Junior Scholars of Color Mentoring Program

The NASSS Executive Board, with the leadership of Jeffrey Montez de Oca, Letisha Brown, Chen Chen, and Stanley Thangaraj, is sponsoring a pre-conference Junior Scholars of Color Mentoring Program for graduate students and junior faculty of color. We see this as an attempt to create a healing, supportive space for junior scholars of color within NASSS to facilitate their ability to thrive within NASSS and academia at large while also fostering future generations of critical, engaged scholars of color.

The broader goals of this program include:

  • Create a space where graduate students and junior faculty of color will develop key skills necessary for success in academia, especially publishing, empowering communities of color, and leadership. This will be accomplished through
    • Pedagogical workshops
    • Writing workshops with peers and senior scholars
    • Workshops on and modeling mentorship for both fellows and mentors
  • Cultivate a healthful, intellectual community that will support junior scholars in their academic journey.
  • Expand theories of race in sport sociology by drawing upon fields including but not limited to: Asian American Studies, Latinx Studies, Diaspora Studies, Indigenous Studies, Black Studies, Gender Studies, History, Political Ecology, Critical Disability Studies, and Sexuality Studies.

What is expected of participants:

  • Commit to attend and engage in all pre-conference program activities.
    • The format of this program, whether in-person or virtual, will match the format of the conference.
  • Register for and attend the 2021 annual NASSS conference.
  • Submit an unpublished piece of scholarly writing (e.g. manuscript for journal or book chapter, dissertation chapter, grant proposal, policy document) that you will workshop with two others junior scholars and one senior scholar mentor.
  • Provide critical, constructive feedback on two other junior scholars’ writing.
  • Develop and maintain professional relationships with mentors and peers.

All NASSS graduate students and junior faculty of color regardless of citizenship or nationality are encouraged to apply to this program. Advisers please encourage your students and junior colleagues to apply!

To apply, please submit an application to jmontezd@uccs.edu by April 15, 2021. Your application should include a two-page personal statement that addresses:

  • Your research interests
  • Your overall vision for the future of and your potential contributions to the field
  • The level of access you currently have to mentoring
  • What you want to get out of the workshop
  • What type of mentoring practice you are seeking

In addition to the personal statement, please also include a list of 3-5 “dream” mentors you would like to work with in the program. While we cannot promise those people will be available to participate in the program, it greatly assists us finding the right mentor for you.

We also need mentors!

Are you a NASSS member with a PhD degree, and are committed to cultivating and fostering junior scholars of color? Do you enjoy providing effective professional guidance and detailed constructive feedback on junior scholars’ writing? Are you willing to maintain professional relationships within a network of junior scholars outside of your home institution? Are you willing to expand the intellectual communities of junior scholars from underrepresented communities? Then you could be an excellent mentor in this program! If you would like to participate in this program as mentor, please use this Google form to sign up by April 15, 2021 (https://forms.gle/L6mNGSTBPzsXn6da8).

To make this program accessible and inclusive, participants and mentors will enjoy one complimentary night (double occupancy) in the conference hotel plus breakfast, lunch and dinner on the day of the pre-conference program. Mentors will also receive a modest honorarium.

For questions or more information about this program, please contact any of the organizing committee members: