First-generation college students at Bates College are finding support through a peer mentorship program designed to help them navigate both academic and social challenges. The Student Center for Belonging and Community (SCBC) serves as the hub for these activities, hosting programs such as Bobcat First and the Kessler Scholars initiative.
Sheila Robledo, a junior from Alton, Texas, credits her involvement in first-gen programming with easing her transition to college. “It’s just one of my favorite places on campus, to be honest,” Robledo said about the SCBC. Reflecting on her experience as a new student, she added, “Having a mentor was such a big deal for me. I hadn’t toured campus. I didn’t know what I was going to do, who I was going to be friends with, and it was just a whole new experience.”
Robledo now serves as one of eight peer mentors for the 2025–2026 academic year. Each mentor holds weekly drop-in sessions at the SCBC where they answer questions about academics, internships, and campus life.
Misa Beltran-Guzman oversees the first-gen peer mentorship program as director of first-gen student programs at Bates. “First-gen students are aware of the help and support they received to get to a place like Bates, and they are eager to repay or pay forward the encouragement, community, and mentorship they received along their educational journey,” Beltran-Guzman said. “Peer mentorship and student-to-student support are core to what we do: it develops the mentors as leaders while providing mentees with an approachable and genuine source of support.”
Mentorship often extends beyond formal settings. Ross Tejeda of Milton, Massachusetts—a double major in economics and English—mentors Alex Rodgers from Lowell during long runs together as part of their track team commitments. “If Alex ever has anything that he wants to talk about, he’ll bring it up there,” Tejeda said.
Tejeda also described his own experience being mentored by Abraham Mieses when he arrived at Bates: “In these spaces that are predominantly white, it’s really easy for you to fall into a certain way of being and almost, at times, abandon who you really are to assimilate into these spaces,” Tejeda said. “He did a really good job of guiding me through that experience.” Now mentoring others himself, Tejeda added: “It’s a good opportunity, once you learn the ropes, to share them with other people,” he said. “You have a duty or responsibility — at least me specifically, as a Dominican, first-gen student-athlete. I feel like I can really make a difference.”
Andrea Alfonzo from Cary found similar guidance from Robledo in navigating her biology studies at Bates. “Having a mentor shaped a lot of the way I navigate through school,” Alfonzo said. “I do have somebody to talk to if I need to.”
Robledo emphasized her approach with mentees: “Of course, I cried when I failed exams,” she tells them. “I’ve stumbled, and I’ve fallen but we all get back up—and I’ll help you get back up in those moments.”
For Shristi Tamang from Kathmandu—now herself a mentor—the process has been transformative: advising others reminded her that seeking academic support is acceptable even for mentors themselves. “That shift feels like I’m growing,” Tamang noted.
Tamang also works with Margaret Ndirangu from Nyahururu in Kenya on adapting academically and professionally after arriving at Bates: helping Ndirangu secure employment on campus and explore internship opportunities.
“Having someone you can talk to who’s also a student and more like a friend … it has been helpful,” Ndirangu said.
Bates’ first-gen initiatives include partnerships with other campus resources such as the Center for Purposeful Work and STEM Scholars program—which provides additional mentoring for underrepresented students in science fields.
Students frequently gather informally at SCBC events like weekly First-Generation Snack and Chats or between classes—a tradition that fosters ongoing community among cohorts throughout their time at Bates.
“I’m growing up with them,” Robledo reflected about her cohort members graduating soon alongside her. As older students prepare for graduation this spring, many mentees plan on becoming mentors themselves—continuing this cycle of peer support within future classes.
