About Our Mission
About Our Mission.
The mission of this organization is to inform, support and empower refugee and immigrant high school students in their pursuit of higher education through regular mentorship and training at no cost to the student.
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The organization is founded on the belief that members of underserved communities deserve to be represented in academia despite greater challenges to obtain and access educational opportunities. It is built to provide a support system for students unfamiliar with the collegiate application process in America.
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Admitted refugee and immigrant students will be paired with current college students who will serve as their mentors by guiding them through the process of applying to universities and colleges in the United States. In addition to one-on-one mentorship, students will have access to professional development workshops ranging from financial aid literacy to college application building. Supplementary resources will be disseminated to mentees throughout this experience to better prepare them for their future educational career.
To minimize the strains that transportation may bear on students, this program will utilize both virtual platforms and in-person to connect the mentees with their assigned mentors.
Similarly, workshops and other resources will be disseminated through both digital outlets and in person. As a team, RIEI will work as hard as we can to offer as many accommodations for students with limited access to digital platforms. Whenever necessary and possible, we will provide physical copies of resources to those who require them.
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Eligible and interested students will be able to apply through the Mentee Application located in our Join section. On there, students interested in becoming mentees can provide details about their current high school standing, elaborate on their interest in becoming a mentee, and expand upon their situation.
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College students interested in becoming volunteers will also be required to fill out the Volunteer Application located in the Join section with their information, including their availability and willingness to volunteer. Throughout their participation, volunteers will be trained on the different components of the college application process in order to better assist their mentees.
Throughout the experience, both volunteers and mentees will report back on their mentorship experience and may seek additional support whenever necessary. Serving as mentors, volunteers will receive volunteer hours and leadership experience from their virtual volunteer involvement.
About Our Structure.
