Dimensions

Mission

To address and generate awareness of issues that impact women from diverse backgrounds through a facilitated mentoring program in which women of color support each other, engage in dialogue about pertinent issues, and acquire leadership and professional development skills.

Dimensions seeks to create a place where women of color feel comfortable and included not only at the university, but also within the larger Syracuse community. Members will have opportunities to enlarge their awareness on global issues that impact women from diverse cultural backgrounds and to engage in projects that influence the well-being of these communities of women.

Apply to become a Mentor in 2024-25!

About

Dimensions is a peer-to-peer mentoring program geared toward self-identified women of color. The program is specifically designed to provide mentoring to first-year/transfer women of color by pairing up with an upperclass woman who shares similar interests, and assists them in adapting to college life. This program endeavors to create a sisterhood for its members through intentional dialogue and activities that support self-confidence, academic success, and cross-cultural engagement. Dimensions women strengthen leadership skills and their critical thinking to help support the communities they are a part of. While Dimensions aims to support the needs of women of color in particular, the program and all activities are open to all eligible students without regard to race, gender, national origin, or other characteristics.

Benefits

  • Develop a one-to-one mentoring experience!
  • Gain leadership, time management and communication skills!
  • Develop life-long relationships with peers!
  • Create sustaining and helpful relationships!
  • Become a part of a sisterhood!

Programming

Dimensions Mentoring Program meets weekly, Fridays from 3-5pm. Our weekly sessions in the Fall are focused on the transition to college life, navigating culture shock, building community, and goal setting. In the Spring, all sessions are led by our Dimensions Mentors, and range from topics like mental health, representation in media, colorism, holistic wellness, and more.


Additional Information

Afua Danso Dankwa '24
(she/her/hers)

Alicia Ingabire '24
(she/her/hers & they/them)

Motolani Oladitan '24
(she/her/hers)

Savanna Capdeville '24
(she/her/hers)

Dimensions is sisterhood where people can come together to create an environment where women of color can support each other, engage in dialogue on issues pertinent to women of color; and acquire leadership and professional development skills. If you are a first-year/transfer woman of color on campus, and are looking to gain a mentor, please apply to become a mentee!

Apply to become a mentee in 2024-25!

If you have any questions, staff can be reached at 315.443.0228 or oma@syr.edu.

Mentors are selected through an application process held in the spring semester. Recruitment spans through January and February and applications must be submitted before spring break. Once completed, applications are submitted, the applicants go through interviews followed by decision letters.

Once accepted as a Dimensions mentor, a mandatory retreat is required as part of training. The training involves an in-depth analysis of their lifestyle, specifically via exercises that push mentors to critically reflect upon their lives, culture and understanding of people and themselves. Additionally, various training exercises and modules are used to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a mentor and how to specifically mentor a first-year student.

All interested applicants are encouraged to apply, including rising sophomores.

New Mentor Application - due Friday, 3/8/24

Returning Mentor Application - due Friday, 3/8/24

The Office of Multicultural Affairs Dimensions Program Group Photo

The Dimensions Mentoring Program was created in 2002 in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.  During that time the climate of the university and the student leaders were primarily male. As many of the young women on campus wanted to have their voices heard, they needed a forum where that could be properly formed and established.  Dimensions was created to help facilitate a space where self-identified women of color could transition through college with a support network. The program focuses on pairing first year and transfer students with upperclass women with whom they form bonds, sisterhood, obtain academic and professional resources and learn to address the issues that face their communities.  The upperclass women are students chosen to mentor who maintain good academic standing and are successful leaders both academically and socially on campus. The mentors, help to assist first-year and transfer students not only become acclimated to college life, but to flourish academically and socially, and become leaders on campus.

Over the years, the Dimensions Mentoring Program has mentored over 600 first-year women of color, many of whom return to become mentors.


Dimensions Women’s History Month Reception 2024