MENTORING PROGRAM
QUT GEMS has always had strong ties with Mentoring and as a committee we have always striven to welcome first years into engineering. Our overall goal is to facilitate relationships between all year levels of engineering and encourage female students in engineering to advance in the course through forming bonds.
In 2013, the mentoring committee focused on welcoming girls into the engineering environment through weekly picnics and the Women in Engineering scholarship. Through the weekly picnics, the mentoring committee could focus on social mentoring and acting as a role model and guide for how to survive university. Through the Women in Engineering Scholarship event, the mentoring committee hoped to provide a tangible goal to stick to engineering and progress through the course.
Throughout 2014, the mentoring committee continued to build on this tradition, holding bigger and better events. Numerous events for the Women in Engineering Scholarship recipients were held and the Big Sister, Little Sister mentoring program was invigorated through study sessions after our mentoring launch dinner at Grill'd.
In 2015, the mentoring committee wants to continually build on the culture of ongoing social, academic and professional support for women in engineering. Our plans for 2015 so far include: a Women in Engineering Scholarship Event, reinvigorating the Big Sister, Little Sister program through assigning participants with a ‘mentor’ to assist her with the challenges of engineering: social, academic or professional. Through these events the mentoring committee aims to connect old and new GEMS members through formal and informal events, facilitate making new friendships and to develop a strong support network for undergraduate engineering students at QUT.