Young Scholars Program

The Young Scholars Program is designed to encourage and support junior and senior undergraduate students from ethnic minority groups from North America to pursue graduate work and careers in adolescent development. Support for the program is provided by the William T. Grant Foundation and the Society for Research on Adolescence.

Program

Selected scholars attend the SRA Biennial Meeting and participate in special preconference activities that focus on careers in adolescent research, applying to graduate school and funding, curriculum vitae workshops, and navigating the Biennial Meeting. Scholars will receive mentorship from graduate students and senior scholars who are active in the field of adolescent research. 2012 Agenda

Guidelines

Scholars
Junior/senior undergraduate students from North America who are interested in pursuing a career in the field of adolescence and are a member of an underrepresented ethnic/racial minority group (African American, Latino/Hispanic, Native American/American Indian, Asian and/or Pacific Islander) are eligible.

As a scholar, students will:

• Attend the SRA Biennial Meeting, including Young Scholars Program events
• Receive complimentary travel to the meeting, transportation to and from hotel and airport, and hotel accommodations. Travel arrangements will be made by the Young Scholars Program
• Receive mentorship by graduate students and senior scholars before, during, and after the meeting
• Maintain contact with mentors before, during, and after attending the meeting
• Keep the SRA office informed of contact information for five years following the meeting

Junior Mentors
Graduate students from North America are encouraged to apply to be junior mentors to the scholars. Students who demonstrate mentoring qualities, a commitment to the aims of the program, and who are pursuing a career in adolescent research, policy, or practice are welcome to apply.

As a junior mentor, graduate students will:

• Attend the SRA Biennial Meeting and all Young Scholars Program activities. NOTE: SRA does not pay for expenses associated with attending the Biennial Meeting or Young Scholars Program activities
• Receive a $375 stipend to offset the cost of participating in the preconference activities
• Maintain contact with assigned scholar before, during, and after attending the meeting in order to develop a mentoring relationship
• Allow the scholar to shadow him/her during at least one activity at the conference (i.e., presentations, discussions, symposia, etc.), in order to share the conference experience with the scholar
• Keep the SRA office informed of contact information for five years following the meeting.

Senior Mentors

Senior level professionals in the field of adolescent development are encouraged to volunteer to serve as senior mentors to provide the scholars with mentorship about graduate school, career paths, and the field in general.

Senior mentors will:

• Attend the SRA Biennial Meeting and attend the Wednesday Young Scholars Program activities
• Receive a $200 stipend and a $75 gift card to dine with scholars
• Maintain contact with assigned scholar(s) before, during, and after attending the meeting to develop a mentoring relationship
• Allow the scholar to shadow him/her during at least one activity at the conference (i.e., presentations, discussions, symposia, etc.), to share the conference experience
• Keep the SRA office informed of contact information for five years following the meeting

Application Process

Please revisit this site in 2013 for information regarding the 2014 program.

Scholars must provide:

• A brief (200 words or less) biosketch (accepted applicants' biosketches will be included in a program handbook)
• A statement (400-600 words) describing your career goals, current academic and research interests, and any relevant experiences
• Recent transcripts (unofficial are acceptable)
• A curriculum vitae or resume
• A brief letter of support from a faculty member  (must be in .pdf format)

Junior mentors must provide:

• A brief (200 words or less)  biosketch (accepted applicants' biosketches will be included in a program handbook)
• A statement (400-600 words) describing his/her career goals, current academic and research interests, and any relevant experiences
• A curriculum vitae or resume

Senior mentors must provide:

• A brief (200 words or less) biosketch (accepted applicants' biosketches will be included in a program handbook)
• A curriculum vitae