The Genetics Triads Program connects beginning (G1 or G2) graduate students in the HMS genetics department to senior (G3 and above) grad students and a postdoc mentor to form a triad. The overall goal of the triad is to extend and foster your mentoring and networking experiences. It particularly aims to be a forum to support others in finding workable solutions to problems and building resilience. Mentoring helps you to expand networks, gain new knowledge and insights as well as build new skills.
Mentoring doesn’t just happen – it requires thoughtful matching based on individual needs and active participation through proven steps that map to participants’ unique objectives. Our mentoring program will leverage Chronus software’s MatchIQ® technology, to connect mentees with mentors who are aligned with their development needs. Program participants will stay active with the software’s built-in, step-by-step guide that provides a scaffold to build productive mentoring experiences, ensuring your personal goal will be achieved.
Take the first step in furthering your development by joining Genetics Triads Mentoring Program today!
Why Become a Mentor?
A mentor is a guide. A friend. A resource who helps pave the way for others to succeed. It’s not about having all the right answers. Your role as a mentor is to inspire, encourage, and support your mentee, contributing to their development through thoughtful conversation and consultation.
Why Become a Mentee?
With the help of a mentor, you can gain new knowledge and skillsets that can broaden your academic opportunities and personal networks for advancement. As a mentee, gain the confidence necessary to tackle short and long-term goals, navigate challenges, and accelerate your growth.
OVERVIEW:
Graduate school is a pivotal time in a researcher’s career, and mentoring is among the most significant forces that shape a graduate student's experience and her future career trajectory. The Genetics Triads Mentoring Program connects graduate students in the Department of Genetics at HMS who are seeking mentorship with senior grads and postdocs in the department. Individuals can be matched in a triad or one-on-one mentoring relationship. Mentoring groups are encouraged to meet at least once a month to work on their goals or to discuss career development topics such as writing successful grant applications, achieving a work/life balance, and creating a career plan.
The Genetics Triads Program is a joint initiative of the Genetics DEI Committee and the Program in Genetics and Genomics. Our program was initiated this year to address one of the most important needs for our graduate students: a diversity of mentors and role models. Our program has been developed in collaboration with other STEM mentoring programs at Harvard and will be continually evolving to meet the needs of our students.
Are you interested in belonging to the community but missed the deadline to be paired to a triad? Reach out to program coordinators Yasmin Escobedo Lozoya Ph.D., and Ognenka Avramovska Ph.D. to discuss becoming a 'Flash mentor' or 'Flash Mentee'. What is a Flash Mentor? Flash Mentors are members of the community who are open to one-time meetings or discussions where they share expertise with a mentee on a previously agreed-upon topic. What is a Flash Mentee? Flash Mentees have access to the platform and may request one-time meetings with a flash mentor to ask for mentoring on a specific topic pertaining to the mentors' expertise.
Read the comments below to get a sense of how graduate students have benefited from mentoring relationships built through one of our model programs, the HGWISE mentoring program.
"I love the mentoring program! I've been hooked up with a fantastic woman who I've met with regularly, and it definitely helps me feel like I'm part of the community."
"[My mentor’s] office has been my safe space on campus. A place that I feel safe to be vulnerable, express my ideas, doubts, worries, hopes and dreams. I don't feel the pressure to have it all figured out, because she has taught me that its completely alright to figure things out as you go along. That is what being a scholar and researcher is all about!"
"The conversations in our mentoring group gave us a glimpse into what it is like to be a professional in academia. I liked that the mentees were at different stages in their PhD programs."
"[My mentor] has gone above and beyond everything I hoped for in a mentor when I joined this program. After my year with her, I feel much better informed about the career paths available to me following graduation, and I am more confident in my ability to reach these positions."
“She has phenomenal advice, I feel I can discuss any aspect of lab and life with her and she's very supportive. Over the years she's helped me navigate some tough situations and I'm excited and honored to have her continued mentorship.”
