From the Nominator

"In the fall of 2021, the Msaada Mentorship Program was launched. The program was developed by a Black alumna in collaboration with staff from Davidson College’s Office of Alumni and Family Engagement and the Matthews Center for Career Development. To fill the recognized gap in the support and mentorship of Black female-identifying students, Msaada--which in Kiswahili means "to be of help"--is designed to support Black students who identify as female at Davidson College. 

The program matches students with Black alumnae based upon the student’s field of interest, professional aspirations, and career goals. Each alumnae mentor committed to at least one year and providing the student with career guidance, insight into the field, networking opportunities, and professional encouragement. 

This mentorship is open to all Davidson Black female-identifying students. During the pilot year, 48 mentor/mentee pairings were established.    

“I joined to demonstrate that success can occur even when those students may not see it. As an alumna, I felt it was my duty to support and encourage these young women. I believed that my experience could provide lessons learned and best practices for these future thought leaders.” - 1988 alumna   

“I chose to join Msaada because I want to see Black women thrive. And as a Black woman, I know the unique stresses and stepbacks we can experience. Sometimes it is hard to visualize the next step in your career journey without a mentor. I hope these young women can use this program to reach their goals.” - 2007 alumna"

From the Judges

A cleverly targeted and comprehensive approach to mentoring, and first-of-its-kind in the university in a very modest budget. Excellent example of great collaboration with the founding alumna, careers department, and staff, who showed great dedication to the project.