University at Buffalo (UB)
Professor
Indigenous Studies
mishuana@buffalo.edu
I have mentored over a dozen graduate students, and to me, it means developing a reciprocal relationship. The academy often demands a transactional relationship between professors and students, staff and professors, administrators and professors, etc. This does not develop a conducive relationship to mentoring for a set of skills that allows individuals to see their strengths and nurture them in conversation. Also, mentoring is not a checklist. I often tell my students that they should have several mentors and meet them where their strengths are as we are all individuals with different skill sets.