Build a focused, dependable relationship rather than dividing attention across several students.
Become a mentor
Be the person who notices—and stays.
Whether your passion is helping a high school student prepare for college or helping a college scholar persist through graduation, there is a place for you in the Rising Scholars mentoring community.
The founding mentor cohort
Start small. Build relationships that last.
For the pilot year, we are recruiting a limited group of mentors prepared to support one student through a full program year.
Maintain meaningful contact and participate in program activities and staff check-ins.
Complete orientation, references, an interview, and secure background screening before matching.
Follow RDCF communication, confidentiality, transportation, and youth-safety requirements.
Choose your mentoring path
Different stages. The same commitment to showing up.
Encourage confidence, GPA awareness, course planning, college exploration, applications, and readiness milestones with parent- and staff-aware communication.
Support college persistence, FAFSA renewal, scholarship tracking, campus-resource navigation, career preparation, and progress toward graduation.
Tell us where your experience is strongest and let the program team approve the track that best fits current scholar needs.
Mentors with the right experience and capacity may be approved to serve in both communities. Selecting both does not automatically authorize both roles.
Mentor application
Tell us how you could support a scholar.
Allow approximately 10 minutes. Applying is the first step and does not guarantee a mentor placement or track approval.