Spring 2025: Application is Now Open!

The EXCEL Mentorship Program (EMP) is an opportunity for undergraduate students at Georgia Tech to grow, learn, and share skills with students in the EXCEL program with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The EMP consists of peer-supports from all six colleges, with varying career goals and backgrounds. The EMP is a goal-based program, where mentors support student's growth in social, leadership development, and independent living skills.

We understand that the majority of undergraduate students are not experts on various independent living or social skills. Due to this, peer-supports are matched with EXCEL students based on common goals and interests. This allows both students and peer-supports to grow, hold each other accountable, get out of their comfort zones, and gain skills that will be mutually beneficial moving forward.

The EXCEL Mentorship Program is a unique opportunity for undergraduate students at Georgia Tech. Peer-supports are vital to the success of the EXCEL program, working as the bridge to inclusion, assisting students to gain self-confidence, and on-campus engagement.

In addition to the formal roles listed below, the EXCEL Mentorship Program hosts numerous inclusive events throughout the year, including a Spring Formal, Trunk or Treat, weekly pick-up kickball and frisbee games, and many other activities on-campus and throughout the greater-Atlanta community. These events are open to all undergraduate students, so if your schedule is tight and you can't commit to being a mentor but want to get involved, this is a great opportunity to hang out, get to know some of the students and mentors, and assist in creating a more inclusive environment on campus.

Each role is a semester long commitment, with applications opening for the Fall on April 1st and October 31st for the Spring semester. After submitting your application, you will be contacted for a brief interview and provided with additional information on upcoming trainings and events.

Please see below for descriptions, applications can be found here.

Coaching Role Descriptions:

Primary Coach Responsibilities include: (At least 1 semester of EMP experience is required)

• Completing weekly schedules with students
• Setting and working toward goals in social, leadership, and independent living (ex. cooking, grocery shopping, budgeting, social engagement, transportation, etc.)
• Connecting students with campus organizations of interest
• Attending monthly workshops and events
• Initiating and corresponding with student’s different mentors 

Qualities:

• Reliable – someone who maintains personal commitments
• Goal-Oriented – someone who can set clear goals and outline paths to reach those goals
• Innovative – an ability to think outside the box

PEERS Social Coach Responsibilities: (Fall Semester Only)

• PEERS Coaches provide 1:1 support to first-year students who are enrolled in the PEERS course entitled Self-Awareness
• PEERS is an evidence-based curriculum from UCLA that helps students improve social skills. Coaches help students with role-plays and other assignments in a range of modules including:
  • Trading Information
  • Finding Common Interests
  • Entering Group Conversations
  • Finding Source of Friends
  • Dating
  • Conflict Resolution
• PEERS Coaches are required to attend a weekly 1 hour course taught by the Mentorship Coordinator. The class is separate from the students and is designed to discuss assignments and role-plays to do with the student. Including the class time, the PEERS Coach time-commitment is 4-5 hours a week.

Mentor Role Descriptions:

*Please note that these are all General Mentor roles. However, your role may be focused on one of these specific areas depending on the student’s goals.

Fitness Mentor - work with students to develop healthy and active lifestyles (3 hrs/week)

Cooking Mentor - work with students to expand their recipe book and advance their cooking skills (3 hrs/week)

Social Mentor - support students in progressing towards their social goals (attending a football game, joining a club, etc.) (3 hrs/week)

Example of additional common areas of focus are budgeting, grocery shopping, transportation (Uber/Lyft and Marta), time management, organization, navigating campus/Atlanta, and many others.

Academic Support Roles:

*Academic supports no longer fall under the EMP. However, these are roles available to Georgia Tech students who want to work with EXCEL students in academic settings or need more structure in their schedule. For more information reach out to our Academic Coordinator Ashley McKeen (ashley.mckeen@gatech.edu).

EXCEL Class Support: Time commitment: 3-5 hours/week

Provide 1:2 or 1:3 in-class support for EXCEL fundamental classes (may include out of class time)

• Technology
• Self-Awareness
• Health and Wellness
• Career Exploration
• Financial Literacy
• Leadership
• Career Exploration
• Career Development

(The class offerings change each semester.)

Inclusive Course Tutor:

Georgia Tech students who are in the Georgia Tech classes taken by EXCEL students who provide weekly out of class support

Teachers Assistant/Class Lead:

Paid Georgia Tech student who assists with curriculum implementation in EXCEL fundamental classes

Contact Luke Roman or Sherri Burrell for more information.

Quote:

"I say this all the time to people who ask me about the program but being part of EXCEL has been the most enriching part of my college career so far. Seeing another person overcome challenges and become more confident right before your eyes is an experience that's hard to put to words how empowering it is. Being a mentor has pushed me to take more responsibility for my own life so that I can be a good role model for my mentees and lead with integrity and empathy. It's allowed me to become conscious to live a life that's intentional and make choices that benefit the greater good."

-Hanna Shaw BS - Business/Accounting '23