My name is Mónica Reis, and I am a second year PhD student studying Forensic Psychology. I have been an Ambassador for about 5 years now and am currently Stipend Lead Ambassador, an Outreach Tutor, and an Adult Learning Mentor. I have been an Adult Learning Mentor for a few months now and much like my other roles, I am loving every second of it!
I originally applied for the role as I had previously worked as a classroom assistant at Brompton Academy assisting a group of adult learners as part of the Access course. I really enjoyed interacting with students and being able to see and help them achieve their goals as they progressed through the access course. One of the things I was also lucky enough to do was help students with their UCAS applications, where I was able to share a lot of first-hand experience of what university life is like. Selfishly, one of the best things for me about this experience was seeing everyone’s hard work pay off and knowing you helped to make a difference! This is a very long-winded way of saying that when the additional role to become an Adult Learning Mentor was advertised, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to apply!
The application process to become an Adult Learning Mentor is quite similar to some of the other additional roles. I had to submit a 200–300-word cover letter stating why I was interested in applying for the role to Outreach. Following this I was invited for an interview with Donna and Ruth, who were by far the loveliest interviewers I’ve ever had! After the interview had taken place, I was told that I had been successful and invited to attend a training session to give us some more in-depth training for the role. Following this I was fully briefed on the mentees I had been allocated to, I was given their emails and from there I set up the first initial meetings!
I think the aspect I enjoy the most about being an Adult Learning Mentor is seeing how much of an impact you can have. Being an Adult Learning Mentor is such a worthwhile experience, whether you’re just sharing your experiences or tips and tricks on how you made it work, or whether you’re motivating someone and reassuring them that they’re doing their best – it makes a massive difference to people!
For any Ambassadors who are thinking of applying – do it! I would 100% recommend getting involved and applying. It can be challenging at times; you have to be understanding and open to the fact that it can be extremely challenging for people coming back into education as adults, especially as they may have families, jobs, and other responsibilities on top of studies. They may also not have had the best experience with education the first time round, so anything that you can do to make that transition easier will be massively helpful!