Point Foundation Mentoring Program

About the Program

As Point Foundation (Point) selects a new group of scholars each year, each student is provided with a mentor who is a prominent and caring professional in the LGBT community. Point Mentors assist Point Scholars with professional career decisions, including the pursuit of graduate studies and job opportunities after graduation.

Scholars are not the only beneficiary of Point’s Mentoring Program. Each Point Mentor is given the opportunity to enrich their own life and contribute through the building of an inter-generational partnership with a gifted student. Through lending their professional expertise and career guidance, Point Mentors become important role models to scholars while meaningfully broadening their own experience.

“I feel it's a gift to be able to provide Jen with the kind of guidance I wished I'd had at her age. It's enlightening to have a view into another gay world, via her, that I would otherwise not have the opportunity to see. It's amazing to see a young generation that is so self-assured, not about all things, but certainly their sexuality. Interacting with young adults who came out in high school, view HIV differently and carry distinctive social and political ideals has been quite an education for me. So far, I've learned that while I am the mentor, we're both learning a lot from each other.”

-Luke Cowles, Mentor to Point Scholar Jennifer Wohlner

Point’s Mentor Selection Process

Point Mentor applications are accepted online throughout the year. Mentor-scholar matches are determined each year by Point’s Mentoring Subcommittee, which is comprised of members of Point’s National Board of Regents, staff and volunteer field experts.

Point maintains highly rigorous standards in the selection of its mentors and carefully matches its mentors and scholars. Subsequent to an individual interview, a background check and reference checks are completed on each mentor candidate. During the matching process, high priority is given to mentor-scholar field of interest and geographic proximity.

Brief Overview of Point’s Mentor Requirements & Application Process

1) To be considered as a mentor you must provide a completed online application.

2) Mentor applications are accepted throughout the year. Point’s mentor-scholar matching process coincides annually with the selection of our scholars each summer.

3) No guarantee of match: Please note that Point is not always able to successfully match each mentor applicant with a Point Scholar. If you are not matched with a scholar during the year that you apply, we hope you will continue to remain on our list of interested applicants to be considered for the following school year.

4) For more details or to get started, click here.

Contact Point’s Mentoring & Alumni Program Director

Darrin Wilstead