Mentoring Tips for Current International Students

Writer:

Rhea Kothari

Graduate student, University of Denver, Sport and Performance Psychology

Interviewee:

Artur Poczwardowski. Ph.D., CMPC

Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at the University of Denver

If you are an international student, let’s take a moment to think about your home country: what are your roots, family, culture, and environment like? It can be very different from the environment that we are currently in. What is needed to be able to adjust to the North American culture? This question came to mind while I was learning about psychological flexibility. To me, support is essential while adjusting to a new country with a different culture. Having a mentor can shape your present and future in the field of Sport and Performance Psychology.

I am currently a graduate student at the University of Denver, Colorado. Prior to this, I graduated from the University of Mumbai, India, with a master’s degree, and my nationality is Indian. Here are three things I learned from my professor, Dr. Artur Poczwardowski, about his journey into the United States as an international student:

  • Guided Support: From the beginning, it is crucial to have a mentor that guides, supports, and encourages you in the initial stages. Dr. Poczwardowski had Dr. Keith Henschen as a mentor at that time. Dr. Henschen provided guidance during field placements and also other aspects of his personal life. Dr. Poczwardowski expressed that it was difficult as an international student to secure a job after graduation. Dr. Henschen contributed to his application for a green card and also wrote letters of recommendation to support his job search.
  • Endeavors: As a South Asian Indian, I found professor-student interactions to be highly specific to education and within the classroom. This relationship is defined differently in the United States. Talking to professors about schooling and beyond is the norm. It is also normal for students to reach out to academics and share your values and passions in life for growth and personal development.
  • Dance: Dr. Poczwardowski initially had no expectations for mentorship but had a unique experience while completing his master’s in Poland. Dr. Henschen’s first initiated meeting with Dr. Poczwardowski in his office after class. Gradually, Dr. Poczwardowski began meeting him outside the classroom which furthered their relationship. Mentorship is a type of dance in which the assistance is synced. Recognizing and leaning toward the support provided by the mentor is a free-flowing and growing dance.

Here are some tips Dr. Poczwardowski would like to provide for mentors that would like to supervise international students:

  • Culture and gender: Giving and receiving feedback can look different for international students from various world regions, like Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. A significant observation that Dr. Poczwardowski made was the learning trajectory coming from Asian and some European countries wanting to receive more feedback on the growth areas rather than reflecting on their strengths. He makes effort to guide international students to focus on using strengths-based approaches rather than what could have been better. He believes that appreciating and validating our own skills is a way of learning. Another aspect mentioned by Dr. Poczwardowski was the gender component. In his experience, people who identify themselves as female tend to be more self-critical and could display more perfectionistic tendencies. Dr. Poczwardowski thus began asking for permission to provide feedback to everyone.
  • Experience: According to Dr. Poczwardowski, Dr. Henschen had mentored many international master’s and doctoral students,. As a result, he was aware of the requirements, and procedures for overseas students. Because of this, Dr. Henschen remained his mentor for the next several years, assisting him in finding his first employment, navigating his first consulting experiences, obtaining his green card, and becoming a member of the International Society of Sport Psychology’s council. As his mentor, he has been invaluable in influencing Dr. Poczwardowski’s professional decisions in a variety of ways.