Mentorship Key to Positive Intern Experience and Persistence in STEM

Mentors offer support and belonging to ULRI and ULSE interns and fellows — driving positive outcomes related to connection and identity.

In 2023, the Office of Research Experiences & Education launched a pilot program for summer interns and GEM Fellows at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement. The purpose of the Student Engagement Program (SEP), previously named the Intern Engagement Initiative, was to provide support and engagement to interns and fellows through professional development opportunities, connection building, and mentorship.

Through the program, interns and fellows select their own mentors after reviewing information about each mentor’s background. Several mentees commented that a shared background with their mentor, whether professional or cultural, drove the selection of their mentors and made them feel like they were well understood.

Denice Durrant, director of data science and standards engineering for ULSE and a former GEM Fellow, served as a mentor for SEP in 2023 and 2024.

“I love being a mentor, it’s something I would have benefited from having as a GEM Fellow myself,” she said. “It’s our job as mentors to build them up and make sure they have everything they need outside of their project.”

Through the SEP, mentors within ULRI and ULSE receive culturally responsive mentorship training in partnership with Drexel University. Led by Brenda Salguero, program manager with OREE, participants received training on mentoring marginalized students, building awareness of the self, cultural responsiveness, and building a welcoming environment for students in STEM.

“We were well prepared to engage with the interns through the training we received,” Durrant said. “We learned how to engage and talk with them about different topics and coaching, how to have career development conversations, and how to navigate the corporate world.”

The mentorship’s positive impact has been evident in feedback from interns. In the 2023 evaluation of the program, one intern said the mentorship aspect of the initiative helped them feel at home within the organization as a whole. Additionally, 2024 interns and fellows shared that “Mentoring helped me ground myself — a reminder that I’m not a full-time staff member, I’m here to learn” and “My mentor was great. She gave me a lot of great professional skillsets. Talking with them and getting a feel for the company was great.”

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