The document provides information about the "Blazing the Trail Together" mentoring services program at NLC TRIO SSS. It aims to provide first-time college students with knowledge to navigate student services, resources, and skills to persist in their education. Mentees and mentors have weekly meeting expectations and cultural event attendance is encouraged. Mentoring sessions are one hour weekly for 25 weeks. Participants use an eCampus community and complete weekly objectives and mid/post program evaluations. The TRIO SMART scholarship provides financial assistance based on eligibility criteria like being a first-generation or low-income student in the TRIO program enrolled in at least 6 credit hours. Any questions can be directed to the Mentoring Services

1. NLC TRIO SSS Mentoring Services

2. WHAT IS “BLAZING THE
TRAIL TOGETHER”?
Blazing the Trail Together is how NLC TRIO SSS provides Mentoring
Services to the students it serves.
The purpose for TRIO Mentoring Services is to reach first-time-in-
college (FTIC) students who are a part of the NLC TRIO SSS program
and gear them with the knowledge necessary to navigate through the
NLC student services process, the resources necessary to connect
them to the college and surrounding community, and the long lasting
skill sets necessary to persist beyond their degree, certificate and/or
transfer.

3. MENTEE EXPECTATIONS
 Meet with your mentor regularly (once a week)
 Call your mentor on a regular basis
(communication is 50% your responsibility in
this relationship! Do not wait for a call/text—
take the initiative!)
 Invest time in the relationship
 Be open to constructive criticism and advice
 Meet in open, friendly places on or off campus
 Share your challenges and frustrations,
whether they are academic, social, or personal.
 Explore your mentor’s responsibilities—how
does he/she fit into the college community.
 Attend cultural event(s) together.
 Find out who your mentor knows who could be
an additional resource for you
 Respect your mentor’s time and work duties.
Be punctual to your meetings with them and
call/text if you cannot make it.
 Make the relationship mutually beneficial.
Remember you have a lot to offer your mentor,
too!
 Thank your mentor. He/she is volunteering
time and energy for you!
 Listen without judgment, become aware of the
needs, feelings, and thoughts of your mentor,
and treat them with respect.

4. MENTOR EXPECTATIONS
 Set up regular meeting times (once a week)
 Call/text the student on a regular basis (at
least once per week)
 Invest time in the relationship
 Be persistent but not overbearing
 Meet in open, friendly places on or off campus
 Assist with campus networking (student clubs,
organization, and faculty)
 Share your knowledge and insights and
provide your mentee with honest, constructive
criticism and informal feedback.
 Share relevant reading material
 Attend cultural event(s) together
 Support your mentee’s interest and value the
person as he/she is
 Believe in your mentee’s abilities and support
positive endeavors.
 Help your mentee problem-solve but do not
take on your mentee’s problem(s) as your own.
Be an ally and empathize, but allow them to
resolve their own conflicts.
 Be interested in your mentee’s life
 Tell your mentee when he/she is doing well or
trying hard
 Make the relationship mutually beneficial
 Listen! Listen without judgment, become
aware of the needs, feelings, and thoughts of
your mentee, and treat them with respect.

5. MENTORING SESSIONS
 The mentoring session is one hour long, and will be each week during the duration
of the program unless otherwise designated by the Mentoring Services
Coordinator. (the program is 25 weeks)
 Mentor and mentee will arrive 10 minutes early to each session.
 If the session is started early, you may end the session early as long as the full
hour has been utilized.
 Extra time being spent together past the allotted hour will be volunteer hours for
the mentor. Extra time spent together will be a mutual decision at the discretion
of both mentor and mentee.

6. ECAMPUS COMMUNITY
The Blazing the Trail Together
eCampus Community is the go-to
resource for all things mentoring.
We will use this community to stay up-
to-date with the program timeline and
to submit all assessments/evaluations.
Use the following instructions to enroll
yourself.
 Sign into eCampus
 Click on the Community tab
 Type Blazing the Trail Together into the
Organizational Search
 Hover over the NLC-TRIO-
MENTORING organization until you see
a grey down arrow appear. Then, click on
the grey down arrow.
 Enroll yourself in the organization using
the following Access Code: 7trio

7. WEEKLY OBJECTIVES
 All completed exercises assigned for specific curriculum objectives will need to be
turned in by the mentor on the following Monday by 5 pm. (Note: Objective
exercises can be printed off via the eCampus Community or can be picked up in
the Mentoring Program Coordinator’s office in A413D.)
 Mentee Weekly Objective Assessments will need to be completed before the
following Monday or no credit will be given for participation that week.
 Mentor Weekly Assessments will also need to be completed before the following
Monday or no credit will be given for CRLA certification.
CRUTIAL! Once all assessments have been completed, both mentor and mentee
will need to sign official Attendance Log in the TRIO office.

8. EVALUATIONS
There are 2 Evaluation necessary to be eligible for the TRIO SMART Scholarship:
Mid-Program Evaluation & Post Program Evaluation
Each of the evaluations can be found in the eCampus Community once you have
enrolled yourself. These evaluations are to help monitor your progress through the
program.

9. ELIGIBILITY
CRITERIA
Must be a North Lake College
student.
Must be a TRIO Student Support
Services participant at North Lake
College.
Must be an active participant of the
TRIO Student Support Services
Mentoring Program.
Must be enrolled in a minimum of 6
credit hours for period of award.
Must provide a name and email
address for one recommendation
from a North Lake College TRIO
SSS staff member.
Must answer the supplemental
essay question in 200 words: How
has the TRIO mentoring program
benefited your educational goals?
TRIO SMART Scholarship
The North Lake College TRIO/SMART
(Student Mentoring and Retention Together)
scholarship was created in order to provide
financial assistance to those students who are
first generation college students, low-income
students, or students who have a disability.
These funds are provided by employee
donations to help eligible students in the
Student Support Services TRIO Program
achieve their academic goals.

10. ANY QUESTIONS?
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT:
ERIK MOSES – TRIO ACADEMIC ADVISOR &
MENTORING SERVICES COORDINATOR
AT (972)273-3158 OR EMOSES@DCCCD.EDU