By Zach Roth
Bradley University’s Exceptional Minds Mentoring Program is rebooted and, with greater demand, could expand into a bigger and better operation than it had before. Read more about this below, along with a map of autism centers and clinics and a timeline of the condition.
PEORIA—Lexia Bishop probably didn’t expect to be heading up a mentoring campaign fresh out of college. Yet the Bradley University graduate student is leading the way for a new and improved program, building on initiatives done in the past.
Bishop is the coordinator of the Exceptional Minds Mentoring Program (EMM) at Bradley’s Center for Learning Assistance, having begun her work as a graduate assistant with the center last year.
So how does she feel exactly about the overall progress of the program one semester in?
“I feel that the (EMM) program is achieving its goal by providing support for students who need a little extra assistance when navigating the college world,” Bishop said.
Bishop does a variety of different things for the project, such as pairing people together, planning events, and even providing help to those who may need it.
The program pairs an upperclassman/woman with a younger student who may be having difficulty adjusting to college. Many of these students have known learning disabilities, including ADHD, autism, Asperger’s and other conditions.
“We applied for a grant with the Peoria Regional chapter of the Autism Society of America this year,” Bishop said. “We want to have enough funding to facilitate monthly events during the fall semester.”
The Peoria Regional chapter provides groups with funds to support their activities. In the case of the EMM, the funds will likely go towards having activities like many other groups who work with students with special needs, such as Best Buddies and the like.
In order for one to receive a grant, a form is filled out. The form asks questions such as what the funds will go to specifically, the overall need of the project, and the timetable for the usage of the funds. All of this goes towards the determination of funding for such a project.
Bishop and the people at EMM continue to be hard at work towards improving the program.
“One thing that we plan on doing is to do more advertising to spread awareness of the EMM program,” Bishop said. “I think there are many other students who could benefit from being a part of this program.”
Even without advertising, Bishop said that the program is growing regardless.
“Each semester we seem to have more and more mentors volunteering their time, so we definitely have the capacity to help more students with disabilities.”
Bishop enjoys seeing the overall progress of those who come up through the program over the course of the year.
“My favorite aspect of the program is watching mentees become more comfortable in college,” Bishop said. “Our mentors do a great job of working with their mentees to help them reach their personal goals. There is nothing better than seeing someone reach their goal after months of hard work!”
Timeline: Exceptional Minds Mentoring Program