New staff, OMA’s Multicultural Mentoring Program to engage SU students of color with academic, social opportunities

New staff, OMA’s Multicultural Mentoring Program to engage SU students of color with academic, social opportunitiesFebruary 05, 2008Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Hilda Rosa Martinez is thrilled to come to work each morning.

Martinez, who began her new job as assistant director of multicultural mentoring in Syracuse University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs last fall, is passionate about her task of building a new program, Multicultural Mentoring Services, from the ground up.

The new initiative arose from an announcement that Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor made to student leaders last spring to expand mentoring programs for students of color on campus with the goal of helping students make easier academic and social transitions at the University. The goal of the program is to incorporate students into a mentoring network composed of three components: dedicated peer mentors, other undergraduate students who can draw on their experience to serve as mentors; faculty and staff mentors, who can provide guidance for a student within their academic course; and career mentors, alumni who can provide guidance to students as they look beyond their college careers and toward their professional lives.

“Students are capable, and willing, of connecting with one another outside the classroom, and supporting each other throughout the university experience,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “Student mentors, inspired by the professional excellence around them, are capable of exerting profoundly positive influences on their fellow students.”

The new program adds another dimension to the existing successful mentoring programs facilitated through OMA, including the WellsLink Leadership Program and the Native Student Program.

“Hilda came to us highly recommended by colleagues from the Syracuse City School District and the Syracuse University community,” says James Duah-Agyeman, director of student support and diversity education and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “With Hilda’s creative leadership, OMA hopes to build strong and sustained multicultural mentoring services to meet the needs of any student who qualifies and chooses to be a part of it. She is a team player and a strong advocate of multiculturalism. I am pleased to have her on my staff.”

A native of Syracuse, Martinez has been a member of the SU community for five years, working in the former School of Nursing and the School of Education before her most recent position as the mentor coordinator for the GEAR UP Program. In that role, she worked to match seventh- and eighth-grade students in the Syracuse City School District with mentors in the greater community.

Martinez is a graduate of the College of St. Elizabeth with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a concentration in marketing. She is currently working on a master of social science degree through SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

In addition to her work at SU, Martinez is superintendent of nursing services with the 174th Air National Guard Medical Group, located at Hancock Field in Syracuse. A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, she holds the rank of technical sergeant (E6). Martinez is also an active volunteer with the Central New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as a researcher/technical writer and is a Dialogue Circle facilitator with Interfaith Works. In addition, she is a University advisor for the Mu Sigma Upsilon multicultural sorority at SU and holds a seat on two boards within the Syracuse community: the ACLU and the Association of Neighbors Concerned For Latino Advancement.

Students, faculty and staff who have ideas about Multicultural Mentoring Services or who are interested in becoming involved should contact Martinez at 443-9676 or hrmartin@syr.edu.