University Students Mentor High School Students

Created and coordinated by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, The Meg Cullen-Brown SMART Mentoring Program focuses on establishing supportive, personal connections between college undergraduate students and local high school students. The SMART program aims to foster an empowering and encouraging environment for high school students within the Scranton school district to feel comfortable discussing important -- and sometimes challenging -- topics, such as healthy relationships, support networks, communication, role models, bullying, personal wellness, career goals and planning, social media, interpersonal and decision-making skills.

"The SMART Program brings a sense of community to all those involved,” said SMART mentor Elizabeth Filachek ’21, an occupational therapy major. “I learned throughout my time mentoring that people can come from all different walks of life and support each other, making a positive difference in each other's lives."

First-year student Charles Csaszar also weighed in on his role as a SMART mentor: "I was moved by how the mentees became deeply invested in the topics. The activities planned allowed everyone to bond with each other as a team and made the sessions lighthearted. I learned the most important part of being a mentor is being present with the mentees."