Every year Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) hosts two honors projects for students to take part in.
One is a mentoring program where international students get the chance to be teamed up with local students to help them become acclimated to the Cedar Rapids area and American culture.
This program started two years ago and had eight pairs of international and American students and has grown since. This year their goal is to have at least a dozen pairs of students. All students are welcome to become a mentor and to help with the project.
There are several reasons why students should be a mentor, according to Laurel Sherman, Student Life representative for Phi Theta Kappa and Liberal Arts student. “The main reason besides it does look good on a resume is that you can gain a lot of knowledge,” she said.
Sherman also said what they are looking for in a mentor. “ People who are familiar with Kirkwood, who have been here a year or at least a semester and want to be social with people not from the same country they are,” said Sherman.
The main expectation of pairs is to meet at least once every two weeks.
Some examples of activities the pairs could do include going to games, intramurals and the movies. The honors project will extend from now until Thanksgiving break. After that, it will be up to the pairs to decide if they want to continue or not.
PTK will be holding a meeting on Sept. 12 in 304 Benton Hall during activity hour (11:15 a.m. -12:10 p.m.) to start introducing groups. For more information, contact Laurel Sherman at laurel-sherman@student.kirkwood.edu.
Categories: Campus News, News
