A great mentor changed how I saw myself and opened up opportunities I didn’t know were there
When I was 15, I was really bad at math. I was pretty bad at all subjects to be honest, but I was especially bad at math. But then I got into a new class with a new teacher, and all of a sudden, I was good at math.
And not just kind of good… really good.
I was consistently setting the curve on exams. I barely had to study outside of class (but I did anyway just because I enjoyed it) and my teacher regularly asked me to help other students who were struggling. My senior year, she asked me to be her Teaching Assistant, which I gladly said yes to because my goal at that point was to become a math teacher (this was all before I took my first psychology course).
So what happened? I had a teacher who believed in me. I know that sounds cheesy, but she recognized that I could do more than I was doing, pushed me to work harder, and helped give me some confidence in an area I’d been lacking in. For the next three years she became a mentor to me, offering me advice, encouraging me to try things I wouldn’t have otherwise, and helping me navigate college applications.
Here’s the other thing. The confidence I got through her support and through the success I had in math trickled over into other classes. As I started getting better at math, I also started improving in History and English too. I became more organized and began to care more about my future after high school.
This is the power of mentorship and it’s why we’re prioritizing it so heavily right now in CAHSS. It is one of the most meaningful ways we support student success. The relationships students build with faculty mentors provide them with guidance that goes beyond coursework. Those relationships help them refine their academic and creative pursuits, develop networking and other people skills, and prepare them for their careers. Faculty mentors offer students professional insight, opportunities, and encouragement as they navigate internships, graduate school applications, and job searches.
Just as importantly, mentorship fosters a sense of belonging, ensuring that every student — especially those from underrepresented backgrounds — feels supported and valued. They personalize education at a time when artificial intelligence and algorithms threaten to dehumanize so much of how people interact.
These relationships shape the confidence, ambition, and direction of our students long after they leave UW-Green Bay. By prioritizing mentorship, we strengthen our community, both on and off campus.
Ryan Martin (aka the Anger Professor) is the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UW-Green Bay – a leading expert on emotional wellness and anger management. He helps people master emotional challenges and harness the power of emotions—especially anger—for personal growth and success. His work focuses on delivering practical, research-backed strategies through clear, direct, and actionable advice.
