Friends-in-STEM Mentoring
Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic, Wake Downtown worked hard to remain engaged with the Winston-Salem community. With health and safety top of mind, students, faculty, and staff found creative ways to stay connected. Friends-in-STEM was one of the programs born out of these efforts, and the program has been held ever since.
Program Information
Friends-in-STEM is a virtual mentoring program designed to match local school children with a mentor, “friend-in-STEM.” Mentorship is proven to be a critical part of a young person in STEM’s personal and professional development. The representation, guidance, and reflection offered by mentorship seeks to encourage students to stay focused on their academic goals and to follow their passions. It also equips them with the excitement, skills, and resources which are necessary in looking for future programs, volunteering, and higher education opportunities. Our program’s goal is to help local students begin building these connections early while also sparking a light of curiosity in STEM. Participating students will be paired with a “friend-in-STEM” trained mentor who is a WFU undergraduate or graduate student studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
All mentors undergo the same training, which includes a background check, protection of minors training, and mentorship “best practices,” with assistance from the Wake Forest University Mentoring Resource Center. This program is also made possible with the support and close collaboration of the Office of Civic and Community Engagement.
In Fall 2025, the Friends-in-STEM leadership team created one of our first in-person events, STEM Day! This two-hour event on a weekday evening is an opportunity for mentors and mentees to meet in-person and grow their mentorship offline. STEM Day follows a drop-in station format with a variety of hands-on STEM activities that span many corners of STEM. We were happy to host the event again in Spring 2026 and have plans to host it again in Fall 2026!
Friends-in-STEM has been held each of the following semesters:
| – Spring 2021 – Summer 2021 – Fall 2021 – Spring 2022 | – Summer 2022 – Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 – Fall 2023 | – Spring 2024 – Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 – Fall 2026 – Spring 2026 |
Fall 2026 Program Details
Important dates for the Fall 2026 program will be updated soon!
How to Apply
Register Your Student To Receive a Mentor Here!
Register to Become a Mentor Here!
The Spring 2026 cohort of the Friends-in-STEM program has now ended, be on the lookout for information about registering for the Fall 2026 program.
Program Feedback
