Thomas Gentry and Megan Sweet have been both mentors and mentees while pursuing their degrees at Virginia Tech, where they are both are graduate teaching assistants who also conduct research in their respective fields. They also have had the opportunity to compare their experiences with their peers.

They shared insights and answered questions from faculty members at a recent mentoring workshop. The Graduate School offers mentoring workshops for faculty members across the university who work with graduate students. Dubbed “the traveling mentorship road show,” the sessions are led by Associate Deans Bill Huckle and Kevin Edgar and offer interactive case studies based on real events and panels of faculty members who are sought-after mentors. For the latest workshop, Edgar added a new element: a student panel with Gentry and Sweet.

Gentry, a Virginia native, is earning his Ph.D. in horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He is a graduate teaching assistant and a researcher studying strawberry production with Professor Jayesh Samtani. When he is not teaching or taking classes in Blacksburg, Gentry is at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Education Center in Virginia Beach.

Sweet is from Indiana and studies cell and molecular biology in the College of Science. She, too, is a graduate teaching assistant and has won awards for her work with students. Her research focuses on the tumor microenvironment, and she works with Professor Daniela Cimini, the department head for biological sciences.

Both Gentry and Sweet emphasized the importance of finding committee members who understood their research and teaching interests and who would “mesh well” with them. Gentry said he focused on “finding professors with expertise in various fields to have a well-rounded committee.” The two said they talked to several professors in their departments and colleges before building their committees.

Regular check-ins are key

They also emphasized meeting regularly with mentees. “One of my big things is check-ins, like pretty frequent check-ins,” said Sweet. Such weekly or biweekly connections help her stay on track and talk about her work and life beyond the classroom and lab.

Gentry also recommended regular meetings with mentees and added that responding to emails in a timely fashion also is important. “It can be as simple as ‘I received your email and I will give you feedback as soon as I can,’” he said, noting that such replies can ease students’ concerns.

Mentors and committee chairs also can help students find community beyond their departments and labs, the students said. Both recommended that mentors read the the Graduate School's newsletters so they can point out potential workshops, events, and other information to their students and sure students are aware of events, workshops and activities in their departments and buildings.

Sweet said Cimini took her around the department to meet fellow faculty members. Gentry said his advisor took him around the Agricultural Research and Education Center and introduced him to everyone. “That quickly familiarized me with everyone,” he said.

And they emphasized the need for students to step away from their research and other responsibilities from time to time. Mentors can help guide mentees, gently noting the need for a break. “As a faculty member, you can check in and say, hey, I think that you're taking on a little bit too much.”

'Academia is constantly evolving'

Gentry and Sweet said each class of students coming to the university has different experiences than what faculty members experienced as students. “The students who are coming in as new cohort members have and will have a completely different experience than they did and that their colleagues did,” Sweet said.

Gentry echoed her words, noting that “academia is constantly evolving” with advancements such as artificial intelligence and other new technologies as well as new students and faculty with new skills. And Sweet said students care a great deal about service and teaching in addition to research. Both recommended constructive conversations between mentors and mentees to find common ground and clarify goals and expectations.

Visit the Graduate School’s mentoring resources page or our on-demand workshops page for more information about these sessions.

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