Asian American Students In Action (AASIA)
(Formerly KEWL)

AASIA Mentoring Program Brochure - [ PDF ]
AASIA Mentoring Program Guide - [ PDF ]
AASIA Fall Events Calendar - [ PDF ]

Mission Statement

AASIA Mentoring is designed to assist Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students who are new to University Park with their adjustment. In AASIA, first-year, transfer, or change-of-assignment students are provided with upper-class mentors who are high-achieving and actively engaged. AASIA strives to cultivate meaningful mentoring relationships that foster the holistic development of our participants.

Core Values

• We believe in serving the needs of the APIA population that are overlooked by many traditional institutional programs and services as a result of being labeled the “model minority.”
• We embrace the cultural diversity within the APIA community. In recruiting students and developing programs, we strive to include all subgroups who identify as APIA.
• We believe the social, intellectual, emotional development of APIA students is of equal importance to the pursuit of academic excellence. The individual attention provided by the mentors is critical in meeting these developmental needs.
• We believe in the importance of promoting a culture of mentoring in the entire APIA community. The benefits that APIA students reap from positive mentoring relationships will motivate them to seek out mentoring relationships with others as they move beyond the University.

AASIA Roles and Responsibilities

Mentee Responsibilities

• Meeting your mentor on a regular basis
• Keeping appointments that you and your mentor agree on
• Attending AASIA program events throughout the year

Mentor Responsibilities

There are 20 mentors for AASIA who serve as resources and support for incoming APIA students. Specifically, mentors have the following responsibilities:

• Meeting with coordinators on a monthly basis
• Maintaining weekly contact through phone call, e-mails, and face-to-face interactions
• Participating in program events
• Empowering mentees to get involved
• Monitoring and supporting the progress of their mentees

Coordinator Responsibilities

AASIA also has 4 coordinators who each supervise 5 mentors. The coordinators work directly with the program advisors to monitor the overall success of the program. The coordinators have the following responsibilities:

• Recruiting, selecting, and training mentors
• Monitoring the mentor and mentee relationships
• Meeting monthly with mentors to provide training or to address any problems with mentors or mentees
• Evaluating the mentors’ performances
• Planning and coordinating social and educational events

Any openings for coordinators will be filled in the spring semester.

Inquiries should be directed to the program advisor, Ed McKeon.

Ed McKeon <eam214>
Multicultural Resource Center
220 Grange Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 865-1773