General paste up of interesting comments in the research

Although 
mentoring 
has 
traditionally 
been
 an 
intervention 
geared 
more 
toward 
younger

students 
(i.e.,
elementary 
and 
early
 middle 
school 
students)
 (Bernstein 
et 
al.,
2009;

Herrera 
et
 al.,
2007), 
it 
holds 
unrealized 
potential 
in
serving 
high 
school 
students.

The 
effectiveness 
of 
mentoring, 
however, 
depends
 on 
the 
quality 
of 
the 
mentoring

relationship. 
Research 
suggests 
a 
strong
 connection 
between
 the 
benefits 
that 
youth

experience 
from
 mentoring 
and 
the 
closeness 
of 
the 
mentor/mentee 
relationship. 
Trust,

empathy,
 authenticity,
 and
 common 
interests 
are 
important 
components
 of 
close

relationships.


Provide space to try on different

identities (Schultz, 1999) including
academic identities (Callejo Perez,
Fain, & Slater, 2004; Maloney &
Saunders, 2004). For Schultz, this
means creating opportunities for
adolescent women to “try on” ways of
being women explored through issues
of class, gender, and race. Maloney
and Saunders examined the
academic identities minority students
feel safe assuming. Their project
revealed that when spaces were
created deliberately to promote
minority student participation in
honors classes, these students felt a
greater sense of belonging and desire
to participate in academically
challenging courses. Callejo Perez et
al. further reinforced the notion of
identities we are allowed to explore
and take on as an outgrowth of the
kinds of places we construct.