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GiveMentorship Program
Our Senior Mentorship Program is another means McGehee girls have to distinguish themselves academically by pursuing an independent course of study during their final year. Seniors admitted to this program are granted the opportunity to pursue an individualized field of study in which they have a deep and passionate scholarly interest. The program is open to eligible seniors who have an overall GPA of 3.0 and an A average in the related field of interest. The faculty selects eligible Seniors based on the merit of submitted proposals. The Senior who successfully completes a rigorous plan of independent study with her faculty mentor graduates with “Distinction” on her diploma in her chosen field of study. Guided by her faculty mentor(s), a Senior designs and executes an independent course of study and presents their year-end findings, in effect, completing their very first dissertation.
“My classmates and I used the Mentorship Program as a way to explore something we were already interested in under the guidance and structure of the program. At the end, I said, Wow, this is totally what I want to do, branding and different forms of communication. It clarified for me how I want to spend the rest of my life. Not only did it help me pick my major, but I am one of only 12 freshmen who were admitted to a class at USC and I think it's because of my mentorship.”
MADELEINE MOISE '16, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Featured Mentorships
Angelle Brown ’20
Howard University
Vaccine Misconceptions and the Impact on our Future
Angelle Brown was accepted as a Karsh Stem Scholar at Howard University, which required her commitment to pursue an MD/PhD in a STEM related field. Through this program, she was offered a full scholarship and many opportunities to do research internships and study abroad. Her senior mentorship at McGehee, "Vaccine Misconceptions and the Impact on our Future", offered her a year of specialized study into a field of great interest to her as well as a timely focus given the COVID-19 pandemic.
Molly Stockmeyer ’20
Northwestern University
Emotion in Music
Molly Stockmeyer ‘20 attends Northwestern University with plans for a double major in Theatre and Computer Science. A talented pianist who performed in the Junior Philharmonic Orchestra and won First Place in a Bach competition, Molly excels in playing classical music. During her 2020 senior mentorship presentation Molly played a piece she composed. Born to perform, Molly was center stage in many McGehee performances, as well as in Tulane’s Junior Summer Lyric Theatre. We expect to see her on the big stage soon!
Kelsey Rainey ’20
Howard University
Housing Segregation and Gentrification in New Orleans
Kelsey’s mentorship focused on the transformation that has been made from segregated housing to gentrification in America. With mentors like teachers Carolyn Thompson and Erin Toomey, as well as Dr. Mark Fernandez, the Patricia Carlin O'Keefe Distinguished Professor of History at Loyola University, Kelsey was able to engage in a yearlong, in depth study on a subject important to her. As a junior at McGehee, Kelsey pushed to add an elective course, African American studies, to the curriculum, and achieved her goal. Thanks to this Leading Women, African American studies is now a popular selection among upper school students.
Elizabeth Drennan ’21
Rhodes College
Nonprofits in Economic Crises
Elizabeth’s goal in her mentorship was to learn and educate her peers on what we can all be doing to help people in need during the pandemic. Elizabeth studied three economic crises in history, The Great Depression, The Great Recession, and the current pandemic. She studied how nonprofits have emerged in all three crises to fill the gap between actual need and the amount of help the federal government provided. Elizabeth interviewed local nonprofits to learn how they have been affected during this pandemic and heard from them about how she and her peers can help nonprofits help people in our community.
Lynn-Chi Nguyen ’21
Rice University
Closing the Health Disparity Gap: How Race Adversely Impacts Your Health
Lynn-Chi ultimately wanted to unravel the question of: How can race adversely impact your health? After identifying the main effects and tracking potential causes, she noticed how racial disparities were playing out right before her eyes-- with the disproportionate COVID-19 cases and vaccination rates in New Orleans. Although the issue is incredibly difficult to overcome, she concluded that posing one solution at a time can slowly help close this health disparity gap. From placing more vaccination sites in areas that are more vulnerable to developing chronic diseases to public policy changes that address the lack of access to healthcare, Lynn-Chi hopes that, with her solutions, minorities are gradually able to receive the high-quality health care every American deserves.
Peyton McQueen ’21
University of California Berkeley
How Capitalism Shapes American Morals
In Peyton McQueen's mentorship, "How Capitalism Shapes American Morals", she researched how the motive of profit and want for material items has influenced different elements of American society. In a yearlong research project, which included studies of economics (such as the consumer, the free market, and industry), human needs (food, clothing, and healthcare), and of American ideologies (slavery, the American Dream, alienation, and individualism), Peyton studied the impact capitalism has on all of these things, and the detriments citizens of third world countries suffer from some of these practices of globalization. In response to this research, Peyton created a blog called the "Conscientious Capitalist" which talks about different ways high schoolers can become more ethical consumers.
Anita Dongieux ’21
Wake Forest University
Memorable Literature: How Authors Influence An Audience Through Language
Anita Dongieux’s English mentorship, "Memorable Literature: How Authors Influence an Audience Through Language," strived to answer the questions, what does influence mean in literature and how do authors captivate their audience in such a way that provokes an emotional and thoughtful response? She wanted to dive deeper into this concept and figure out how words can affect an individual and what it is that inclines a person to become affected by these words. From that small inquiry came her year-long intensive study on the minds, themes, work, and rhetoric of pivotal English authors that have created some of the most influential pieces of literature, and more specifically, how they were able to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Application to the Mentorship Program is made in the second semester of Junior year. A rising Senior may apply for admission to the Mentorship Program if she has an overall GPA of 3.0 and an A average or higher in the related field of proposed study. The faculty selects eligible Seniors based on the merit of submitted proposals. In order to be accepted, a written proposal must provide an in-depth and detailed outline for her plan of study.
For the last couple of years students have embarked on independent studies surrounding such topics such as Closing the Health Disparity Gap, Ecological Architecture in New Orleans, Nonprofits in Economic Crises, The Double Bind of Women in Leadership, Vaccine Misconceptions and the Impact on our Future, Housing Segregation and Gentrification in New Orleans, Emotion in Music, and Social Media: How Tech Companies are Creating a Powerful New Addiction, to name just several.
Complete details of the Mentorship Program and application process are available through the College Counseling Office.
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