| This study's purpose was to gain insight into the experience of being a mentor in emerging adulthood to a youth at-risk. This study was primarily interested in understanding undergraduate student mentors' experiences as they related to personal development and transformational learning. Ten mentors were interviewed who had participated in a co-curricular mentoring program at a Jesuit university located in the western United States for one or more years. This study aimed to fill a lack of research regarding the mentor's experience especially in the context of emerging adult mentors. A qualitative research design using transcendental phenomenology was utilized. The results of the study indicated that mentors do experience benefits and challenges. The benefits included indications of movement through Chickering and Reisser's seven vectors of student development and evidence of experiencing transformational learning. The most reported benefit included an increase in awareness related to (a) challenges that others face, (b) flaws in society and education, and (c) self-knowledge. The most reported challenge for mentors was frustration. The main themes of regarding the cause of frustration included: (a) communication, (b) lack of time, (c) mentee's challenging home situations, and (d) social stigmas related to service and youth at-risk. Future research is needed to compare the benefits and challenges for different types of mentors, such as, executive mentors and emerging adult mentors. Also, more research is needed to understand if emerging adult mentors experience greater personal development and transformational learning as compared to their non-mentor counterparts. |
