Notre Dame has an Alumni Mentor Program for students that was established in 2018 by the 1978 Premontre state football team. 

Mentors meet with their mentees at school and outside of school to provide academic support, encouragement, post-high school exploration, and guidance. 

Ms. Ciera Gerl in Student Services coordinates the program. 

“I get students recommended to me from the Student Services department or other people in the building that know of students that would be a good fit for the program,” she said.

When students are recommended, she meets with them and explains the many benefits of the program. 

Gerl is also the point of contact for the mentors to communicate with or get information about anything school-related or the students themselves. 

She coordinates the mentor meetings and pairs new mentees with their mentors. 

Mentors meet with their mentees about once every month. They talk about how things are going in school, at home and with their extracurricular activities. 

“Mentees also provide job shadowing and college campus exploration opportunities,” she added. 

The program also has a scholarship component.  At the beginning of each semester, students set a GPA goal, and if they achieve that goal, they get up to $500 set aside to be put toward college.

“If a student joins the program as a freshman, they have the opportunity to earn up to $4,000,” said Gerl.