Stefhan Meyer student mentor in refugee outreach program
Don’t expect to change the world in one day! Building a relationship of trust and working towards goals takes time
Stefhan Meyer is a Law and International Relations student and a mentor with the School to Tertiary Outreach Mentoring Program (STOMP). STOMP pairs ANU students with refugee students from Dickson College to support them academically and personally.
Since mentoring with STOMP, Stefhan has seen first-hand what a valuable service STOMP provides.
"For students there are obvious practical benefits like receiving academic support, or support in general. For students and mentors alike, it's a chance to develop a relationship with someone you might not otherwise have gotten to know."
Stefhan also discovered a shared interest in art with his mentee and was very impressed by his beautiful art work.
"Over the semester he would show me new works, and when STOMP put a call out to design a logo, I realised that my mentee had the talent to design the new STOMP logo."
Another shared bond was that Stefhan also arrived in Australia without any English.
"What I remember most about my early years in Australia was struggling to understand teachers and consequently being less engaged. I came to Australia without a word of English, and when he heard this I think he felt a lot more comfortable because he knew that I knew what it was like."
Stefhan hopes that other ANU students will also take up the opportunity to mentor with STOMP, despite potential challenges.
"Don't expect to change the world in one day! Building a relationship of trust and working towards goals takes time. But don't feel exasperated by this as the mentees are immensely grateful for what you do."
Refugee students and ANU students who participate in the STOMP program are supported through funds raised by donors to The ANU Fund. By giving to The ANU Fund, you will support students like Stefhan who are trying to make a difference at ANU and to our nation.
Together, we can count the ways that we are helping students and creating a better future for us all. You can give to The ANU Fund today.
Stefhan Meyer is currently a Arts/Law student at ANU, at the ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences and the ANU College of Law.
