Cal State Long Beach freshmen have moved into the dorms. They have their IDs, books and registered classes. Their focus is on the transition into college.
The Career Development Center, however, would like to focus on a group they believe to be underserved: sophomores.
A program called Project Rise will engage 100 sophomores and partner them with 10 graduate and upperclassmen students. The partnership will revolve around mentoring the sophomore students and solidifying their major and career paths.
Project Rise is specific to sophomores because by the end of their second year, students should be declaring their major, according to Erin Booth-Caro, the coordinator for Project Rise and internships at the CDC.
“So much attention is paid to first year students, so we feel sophomores are currently being underserved on campus,” Booth-Caro said. “They are not quite linked to a department yet and haven’t had an ample amount of time to create professional relationships.”
Zach Phillips, a junior history major, said the project is a good idea for those who still need to declare their major. Phillips said he mostly seeks advice from professionals within his department.
Project Rise aims to help students in every facet of academia. The program’s first objective is to make sure students are academically surviving, and to achieve this, the program includes coaching the principles of time management and effective study habits.
The next goal within the project is to find out what interests each sophomore.
“We want them to learn about themselves and identify their skill sets,” Booth-Caro said.
Through the program, the CDC will identify students’ strengths and focus on exploring the natural talents of students and developing them.
The project will also provide participants with many resources – all of which are completely free.
“I’d sign up for the program, but I think it should be open to juniors as well,” Justine Santos, a freshman pre bio-chemistry major, said.
Santos said she thinks there are undecided juniors who waste money and take random classes rather than invest in courses specific to their majors.
The sophomores in the program will meet twice a month during a one-on-one session with their student mentors.
April Boos, a graduate student in social work and a mentor for Project Rise, said she hopes all of the students will gain confidence from this program.
“When I was a sophomore, I didn’t know what life was about,” Boos said. “It’s a stressful time, and I can empathize with that. I want them to be confident with themselves and to not be swayed by the expectations of other people.”
Booth-Caro said the CDC wants to let the groups discover their curiosities. So far, there is no strict agenda for the mentoring groups but rather an invitation for exploration.
“My past experiences have taught me that mentoring is all about meeting people where they are in their journey,” Boos said. “I need to meet them where they are, and then we can work together and grow.”
Project Rise plans to also offer advice from CSULB professors as well as business contacts within the community.
There are two informational meetings on Wednesday and Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the CDC, where students can learn about the program and sign up for Project Rise, a one-year commitment. Spots within the program are first come, first serve.