Third-year student Victoria Lu ‘22 was awarded one of five $600 scholarships for her submission detailing how her mentorship has helped her navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Mentor Collective awarded five of these scholarships to mentors and mentees from across their 75+ programs at colleges and universities across the country. In order to be eligible, applicants had to identify as first-generation college students and submit both a short essay and a brief video.

Lu is an active mentee in the UCR Campus Collective, an initiative developed to “foster a sense of belonging, feeling of community for those who have never been on campus.” In both her essay and accompanying video, she expressed a desire to ease the transition of students who had never gotten to know the Riverside community in person:

My bond with these students has hopefully shown them that kindness and friendship is still abundant in a world that is incredibly divided. In the midst of a pandemic, I found myself discovering new ways to continue pursuing my mission to support others.

When asked what drew her to apply for the scholarship, Lu shared, “I applied for this scholarship because I really believe in the Mentor Collective's mission to bring people together and I found myself growing in unexpected ways through my participation in the program. As one of three children in my family, it can be difficult to afford tuition and fees for extracurriculars. I'm so grateful to have received the scholarship and all of the money will be going towards tuition for my last year in college.”

The ways in which she highlighted mentorship as a deeply fulfilling experience caught the attention of the scholarship review committee. She says of her pairing with her mentees John “JJ” Mojica and Erin Ku, “[They’re] both amazing individuals and I have faith that [they] will accomplish [their] biggest dreams and goals!!”

About Mentor Collective: Mentor Collective seeks to make life-changing relationships a feature of every student’s college experience. To realize this vision, we partner with forward-thinking institutions that are committed to equity, inclusion, and relationship-centered education