Students who volunteer in the Student2Student mentoring program are currently training to be mentors in a four-week course that qualifies as a one-hour humanities credit.

After completing a minimum of 50 hours of mentoring, students can earn a certification that is internationally recognized, said Student Life Director Erin Logan.

“It’s been a great tool for them to be better students as well as helping somebody else be a better student,” Logan said.

The program launched in August 2014 and OCCC currently has 14 trained mentors and 32 mentees.

Kylee Lewis, psychology major and trained mentor, said she got involved in the program because she has a passion for helping people

“I’ve always wanted to go into some sort of counseling, so this is a good sort of first step to transition into that mindset,” Lewis said. “It’s not the same. It’s not counseling. That’s been clarified. But it’s a good first step for me to start making connections and helping people out.

“It’s been personally gratifying. I only had one mentee this semester but it was really gratifying to be able to see her do well and to actually notice that I helped her.”

Lewis said the program also builds life skills in mentors.

“The communication skills have helped me a lot in my personal life and it helped me with my study skills,” she said. “I’ve never been very good with study skills so that was actually very helpful for me to learn certain things that I can do to help myself be better in classes.”

Diversified Studies major and trained mentor Derek Scarsella said the program is a great resource that students should take advantage of.

“I think that for somebody new coming in, or somebody who is struggling, it provides a network; it provides a support system,” Scarsella said.

“A mentor is somebody you can go to who can help you navigate the system a little bit — anything from setting up your classes and enrollment, to learning how to talk to your professor, or learning how to get around the school a bit more easily.”

To request a mentor or to submit a mentor application, visit http://www.occc.edu/studentlife/student-2-student.html.

To apply to be a mentor, a student must be enrolled in 15 credit hours or more at OCCC, must maintain a 3.5 GPA and must provide two letters of recommendation.

For more information, call the Student Life office at 405-682-7523.