At Loyola Marymount University, fostering a sense of community and belonging is more than a goal, it’s a commitment made to our students to help them succeed and finish their college journey strong. To create a sense of belonging for students, LGBT Student Services (LGBTSS) is proud to introduce a peer mentorship program for LMU students. The program is designed to foster a deeper sense of belonging and connection to the campus and the LMU community as a whole.
Students in the mentorship program would have the choice to connect with a peer about identities, life at LMU, and adulthood. Through this program, participants will have the opportunity to engage with LMU’s diverse LGBTQ+ community, and mentors and mentees can take time to build solid friendships and meet the goals that the mentee hopes to achieve.
This initiative is rooted in the belief that every student deserves to feel seen, supported, and empowered. Through one-on-one mentorship, students have the opportunity to connect with peers who understand the unique journey of navigating identity, campus life, and adulthood. Whether discussing personal development, relationships, or simply sharing stories over coffee, mentors and mentees are encouraged to build meaningful relationships that extend beyond the classroom.
Morgan Keating ’27, a psychology major and sociology minor, first brought the idea of starting a mentorship program to Stuart Moskovitz, director of LGBTSS, before leaving for winter break last year after a conversation with a former faculty member at LMU. Keating had not met Moskovitz before, but it was this conversation that, for a moment, presented an opportunity for Keating to design a mentorship program for the office and build a tighter community of support for students.
“As a mentor, I feel like it helped me be more accepting of my own identity through hearing my own mentee’s experiences,” said Keating. “It gave me a new perspective on how grateful I am to be at a place like LMU, and it felt very rewarding to be a support system for others in our community. This program can be so important to first-year and transfer students entering the LMU community for the first time. It provides a support system as you make your transition, and we expect each of our mentors to be familiar with the resources available at LMU. They can share what those resources are and help guide students towards those resources. I wasn’t involved with LGBTSS during my first year at LMU, so I felt like this program helped me find a community that I was missing out on during my first year. My experience at LMU has been so much better since I have been able to find my community here with LGBTSS.”
Staff, faculty, and students who have completed one year at LMU are invited to apply to be mentors in the program. Mentors will serve as a trusted support system and positive role models for mentees as they navigate life in college. Mentors will hold one-on-one meetings, and their role is to listen, support, and empower students to thrive by providing:
- Guidance based on your own experiences;
- Help your mentee feel seen and affirmed;
- And offer advice in areas such as identity, campus life at LMU, relationships, and personal development.
Mentors are paired with mentees through our application process, where both mentors and mentees provide background information about themselves, including their strengths and interests, through short-answer questions. Pairings will be made with careful consideration of the areas of mentorship that the mentors feel comfortable providing and those that the mentees are most seeking in this program.
Students who are interested in applying to be a mentee should expect to gain a mentor who helps with personal growth and has a goal to help students thrive at LMU. This mentor will guide you through various topics, including identity, life at LMU, adulthood, navigating relationships, and everyday life stressors. Participants will also gain access to LMU’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community, opening doors to events, resources, and shared experiences that enrich their time on campus.
Interested in becoming a mentor? Apply to be a mentor here and join us at The Hill in Malone Student Center on Friday, Sept. 5, from 3-5 p.m. for the mentorship training. Students will be paired with mentors the week of Sept. 8 after the mentorship training is completed.