Testimonials
Nathan Chen
Bauer Honors Mentor, Fall 2022 and Fall 2023
Finance and Management Information Systems, Spring 2024
Q: Why did you become a mentor?
A: The mentorship program had an invaluable impact on my freshman year, so I wanted to give other students the same experience. I started college knowing very few people, and it was extremely hard to make friends, especially online during COVID-19. My mentor fostered an environment where I could become friends with everyone in our mentee group, so I hoped to recreate that safe space for other first-year students going through what I did.
Q: What did you learn from your experience as a mentor?
A: I learned how to build strong relationships and actively listen to others. I use these skills to not only bond with my mentees but to connect with anyone!
Q: What was the most rewarding part of being a mentor?
A: The most rewarding part of being a mentor is creating a strong bond with each of my mentees. Establishing a relationship where they can confidently talk about anything, good or bad, allowed me to be there for each student as best I could. The trust we’ve built enhances our relationship from just being mentor-mentee to now friends.
Adam Elbanna
Pre-business major
Q: Tell us about your Bauer Honors mentor:
A: Nathan Chen is an amazing mentor; he helped in every way possible throughout the semester, whether it was resume building, school work, or even just being there when the midterm stress hit. Whatever new obstacle I faced, he was always there to give advice or help improve my image to his peers and companies. At the end of it, even though he helped professionally in many ways, he has also been very helpful as a friend.
Q: What’s your favorite memory from your experience in the Bauer Honors Mentorship program?
A: My favorite memory from the program was just seeing everyone at the Bauer Honors Commons before and after classes! I always had a laugh with Nathan or with the people in my group, and it always made my day seeing friendly faces.
Q: How did this program help you?
A: This program helped me get my footing in college in many ways. I was exposed to many speakers, opportunities, and, most importantly, people who shared the same driven attitude that I love to be surrounded by. Most of the friends I’ve made at UH have come from this program, and I still hang out every week with them to this day! The mentorship within Bauer Honors, I believe, is one of the main cornerstones of being a Bauer Honors student. Being able to learn from experience and having someone to lean on after being thrown into a new environment was one of the main reasons why I had a great start to my freshman year!