09-09-2025
Recently, my 14-year-old daughter shared what she appreciates about her classical ballet teacher. “She cares,” my daughter said. “What does she do that shows she cares?” I asked. “Well, she does more than just teach. She corrects us in class, but in a helpful way and explains her corrections. She talks to us about ballet culture and how to find a healthy balance in dance and in life.”
“She’s a true mentor,” I told my daughter, and I described what I’m learning from David Yeager’s book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People. In the chapter “The Mentor Mindset,” Yeager explains how effective mentorship happens when mentees are held to a high standard and feel sufficiently supported by their mentor. This “and” between standard and support leapt off the page when I first read it and captures an essential element that I’m working to include in my own undergraduate mentoring approach.
Last week, we held our first Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE) Undergraduate Research Assistantship (UGRA) weekly lunch meeting of the 2025-2026 school year. I’m the program mentor, and the 13 undergraduate students looked overwhelmed as I explained how they would need to work hard to earn their UGRA professor’s trust and respect. These business school students, who will soon be matched with a professor to help with research work, are supposed to feel overwhelmed because the path toward answering complex research questions often involves healthy doses of trial and error. Because of this, effective mentorship is essential to the UGRA experience. “And,” I declared to the group, “we have excellent UGRA professors, some of whom are mentoring me, too.” I then shared what my Daniels School mentors do well to help me feel supported.
Take time. Create space. Last May, I gifted the PURCE UGRAs my favorite book, Charlotte’s Web. The story shares essential truths like Charlotte’s declaration to “Never hurry and never worry!” I value how my Daniels School mentors encourage me to take time and create mental space to figure things out even when uncertainty wants to overwhelm.
Be present. Listen well. Being an effective mentor means taking the role of active listener. When a mentor offers a listening ear and an opportunity to process, this can crack open mental space enough for mentees to verbally disentangle their own thoughts and identify the next best step.
Ask thoughtful and clarifying questions. One of my Daniels School mentors often asks questions instead of telling me what to do, and I appreciate how this Socratic approach is rooted in dignity. Because of this, I now use questions to help PURCE UGRAs begin to trust themselves, sharpen their instincts, and build confidence.
I’m learning that meaningful mentorship is about finding balance and using creative approaches to help students to meet high standards while offering sincere encouragement and support. This Mentor Mindset approach is a dance that I get to participate in and learn from — and I'm grateful for the mentors who are helping me find my way.
Karis Pressler is the PURCE Undergraduate Research Assistantship program mentor. She holds a dual-title PhD in Sociology and Gerontology from Purdue. The university’s Office of Experiential Education named Pressler one of four Fall 2025 ExEd Fellows. Her new blog, Hello Humanity, explores experiential education and mentorship in undergraduate research spaces.
