Students AAMMP’ed Up Like a LAMP
October 13, 2016
Latino American Mentorship Program (LAMP) and African American Male Mentorship Program (AAMM
P) at Texas A&M University – Commerce have been present for a while. The main function of these programs is to establish diversity into their community. One of their requirements is a minimum grade point average to participate in its organization. Naturally with such a helpful organization there are certain programs to help with this requirement. LAMP and AAMP offer mentees group study sessio
ns with their mentors to encourage students to promote healthy and effective study habits.
Not all mentors are experts in all areas and to make up for what they can’t help with, mentors acquire information and direct their mentee to the appropriate field of study.
Student and Mentor Ladarrian Meredith said, “Learning and interacting with the mentees is a unique experience, I feel helping them is ultimately helping me become better and evolve as a potential advocate for this A&M – Commerce.”
When asked how the mentee/mentor study groups for LAMP have helped jump start his academic career student and mentee Eric Castillo said, “Honestly, if it wasn’t for us meeting every week to work on upcoming assignments, I would of never been able to pass my first year. The groups allowed me to have a quiet, proactive, and academically driven area for me to really focus.”
According to website casact.org studies have shown that groups are more conclusive to the learning environment, as in a group students are less likely to procrastinate, more involved with asking questions, and following up on directions in class that they might
not be comfortable asking in class due to large class sizes. Students are less likely to go to the teacher for help in classes that exceed their own perception of comfortability. Study group members may also be able to solve a challenging problem that none would have been able to solve alone.
The mentee/mentor study groups have a set amount of times they have to meet each semester. The mentors have to set up a group study session every week, most set it up on Tuesday afternoons located in the study dens at James G. Library. To keep mentors on track they are required to go to weekly meetings among other mentors regarding the progress of their mentees. Mentors proceed to discuss ways to get their mentees active on campus, community service activities, on campus study programs paired with their degrees and, ultimately their goal for their student to achieve.
