National Mentoring Month, celebrated every January, focuses on the importance of mentorship in personal and professional development. It highlights how mentoring can empower individuals, build confidence, and create opportunities for success. This celebration aligns strongly with CMD-IT’s mission to societal change by providing skill development, opportunities, and resources for our target communities through innovative programs, events and strategies for the computing community.
National Mentoring Month was launched in 2002 by MENTOR to unify and expand the mentoring activities, celebrate the power of relationships, raise awareness around the importance of mentoring. On December 31,2024 President Biden proclaimed January 2024 as National Mentoring Month. Mentorship can help bridge gaps in resources and representation, ensuring that all communities have role models and advocates in computing.
CMD-IT provides programs such as CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference which provides opportunities for attendees to connect with professionals and peers for mentoring and career guidance. Other CMD-IT programs include the Academic Careers Workshops that provide informal mentoring about successful careers of faculty and the LEAP Alliance that provide formal mentoring programs for the LEAP Fellows. Within the LEAP Alliance, the University of Washington also provide a formal mentoring program where the LEAP Fellows (doctoral students) mentor LEAP Scholars (undergraduate students).