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The OISE Library was bustling on Oct. 7 as students and alumni from the institute gathered to celebrate the launch of the 10th annual OISE Mentorship Program — an initiative that connects students with alumni to foster connection and growth.

What began in 2015 as a gathering of 50 people has grown into a widely recognized program with about 600 participants this year.

Sim Kapoor, director of OISE’s Office of Advancement, Communications, and External Relations, helped found the OISE Mentorship program a decade ago and is thrilled to see the positive response it has received over the years.

“It is so wonderful to see its impact and growth which wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Peter Liu, Karen Friedman, Celina Cheng and the rest of the OISE Mentorship program committee” said Kapoor.

Dr. Liu — who generously donated a substantial gift last year and established the OISE Mentorship Award — has been on this decade long journey with Kapoor, serving as chair of the OISE Mentorship Program. “[The program] helps students prepare to navigate career paths and also deal with some of the challenges in the modern-day world.”

One of the reasons why Kashaf Noreen, an OISE alum of the master’s program in curriculum and pedagogy, decided to participate in the mentorship program this year.

“To make the most out of this experience would mean to share it with somebody else…so they don't have to go through the same obstacles that I did,” said Noreen who met her mentee – who she was paired with – at the program launch, “What I'm most looking forward to is having education-oriented conversations, which I feel like are different to have with people who are in the same experience and same environment.”

Noreen’s mentee, Mariam Al Ramadhan, a first-year student enrolled in the same master’s program, is hoping to learn how she can apply her education in the real world.

“To learn more about what it’s like to get into the education field, and what it’s like in the field of academia,” said Al Ramadhan.

Each year, the OISE Mentorship Program aims to foster meaningful and relevant connections by matching students with alumni mentors – based on their educational backgrounds and other factors – using the iMentorships web app, which was designed by Xin Wang, a dedicated OISE Mentorship program volunteer and his partner Cheng, an OISE alumna and a longstanding volunteer leader.

“We built this platform to support the mentors and mentees,” said Cheng, who revamped iMentorships this year to enhance its matching algorithm and include more features.

“It’s not just a matching platform,” Cheng explained. “You can also have resources and events and connect with your mentor and mentee directly.”

The iMentorships web app generated many successful matches for this year’s mentorship program, including a pairing between Emmanuel Rutayisire, a third-year doctoral student in the social justice education program, and Linda Galen, a retired school principal and OISE alumna. Rutayisire is grateful to be a part of this year’s OISE’s Mentorship Program as it is already helping him feel more supported.

“It can be isolating, because I’m just doing research and just by myself,” said Rutayisire. “So, if I have ideas or questions or doubts…I can have someone who canbe with me through my journey.”

Galen emphasized that mentorship should extend beyond just academic guidance.

“Sometimes you do feel like you’re working alone,” she said. “It's a good idea to be able to talk…share those kinds of stories [and also] be able to try out some things that you might not be comfortable trying out.”

Galen’s advice to all mentees in this year’s program is, “be up and coming and ask for what you want, because it is all about you. It should be all about you.”

Natalie Neumann Butler, OISE’s Senior Alumni Programs and Donor Relations Officer echoed the same message “open communication can really help students maximize their experience in this valuable program” she said. “As we enter our 10th year, I think that longevity is a testament to the program’s impact. Our mentors have become pillars in the lives of our students.”

The OISE Mentorship Program runs through the academic year and will open its next round of applications for students and alumni in September 2026.