UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1177

Mentoring Philosophy Every mentee is different. Grounded in educational psychology, my philosophy centers on motivation–action pairing: I begin by understanding each mentee’s needs, motivations, and context, then we co-design roles and milestones. I move mentees from scaffolded practice to independent stewardship by calibrating support and challenge so they can work at the edge of their competence as it grows. I practice culturally responsive, inclusive mentoring, recognizing how background, identity, and lived experience shape aspirations and needs. As an international scholar studying children’s language development, I attend closely to linguistic, cultural, and institutional contexts. Using a flexible, customized approach, I adapt strategies to honor and leverage this diversity, ensuring each mentee feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.
Moreover, I view mentorship as a reciprocal learning dialogue. I share my own reasoning and experiences openly and invite critique to model curiosity and reflective practices. Through open communication and constructive feedback, I aim to create a safe and respectful space where challenges are shared, ideas are refined, and growth is continuous. Feedback is not one-directional but a collaborative process that supports critical thinking, reflection, and professional identity development.
My ultimate goal as a mentor is to empower mentees to build their own research pathway that aligns with their interests, strengthen their critical-thinking skills, and to assist mentees to develop into confident, ethical and independent scholars or educators prepared for careers in education or related fields.