The application period for the 2026 SSSP Conference Mentorship Connection is now closed. The deadline to volunteer as a meeting mentor or request to be matched with a meeting mentor was June 30, 2026.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to participate in this year's program. We appreciate your commitment to fostering meaningful connections within the Society.

The SSSP Conference Mentorship Connection is designed to facilitate interaction between new members or graduate students and experienced SSSP members during the Annual Meeting. Meeting mentors provide valuable guidance about SSSP, annual meeting activities, and their own experiences as scholar activists.

Meeting mentors volunteer approximately one hour of their time to help welcome and support a newer member of the Society. Although the program is intended as a short-term conference connection, many mentor-mentee conversations develop into lasting professional relationships.

Participants are encouraged to communicate prior to or early in the Annual Meeting to make the most of the experience. While every effort is made to thoughtfully match mentors and mentees, differences in availability, expertise, and scheduling may mean that perfect matches are not always possible within the limited timeframe of the conference.

All participants in the Conference Mentorship Connection must be current SSSP members and are expected to abide by the SSSP Anti-Harassment Policy.

If you have questions about the 2026 Conference Mentorship Connection, please contact Meghna Bhat, Chair, Committee on Mentorship, at megbhat@gmail.com.

Please check back this fall for information about the 2027 SSSP Conference Mentorship Connection and opportunities to participate as either a meeting mentor or meeting mentee.