MENTOR ILLINOIS. CHANGE A LIFE.
Check out these perks:
Convenient
Mentor your student online, at times that fit your schedule, by connecting over the Internet via Zoom, Teams, or similar tools.
Impactful
Guide your student through one of the most significant transitions in life, from high school to college, and transform their life forever.
Paid
Receive up to $1,250 per semester either through your college's Federal Work-Study program or directly from Mentor Illinois.
And there's more...
Join a Movement
This isn't just a "job". Mentor Illinois is part of a national movement of idealistic university students working for educational justice.
Get Training & Support
Learn and follow concrete steps to take at specific stages and with specific tasks of the college application process.
Develop Key Skills
The values and skills you develop in Mentor Illinois will qualify you for and make you a better leader in your future career.
Transform Lives
It's a pleasure and privilege to help even one high school student transform their life forever by getting into college.
Improve the Community
When you help one high school graduate go to college, you change not only their life but also the lives of their descendants and community.
Shape the Future
By positively changing the trajectory of so many future lives, you literally transform the future of Illinois and of our country as a whole.
Closing the college gap
Closing the education gap is essential to building a more just and prosperous society. When more people—especially from historically under-served communities—can access college, they unlock opportunities for upward mobility, economic security, and civic engagement. It strengthens the workforce, fuels innovation, and disrupts cycles of poverty. Education isn't just a personal asset—it's a societal equalizer, and expanding college access is one of the most direct ways to empower entire generations.
Choose your mentorship
You can help high school students by working in one or more mentorship programs. Pick your preferences when you apply.
Pre-Application Guide
Help students plan whether and where to apply to college.
Application Guide
Help students navigate college applications from start to finish.
Testing Coach
Help students maximize their scores on the SAT and ACT tests.
Essay Coach
Help students craft application essays and short-answers.
Be able to work at least 5 hours/week.
Work digitally with 1 or more students.
Meet via Zoom, Meets, or similar platforms.
Schedule meetings that fit your schedule.
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How is Mentor Illinois different from other mentoring organizations?Mentor Illinois is a unique organization, and our mentors are not like mentors provided by any other organization in Illinois or the United States as a whole. That is because, unlike other groups, Mentor Illinois mentors help high school students with one task and one task only: applying to college. It's all we do, and we're really good at it. Mentor Illinois was founded in the recognition that navigating college applications is very complicated and time-consuming even for top students—and that this complication is a barrier to many talented high school graduates entering college. Mentor Illinois helps close the education gap by enabling talented high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete their college applications much more easily and successfully.
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Where can I learn more about becoming a mentor with Mentor Illinois?Learn all about the high school students that Mentor Illinois mentors serve, mentor responsibilities, training and support that mentors receive, payment, required job qualifications and the application process for becoming a Mentor Illinois mentor on our "Be a Mentor" page here: https://www.mentorillinois.org/become-a-mentor.
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Are Mentor Illinois mentors paid?Yes, each mentor who fulfills the requirements of their job is paid $1,250 at the end of each semester of service. This total amount of money is paid through the mentor's college's Federal Work-Study program and/or by Mentor Illinois directly.
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How can I apply to become a Mentor Illinois mentor?You can request an application to become a Mentor Illinois mentor by following the instructions located on our "Apply to Mentor" page here: https://www.mentorillinois.org/apply-to-become-a-mentor.
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How can I enroll high school students in mentorships through Mentor Illinois?Learn all about the high school students we serve, responsibilities of students who work with a Mentor Illinois mentor, types of support our mentors provide, student qualifications, and the enrollment process at our "Get a Mentor" page here: https://www.mentorillinois.org/get-a-mentor.
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How can I support Mentor Illinois?Generous individuals, businesses and foundations can donate now to Mentor Illinois online here: https://www.mentorillinois.org/donate-to-mentor-illinois. You also can learn more about ways to support Mentor Illinois here: https://www.mentorillinois.org/support-mentor-illinois.
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Mentor Illinois is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to pay and empower students at great Illinois colleges to help talented Illinois high school students from non-college or low-income backgrounds apply to college. Read more about our tax-exempt status.
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