Grad LEAP: Mentoring Program for Graduate Students

_{Lerner graduate students, please join the Lerner Executive Mentoring Program. Please note: To ensure broad access to this opportunity, students currently participating in Cohort 4 of Grad LEAP are not eligible to apply for Cohort 5. We appreciate your continued engagement and hope you'll consider participating in future cohorts.}

Program Goals

Grad LEAP is designed to:

• Support personal and academic growth by connecting students with mentors who offer insights drawn from real academic and professional experience.
• Foster meaningful one-on-one relationships that provide personalized encouragement, advice and support.
• Expand each student’s network so they feel well equipped to pursue their goals in graduate school and beyond.
• Encourage rich, reflective conversations that strengthen students’ communication skills and professional confidence.

Program Timeline and Participation Details

• The 2025–2026 Grad LEAP program runs from September 2025 through June 2026.
• Mentoring pair announcements will be sent to the email address provided in the registration form. 
• Some mentees may be matched earlier than others based on the availability of mentors in certain fields, but we are aiming to have all matches completed by early October.
• Matches are made based on shared interests, application responses and program capacity. While we do our best to honor preferences, not all mentees will be paired based on their top selections.

We encourage all participants to approach the program with flexibility and curiosity. Mentoring relationships often grow in unexpected and valuable ways.

How it works

• Both students and mentors complete a short registration form to share their interests, goals and preferences.

• Students participate in the required mentee orientation. For fall 2025, the orientation will be held on Wednesday, August 27, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Please RSVP here. 

• Mentor-mentee matches are made based on shared professional interests.

• Once matched, pairs decide together how they’d like to connect, whether by email, phone, video call, text or in person.

• We recommend touching base at least once a month, but the format and frequency are entirely up to each pair.

Mentee Testimonials

“I participated last academic year, and I was assigned an incredible mentor whom I continue to meet with even after the program ended. My mentor provided me with introductions to key collaborative partners for my dissertation research as well as advice on professional development, personal challenges and how to foster opportunities for myself. I also tested dissertation ideas with her during our conversations, and she furthered my thinking, which helped me develop a more robust proposal. I have also learned from her own community service and current work. I encourage you to take advantage of this program regardless of where you are in your studies.”

- Ph.D. Student from the College of Education and Human Development

“[My mentor] has provided me with feedback on my cover letter and resume, which was pretty helpful and constructive. He also talked about the importance of talking with other people and how I should be confident in myself.”

- Ph.D. Student from the College of Engineering

“[My mentor] has identified a range of internal courses (at the University of Delaware) and external courses that will enhance my skill set and, ultimately, boost my career prospects in the planning world. He's been very helpful! He's recommended several contacts to me to broaden my network and engage with other dimensions of planning to potentially bring forth research opportunities and work experience.”

- Ph.D. Student from the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration

Mentor Testimonials

“This mentoring relationship makes me feel much more connected to the University of Delaware. In particular, it makes me feel useful and helpful, which is really nice.”

- Ph.D. Alumnus from the College of Engineering

“I was able to talk [my mentee] through a day on the job as a PI in the industry from the point of view of an engineer and a chemist. I talked about my experience when I was at the stage that she is at and the resources I had at my disposal. I talked about some concerns I had and what I learned. She seems to be very appreciative to hear my perspective.”

- Ph.D. Alumnus from the College of Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions