Forever True Mentorship Program Offers Support to BIPOC Students

Graphic by Sesame Gaetsaloe/The Choate News

To help support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) students through the difficulties they may encounter on campus and beyond, Rachael Lin Wheeler ’21 founded the Forever True Mentorship program this year along with other Choate alumni and current students. The program is based on a mentor-mentee relationship in which a BIPOC alumnus of Choate supports a Choate upperclassman through any challenges he or she may face as a BIPOC in a predominantly white institution.

Inspiration for the Forever True Mentorship program came during anti-racist discussions Wheeler participated in over the summer with the school she had studied abroad at in Italy. She decided to bring that idea to life at Choate in an attempt to create, as she put it, an “anti-racist, equitable, and inclusive environment.”

She said, “I also wanted upperclassmen of color to have mentors who they could see themselves in, who could provide guidance about being a student of color at predominantly white institutions, and who could share any other advice or experiences they had.”

Wheeler explained that the relationship between the mentor and mentee is a connection among BIPOC between the past and present. She hoped that the mentors could provide  “hindsight perspective on experiencing Choate as a student of color” and could share their experiences with current Choate upperclassmen. 

Being a student of color comes with challenges in college applications, getting a job, and adult life overall. At a predominantly white institutions like Choate, general advice given to students may not be applicable nor helpful to a student of color. The new program aims to create that extra net of support for BIPOC students and create another safe space for mentees and mentors alike. Already, the program has had an impact on both mentors and mentees. 

Choate alumnus Nicole Wallace ’14, a mentor in the program, said that the program created an opportunity for lifelong connections of mentorship: “Even if you have a gap where you don’t speak to [your mentees], you can reach out to them later in life.” 

Similarly, Forever True mentor Marlon Antunez ’13 explained that, between him and his mentor, he wants to create a space where the students can “focus on being 100% themselves.” At the same time, he said, “I want to instill a sense of confidence in my mentees. Oftentimes, students of color have to work harder than their white peers to receive the same recognition, especially those coming from a lower socio-economic background.”

Shivani Sharma ’22, a mentee, explained the value she saw in the Forever True Mentorship program: “Because of how racially charged this world has become recently, especially in the U.S., I think having experiences in learning from another person of color instead of just [a] white person giving advice, because people of color often have different experiences, is very valuable.”

Both the mentors and mentees visualize the long-term benefits of such a program. Wallace explained, “I definitely wish that I had been part of a program like this while at Choate. I think it would just have been helpful in terms of [experience in college and beyond].” 

Antunez said, “I wish a mentorship program like Forever True had existed back when I was a student from 2009–2013 to talk about issues of race, class, and sexuality that were often ignored or given minimal attention in the classroom, school meetings, and conversations with peers.” 

Mentee Claire Fu ’22 explained her desire for Choate to offer more preparation to BIPOC students for adulthood, and for a mentor to help her prepare to navigate the world beyond the School She said, “Having a mentor is a great resource to go to, and I hope that we could keep up the connection in the future.”

Wheeler hopes that the program can continue to address racial issues and provide “individualized, structural” support to BIPOC students at Choate.

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