On Dec. 1, 2020, Me Mentor, LLC, a new online mentorship platform for high school and undergraduate students, launched out of Little Rock.
Me Mentor, LLC, formally known as Me.Mentor, is a social enterprise startup that connects students and young professionals with mentors for education and career support services.
Mentors, or “Me.Mentors,” on the platform help customers reflect on and leverage their stories (i.e. their backgrounds, personal experiences, etc.) to identify and procure education and career opportunities aligned with their passions. The services are available to high school and undergraduate students, early career professionals, and graduate program applicants via the website and the app.
As a part of its social mission, Me.Mentor has committed itself to finding ways to offer reduced-price services to high school students from low-income families. “Our long-term goal is to build up an endowment that will be solely used to cover the costs of all high school students seeking mentorship services through our platform,” said Connor Donovan, founder & CEO of Me.Mentor.
Me.Mentor will also utilize its resources to invest in programs beneficial to students and young adults in communities around the world. The startup is currently building community partnerships and developing creative ways to carry out its social mission. A portion of every paid transaction on the platform goes toward carrying out the company’s social mission. Me.Mentors are also encouraged to offer any free or discounted services they want to mentee customers, especially for low-income high school students.
“One of the ways we measure our success is by assessing our net benefit to society,” said Donovan. “We will work to ensure that our business has a positive, lasting impact on both the direct and indirect stakeholders who make up our global community.”
Services offered by Me.Mentors on the platform are three-fold. Firstly, story exploration allows Me.Mentors to listen to experiences and then help users identify and plan for an education and career path aligned with the user’s passions. Secondly, written story allows Me.Mentors to help users put their story in writing by editing and revising resumes, cover letters, essays, and other application materials for job or academic opportunities. Lastly, spoken story allows Me.Mentors prepare users for interviews by helping them anticipate questions and craft responses that reflect their knowledge, skills, and character.
Me.Mentors are members of the community who reflect a diversity of academic and career experiences, as well as a diversity of backgrounds, languages, ethnicities, and beliefs. Prospective Me.Mentors must apply to be on the platform and, if selected, they must also pass a background check before rendering services through the platform. Me.Mentors set their own working hours and service rates.
“We make considerable efforts to vet applicants and hire people who share our values, who meet our safety and experiential standards, and who reflect the diverse world in which we live,” Donovan said. “You can trust Me.Mentors on our platform to provide students and young professionals with the tailored and quality support they need.”
Me.Mentor is a social enterprise, meaning that it is a for-profit entity driven by a social mission. To learn more about Me.Mentor, visit its website here, or view its launch video here.
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Image of Connor Donovan is courtesy of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
