Mentors

GAIN mentors help guide our participants through the graduate application process. Most mentors are assigned to mentor a participant one-on-one through the entire application cycle, beginning in June. However, some mentors may volunteer their time to share their expertise in specific application areas, such as scholarship applications, standardized test preparation, or proofreading essays. Through frequent check-in calls, mentors also get the opportunity to share their experiences and collaborate, sometimes even forming smaller support groups.

Typically, our mentors are PhD students, researchers, or professors and have been through the application process themselves. To register for our program, mentors must meet the following requirements:

• Ability to commit 4-8 hours a month on average throughout the entire application cycle from May 2025-April 2026

• Experience completing the graduate application process in economics or related fields (public policy, political science, public health, etc.)

• Interest in increasing the representation of African scholars in economics and related fields

• Previous experience with mentoring is preferred

More information on the mentoring phase of the program can be found on our about page. To volunteer as a mentor, please join our Reminder List below. We will be in touch as soon as the next mentoring stage opens in 2025!