Mentor

Change the life of an SEO Scholar. Build a deep and lasting relationship. Help navigate the college admissions process. Teach students the professional skills they’ll need to take the work world by storm. Join a community of like-minded professionals.

The San Francisco Mentor Application is open. Apply now!

The New York Mentor Application is closed for the 2023 – 2024 school year. Applications for the 2024 – 2025 school year will open early June 2024!

Application Timeline

Applications will be reviewed starting in the middle of June through July.
Interviews will take place on a rolling basis from the end of June through September.
Notifications will go out in September.

About SEO Scholars Mentoring

Every year we are in need of 250 Mentors from New York City, and 60 Mentors from San Francisco, to support a dedicated and hardworking Scholar throughout their 11th-grade year. Our project-based mentoring model supports the development of critical life skills, encourages relationship-building, allows mentors to share their own experiences, and provides students with the tools they will need to navigate both college and their future careers.

Mentors attend 10-12 Saturday sessions (five/six per semester) for two hours each in the afternoon. Each session mentors are given a goal to complete with their mentee. Topics include: researching and applying to summer enrichment programs, beginning the college application process (crafting personal narratives, researching colleges, etc.), and building professional skills (interview training, resume-building, networking). Currently, all mentor sessions take place in downtown Brooklyn for New York City Mentors, and in downtown San Francisco for San Francisco Mentors.

Railyn D., SEO Scholars High School Class of 2018

“From the start, Olivia was determined to help me succeed. She asked me about school and my family and seemed genuinely interested in someone she didn’t even know. She was set on helping me build up my confidence and getting me into a top school, like I had always dreamed of. Throughout our relationship, she has encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, helped raise my SAT score just in time for college admissions, connected me with alumni from the school I’ll be attending, stayed up late editing my college essays, and most importantly, showed me that the circumstances in which I grew up in do not define me or my future. I’m thankful for Olivia, thankful for SEO, and I hope that more adults decide to play the role in a Scholar’s life that Olivia has in mine.”

Evelyn, SEO Scholars, High School Class of 2020

“My parents are immigrants who did not attend college in the U.S. and do not have experience with the college application process. I’m happy to have another adult at SEO to get advice from in addition to my program manager and instructors. I can ask Wes my questions and feel reassured that things will be okay.”

Read Evelyn and Wes’s Full Story Here!

SEO Scholars mentor candidates should be:

College graduates located in New York City or San Francisco
Committed to attending twelve two-hour sessions with their mentee throughout the school year
Willing to submit to a background check conducted by SEO
Passionate about education and providing opportunities to underserved public high school students