Discover what past and current Iowa mentees have to say about their experience working with mentors. These testimonials show how engaging in a mentoring relationship can take your academic, professional, and personal development to the next level, as you  build more connections on campus and create the foundation for a successful future. 

“I was connected with my research mentor, Lindsay Agostinelli, through a friend that was graduating and knew my interest in neuroscience. I began working with Lindsay in January 2019 and this mentoring relationship soon became among the most influential and inspiring relationships I have made. I was immediately treated as a valuable team member, assisting in tasks that directly contributed to Lindsay’s thesis work. Lindsay’s mentorship has had a profound impact on my personal and academic development. Not only has she patiently demonstrated neuroscience techniques, but she has also instilled in me a passion for science. This has dramatically improved my performance in the classroom and has led me to pursue a combined MD/PhD degree.”   

Dustin Fykstra, Undergraduate Student, Pre-Med, BS Biomedical Sciences, and Spanish Minor

“Along the way, there were a lot of different mentors at Iowa—in particular advisors and leaders in the Asian-American community and international community—that helped me learn and really put myself out there.”

Sunny Ho, PhD 2020

“My junior year of college I began an honors thesis project in the Psycholinguistics Lab with Dr. Kristi Hendrickson. Throughout this process I’ve become interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in the future. I viewed a Ph.D. as unattainable, but with Kristi’s encouragement and support, I realize I would have the skills to complete a Ph.D. and succeed. I was also empowered by watching Kristi do her job, I saw her as a young, enthusiastic, female professor succeeding in her field. Overall, working with Kristi on my honors thesis project made my last two years of college feel more meaningful, gave me connections to other students in my major, and taught me to apply my coursework.” 

The tasks Kristi gave me would sometimes be challenging, like learning new formulas on excel and creating stimulus sets, but she always provided me with the right amount of support. I felt like I could go to her for help but knew she trusted me to do the work correctly. In our weekly meetings she encouraged me, telling me I was doing a great job, while also providing honest feedback about what could be improved.

Throughout this process I’ve become interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in the future. I viewed a Ph.D. as unattainable, but with Kristi’s encouragement and support, I realize I would have the skills to complete a Ph.D. and succeed. I was also empowered by watching Kristi do her job, I saw her as a young, enthusiastic, female professor succeeding in her field. Overall, working with Kristi on my honors thesis project made my last two years of college feel more meaningful, gave me connections to other students in my major, and taught me to apply my coursework.”

Hailey Verdick, May 2020 Graduate, BA Speech & Hearing Science, Educational Psychology Minor