding board from another institution, because they either work in a really small team or they're just really new to the profession. So, you know, I don't want there to ever be like expectations of like, Oh, you have to accomplish this. You know, we had a lot of mentees that did like present whether it was you know, NACADA or NASPA or some other professional association or you know, Yeah, we have to two mentees from your first year, the pilot are now on the steering committee, you know, Rae and another colleague so like, you know, that's pretty cool. And I'm not saying that the mentoring programs, the sole reason why they're involved in accomplish all those things. But, you know, maybe that was allowed them to get that final, like, push to go for it. Um, but, but I think, though, like, the point is, though, like, you know, we're trying to provide more resources with that, but like, I know, you know, we've got, we don't want to set an expectation that you have to do X, Y, Z, I mean, we really want the mentee, to lead and collaborate with the mentor on what works best for what they're trying to accomplish during the program. So you can keep everyone happy. And in some respects, we do these programs, because some people are like, Oh, I really liked the flexibility a lot. And others, like, I need, like, a lot of direction, or, you know, so, um, what I think you know, that that's been something we're trying to get you to navigate on. I mean, like, I think overall, though, the feedback has been very positive. I mean, like, when we did the post, you know, program survey, which I mean, didn't have a really strong response rate. I mean, we're a little over 50%, which I will acknowledge, or would have liked to have seen a little bit higher, but we still, like when we asked like the overall like, like, what was your overall experience in the mentoring program? I mean, 85%, said, you know, excellent, or very good, like, you know, the four and five on the scale. So, predominantly, people, like, really enjoyed it. I mean, we only had a few that didn't give that overwhelming positive, which I mean, I want people to be honest, just to be clear, but you know, like I was, at first I was a little nervous, I was like, oh, gosh, what if we did a lot of like, you know, poor, like, you know, like, their experience, but that was not the case. So, um, I did acknowledge to, though, at the conference, and just like, as we look at the data, that maybe the individuals that had negative experiences elected to not fill out the surveys. So there could be some skewed data, like related to bad. And I know, that's another piece of feedback that we're trying to look at as a subcommittee of like, how do we identify the attrition program, or at least trying to find, like, if people like, weren't really able to participate, I think everybody goes into this with good intentions, our wife happens, sometimes, you know, you get a new roll, maybe you leave higher education altogether, or, you know, like, just get too busy, whether it's professional, related, personal, related, whatever it may be, we don't really know how many of those 41 people that I mentioned earlier, actually finished out the program. I mean, well, most of them I but I truly believe do what I mean, that's an assumption, point. But I think we're trying to find a way to identify that, like, throughout the program, so like, we can maybe provide additional support, if somebody is struggling or like this, you know, unresponsiveness, or whatever it may be, because we have a smaller group for a year or two. So I think that might make things a little bit easier. We have 24, participants, you know, 12 mentees and 12 mentors, so I also don't view that as a negative, because I am more concerned about quality over quantity, like I don't think we need like a huge program. I mean, I would have maybe liked to have seen that a little bit bigger, but I'm not like losing any sleep over that. I just, I'm really more focused on those that want to do it, they're gonna get a lot of out of it. And again, like be impactful to whatever their goals may be. But yeah, there's some things that, you know, I'm sure they're gonna again, to have to be addressed even after I turn them out next year. And I'd love to stay on the subcommittee and support my successor and try to you know, like, keep it going. But I you know, that that will be more of their, not their problem, but there'll be more of their, their their work that they'll have to lead and try to do. But the goal, of course, is sustainability, which I do think there's definitely like no reason that that can't happen.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, and I think the way it's set up, definitely, it's sustainable. And it's something that doesn't have a cost to it. And I think this is also everything that you've shared today regarding the program, I think is something that whether it's another organization or whether it's at an institution, there, there's a foundation, there's, there's information here that could be used to create something and take what they've learned here and create it at their institution, their department or whatever it might be, but with time, Rae, I'll give you the last question here. You know, now that you've gotten through the program, you know, you're you what's next for you? Whether it's, you know, in higher ed in general or within within the kata, and you know, I'm sure one part of the answer is the DEI coordinator. 

Raezheen Pascua  
So definitely for upcoming is focusing on the DEI coordinator position. Make sure I can do that. Well, I'm in the steering committee. And then hopefully going to either the regional next year or the annual as well for the conference. And then professionally, it's really just getting involved in academic program to start pursuing my PhD. That's pretty much it from where I'm at right now.

Matt Markin  
Yeah. Which is still gonna be a lot of work with with all of that, but I know you, you can handle all of it. But I also hope that you know, both of you too, with your new roles and everything, taking time for yourself as well and not overdo it. But I appreciate you both being on the podcast. Michael, Rae. Pleasure. Thank you so much.

Michael Cersosimo  
Thank you.

Raezheen Pascua  
Thank you for having us.