The Ohio State University Graduate School has awarded its 2026 Mentoring Month Mini Grants to a diverse group of faculty, staff and graduate student leaders whose projects highlight the power of mentorship across disciplines, career stages and communities.
The mini grants support events and initiatives that align with National Mentoring Month and beyond to amplify, encourage and strengthen mentoring relationships. At Ohio State, the Ohio State Mentoring Initiative in the Graduate School is sponsoring the mini grant program as a pilot initiative to foster a campuswide culture of mentoring that is effective, intentional, and inclusive of a variety of learning styles.
This year’s awardees represent academic colleges across the university and reflect a broad range of mentoring models, including peer mentoring, interdisciplinary mentorship, mentoring communities and mentor–mentee storytelling.
Stacey Lipio Brothers, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, received a mini grant to support It Takes a Village: An Afternoon Event to Foster Interdisciplinary Mentorship. The event brings together graduate students from different programs to create mentoring connections that may not emerge within traditional disciplinary boundaries. By highlighting real-world examples of interdisciplinary mentoring, including collaborations between technical and health-focused fields, the program emphasizes how cross‑disciplinary relationships can enhance professional development and institutional navigation.
Graduate student Olivier Zablocki, from the Department of Microbiology in the College of Arts and Sciences, is hosting Mentoring in Motion: Team‑Building Through Tabletop Adventures. The event uses facilitated cooperative board games to strengthen mentoring relationships within a research group. By emphasizing communication, collaboration and shared problem‑solving, the project offers an inclusive and low‑pressure environment for mentors and mentees to practice core mentoring competencies.
In the College of Medicine, Associate Professor Masaoki Kawasumi received support for Faculty Mentoring Forum: Building a Skin Research Mentoring Community. The faculty‑focused event convenes mentors from clinical and basic science disciplines whose work centers on skin biology and disease. Structured introductions and facilitated discussions are designed to strengthen mentor‑to‑mentor connections and promote interdisciplinary advising models that benefit graduate education.
In the Department of Mathematics, PhD candidate Kacey Aurum is organizing the Cycle Conference, a culminating event for the department’s Cycle mentoring program. The program pairs undergraduate students with graduate student or faculty mentors to collaborate on mathematics research projects. The conference provides a public forum for undergraduate mentees to present their work while celebrating the mentoring relationships that supported their growth.
Associate Professor Rebeka Campos‑Astorkiza of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese received a mini grant for Mentoring Matters: Abstract Writing and Celebration. The event centers graduate students’ voices through discussion of abstract writing in Hispanic linguistics while also creating space to reflect on best practices in academic mentoring. The session concludes with a celebration of mentors and mentees, reinforcing the reciprocal nature of effective mentoring relationships.
In the College of Nursing, Senior Associate Dean Kathy Wright is leading Milestones & Mentorship: Honoring Our Dossier Journey. The initiative responds directly to faculty survey data identifying career planning and institutional navigation as key mentoring needs. The project includes structured mentoring around dossier preparation and Interfolio use, paired with a celebratory event recognizing faculty mentoring contributions.
JOJO Beyene, senior academic advisor in the College of Public Health, is hosting Shared Journeys: A Mentor–Mentee Experience Showcase. The event creates space for mentors and mentees to share accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned through guided dialogue. By emphasizing peer learning and resource sharing, the program highlights mentorship as a driver of student success and community building.
Jodi Ford, Grayce M. Sills Endowed Professor and PhD Program Director in the College of Nursing, received support for Peer Mentoring in the OSU College of Nursing PhD Program. The project celebrates the first year of a student‑initiated peer mentoring program and includes an interactive workshop focused on roles, boundaries, communication and reflective listening for peer mentors.
Finally, graduate fellow Jessica Kulp from the Department of Educational Studies is leading EdTech Mentoring Kickoff: Chat with PhDs and the Center for Digital Learning and Innovation. The collaborative event connects undergraduate and graduate students interested in educational technology with PhD student mentors and campus researchers, laying the groundwork for ongoing mentoring relationships focused on research skills and professional development.
Together, the 2026 Mentoring Month Mini Grant projects reflect Ohio State’s commitment to fostering mentoring relationships that support academic success, professional growth and inclusive excellence across the university.
Look for future events associated with mentoring mini grant activities as well as other workshops and resources as part of programs created by the Ohio State Mentoring Initiative.