Emmanuel Mitchell Named NASPA NUFP
August 29, 2023 - Dorene DiNaro
Emmanuel Mitchell, a second-year student majoring in History, with a minor in American Studies, and a student employee for African American Student Services, has been selected to participate in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP).
Students carrying a full-time enrollment who identify as being racial or ethnic minority, or individuals with a documented disability, are eligible to apply. Applicants choose a mentor—Mitchell chose Brandi Stone, director for African American Student Services—and the two apply for the program as a team.
Stone noted that Mitchell is the first NUFP mentee from AASS since 2017, and she feels grateful to have the opportunity to help shape Mitchell’s pre-professional experiences as a rising student affairs leader. “Being selected for this cohort means a lot to me,” Mitchell said. “The reason it means a lot to me starts with simply being recognized by the office [AASS] here at The University of New Mexico enough for them to ask me to apply and also back me into trying to get into the NUFP.”
NUFP fosters the ongoing exchange between the fellow and mentor to develop a sense of what a career in student affairs and higher education can look like. Both fellow and mentor are enthusiastic about the program and how it will benefit Mitchell both now and in the future. “What I'm most excited about is the hands-on experience that I will get from this program by using what I'm taught and putting it into the office here,” Mitchell said.
The two will have advising sessions at least once a month and develop goals and expectations for the year. Fellows are offered specific programming at annual and regional conferences and encouraged to apply for a paid summer internship in student affairs or higher education other than their own to broaden their experience base and perspective on student affairs and higher education.
Stone is excited that Mitchell will be serving as a NUFP mentee through African American Student Services. “Last year, as a freshman, Emmanuel came to me confident that he wanted to pursue a career in student affairs,” Stone said.
Mitchell considers NUFP as one of the steppingstones he needs to be successful in his career endeavors. “This program fits perfectly into what I'm trying to do for my future career goals,” Mitchell said. “With this program I will have hoped to gain 100% of the knowledge that I need to be as successful as I want to be in my future of student affairs.”
Visit the NASPA NUFP website to learn more about the program.
