Science Olympiad Mentoring

Science Olympiad is a middle school and high school competition that consists of various events, each of which focus on different STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) topics. For the past 5 years, I have acted as the mentor for the space science events (e.g. Reach for the Stars, Solar System). This role has included creating and presenting presentations teaching individual topics, writing quizzes or tests for use in intraschool and invitational tournaments, and any additional tutoring that is done in preparation for upcoming tournaments. To perform these tasks, I have often had to study the subject on my own time, due to yearly changes in the rules and topics, and spend time every week preparing lecture material.

My time as a mentor has challenged me in many ways, and thus I had to grow to face the challenge. I had to improve my communication skills and ability to break down complex topics into simpler, more easily digestible pieces so that the students could even do the event. I had to better my time-management skills so that I could balance being a college student and being a mentor. But most importantly, being a mentor made me reflect on my own journey as a student. All the struggles, all the long nights that I had to spend, all the heartbreak as you realize your season is over — these are all things that my students are experiencing now. Realizing this made me develop a profound sympathy, not only towards my students, but also others in general. Being a mentor has helped me learn that I should help others in their learning journeys as much as I can, so as to make it easier for them than it was for me.