CAPISE’s Empower Mentorship Program Transforms Students’ Lives

The 2024-2025 API EM Program Empower Mentor team. Photo courtesy of Jinni Pradhan.

When SJSU’s Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment (CAPISE) officially opened its doors in November of 2022, it was embraced by students right away. 

As a space that provides community-building and empowerment opportunities for Asian and Pacific Islander students, CAPISE hosted 16 events and 42 programs during its first academic year. 

It also launched a very impactful peer mentoring program: the Asian Pacific Islander Empower Mentorship (API EM) program, which began as a pilot in spring 2023. The goal was to serve first-year Asian and Pacific Islander students, providing them with access to mentoring, support and resources to help them navigate college life. During the pilot program, five student mentors and 20 student mentees participated. 

And now, two and a half years later, the program is flourishing in numerous ways. Its evolution can be traced, in part, to the five original mentors who started working at CAPISE from the very beginning. Three of the students are graduating at the end of this semester. 

“I don’t think I realized how much growth I’d see in the mentors,” says Jinni Pradhan, the CAPISE program director. “It’s mind-blowing to think that they’re graduating. They’ve been an anchor to this program. These are the folks who helped build it.” 

Cultivating the program 

This year’s mentorship program consists of 48 empower mentees and 10 empower mentors. Currently, the paid student mentors work 4-6 hours per week, meeting with their mentees to talk through any issues they might be navigating. Mentors also connect mentees to resources on campus, including the Career Center, student organizations and counseling services. 

During the pilot program, Pradhan worked very thoughtfully and intentionally with Mary Tran, CAPISE’s program coordinator at the time, to cultivate something that would support and enhance the student experience, not only for those being mentored, but also for the mentors themselves. Empower mentors participate in very thorough training sessions, and also meet biweekly during the semester, where they share status updates and receive professional development support. 

In grad school at UC Davis, Pradhan taught Asian American Studies, and it’s a formative part of how she understands and approaches the work that happens at CAPISE.

“The training is a mix of different frameworks,” says Pradhan. “We expose them to testimonials and stories around how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have navigated higher education. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and ways of being, and you never know what your mentee might need. We also give them frameworks around mentorship, like what it looks like to understand the development of a first year student, or what the arc of mentorship looks like.” 

Beyond academics   

Trent Algea, ’25 Business administration, has been a mentor for API EM since the pilot program. He feels that the program has helped him to build his voice and support his development as a campus leader. This year, Algea has been working with five mentees.   

“When I first signed up to be a mentor, I assumed it was academic-related, like navigating classes,” says Algea. “I didn’t realize that it covers a lot of aspects of a mentee’s life, like personal growth and career growth. A lot of my mentees are interested in building professional experience. The workshops we run allow them to grow in their personal and professional identities.”  

As a freshman in 2020, he experienced his first year of college during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although he didn’t get to have a full first-year college experience on campus, he’s worked for the last couple years to ensure that other first-year students have access to the resources and experiences that will enhance the beginning of their college life. 

“I wish I’d had a mentor I could come to during my first year,” says Algea. “But now at least I can give my mentees that opportunity.” 

Students making history  

Sereyvidya Vireak, ’26 Computer Science, was an empower mentee during the pilot program. As a first-year international student, Vireak had difficulty navigating life in a new country. Having a mentor to provide guidance during that period in his life set him up with a strong foundation. 

“My mentor kept me accountable as he checked in with the goals that we set in previous sessions and helped me refine steps that I could take to complete them,” says Vireak. “Overall he felt more like a friend who was more experienced in the university [than I was] and genuinely wanted to see me succeed and make me feel like I belonged at SJSU.”  

After seeing just how impactful the mentoring program had been in his own life, Vireak became a mentor himself the following school year. He’s now been a mentor for CAPISE for the past two years.  

“I like helping others,” says Vireak. “I’ve been told that I have a lot of empathy for others as well as the curiosity to ask good reflective questions. I believe these two qualities enable me to care about and help my mentees in a meaningful manner.”  

Mentees like Anika Dubb, ’25 Business Administration, are grateful that they had a chance to be a part of the program. Dubb was one of the first mentees during the pilot program, and she feels that having access to mentoring made a lasting impact. 

“As a freshman and first-generation student, I was kind of confused with how things worked on campus,” says Dubb. “That’s what led me to join the mentorship program.” 

Dubb didn’t know anyone on campus, but having a mentor opened the door to meeting other students and getting more involved. Her mentor invited her to different club meetings and introduced her to other students.  

“She really helped me get out of my comfort zone,” says Dubb. 

Sparked by the motivation she got from her mentor, Dubb got more involved on campus.  She joined the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at SJSU, where she served on the leadership board last year. Dubb is also an officer for Critical Asian American Students for Political Action, which provides a space for students to talk about social issues, engage in activism and make an impact on the local community.  

Dubb felt that having a mentor who is also South Asian really made her feel supported, as she had someone who really understood the cultural context of what she was experiencing and could help her navigate various situations. 

“I still look back on the experience and think, wow, we were making history,” says Dubb. “Knowing the history of CAPISE and how long it took to get here, I think it’s really amazing to have been one of the first students who got to benefit from this mentoring program.”

Mentorship is a circular process 

Pradhan hopes to continue growing the program. There’s talk of even potentially opening up the program to include mentorship for transfer students.  

For now, Pradhan is taking this moment to reflect on and celebrate the accomplishments of the students who have been part of the program. It has been awe-inspiring for her to witness the cycle of mentorship continuing each year.

“The mentors sign up to mentor other students, and they start to realize halfway through the semester that they’re also getting mentored — by their mentees, by me, by life,” says Pradhan. “The things they’re supporting their mentees with are also places they’re looking to grow. It’s really amazing to see how truly circular mentorship is.” 

Go here to learn more about CAPISE.