![\"Senaida](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Senaida.jpg\")
D\u2019Souza says one the highlights of being a mentor was knowing she was able to provide personal help to individual students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a psychology mentee who failed a unit, so we met up on campus every week and talked about where they felt they needed to improve, not necessarily course content, but how to prioritise tasks and their study and assignment schedules,\u201d says D\u2019Souza. \u201cThey got a lot out of it and ended up doing very well in their grades.\u201d<\/p>\n
D\u2019 Souza was recognised for her mentor role at a recent Say Thanks awards event, which celebrated the contribution of mentors to the Curtin community for 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe award took me by surprise, but it\u2019s nice to be acknowledged for my work,\u201d says D\u2019Souza.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t always get responses from our mentees, so it\u2019s nice to hear them say they appreciate us getting in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curtin Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Jill Downie attended the awards, and said it was a personal highlight to witness the program\u2019s success and congratulated the hard work of all the winners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mentors provide an invaluable service to the Curtin community. The program is about connecting, inspiring and supporting our new students,\u201d says Professor Downie.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe program is a really high-quality student leadership development program for mentors, and really enhances their employability skills. From this wonderful experience, I\u2019m hoping they\u2019ve gained some additional skills that they will be able to take into the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n
D\u2019Souza says students have nothing to lose from being a part of the program, whether as a mentee or mentor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more you put into the program, the more you will get out of it. It helped me to really get involved in uni life.\u201d<\/p>\n