Biome mentor Hannah Tomasulo '27, left, and Rahara Simon '28. (ʹڲַ/Matt Burkhartt)
ʹڲַ’s student-led Biology Mentoring Program (Biome) pairs volunteers with first-year and transfer biology majors, helping to improve student success rates.
Peer mentors meet with their students every other week to talk about topics such as goal setting, time management, research opportunities, campus activities, and making friends.
“They get advice from older biology students who have already been through the beginning stages of college,” says Abigail Funk ’26, who was a mentor and now a student Biome leader. “We are there to make connections and get them comfortable in their biology community.”
Biome was created in Spring 2023 by senior biology majors Miranda Fanara ’23 and George Konstantinou ’23, after post COVID research they conducted showed ʹڲַ students felt they needed more peer support.
Biome is truly a student effort, says Suann Yang, associate professor of biology and the program’s coordinator. Students run Biome's day-to-day operations, conduct monthly training for mentors, and direct Biome’s social media presence and communications. Funk leads efforts to evaluate the program for possible improvements. Ashley Biondi ’26 leads social media, Makayla French ’25 leads training, and Sophia Bahm ’26 is in charge of communications within Biome and outreach.
“I believe the program provides a much-desired leadership and service opportunity,” says Yang. “During our first semester, we had 39 mentors.”
During Spring 2025, 42 mentors assisted 29 mentees, some of whom may return as mentors in the fall.