HomeBlogPodcasts Mentoring Movesby Matt WittsteinMarch 16, 2026 Share: Section NavigationSkip section navigationIn this sectionPodcasts – Home 60-Second SoTL Limed: Teaching with a Twist Making College “Worth It” Special Series First-Year Seminars Land Acknowledgement Limed: Teaching with a Twist Season 4, Episode 7 What actually happens in a successful mentoring conversation? In this episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist, Katia Levintova (University of Wisconsin–Green Bay) and Mario Sto. Domingo (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) share findings from their multi-institutional research on what they call mentoring moves. Through interviews with several mentor–mentee pairs across institutions in the U.S. and Europe, their team examined the specific conversational techniques mentors use and how students experience those same interactions. We explore encouragement, human connection, navigating the hidden curriculum, reframing strengths, and the subtle dynamics that foster trust and belonging. We also discuss where mentors and mentees align — and where gaps emerge — particularly around unseen advocacy and in-the-moment mentoring. If mentoring is one of the most important practices in higher education, this conversation invites us to think more intentionally about the moves we make. View a transcript of this episode. Meet our Panel Katia Levintova is a Professor of Political Science, Global Studies, and Democracy and Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) where she teaches courses on comparative politics, American elections, international relations, and first year as well as senior seminars. Levintova also directs student internships in her area. Her research interests and publications focus on political sociology of post-Communist societies and societal determinants of foreign policy. She is co-editor (with Alison Staudinger) of Gender in Political Science Classroom (Indiana University Press, 2018). Among her most recent publications are Scholarship of Teaching and Learning works examining student parents and HIPs, active learning about sustainability, problem-based learning, and patterns of global education. She is a recipient of University of Wisconsin Regents Award for Teaching Excellence (2021), UW-Green Bay Founder Award for Excellence in Teaching (2019), and Student Nominated Teaching Award for both experienced and early career teachers at UWGB. Levintova is involved with the UWGB Center for Civic Engagement and its signature Civic Scholars Program bridging the gap between campus and community through a high-impact community-based learning. Mario Santo Domingo is Associate Director for Evaluation and Research of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). A community and applied social psychologist, he earned his PhD from UMBC, a master’s in International Politics from the International University of Japan, and degrees in Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He also studied Social Change and Development at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). For over 25 years, Mario has led research documenting the Meyerhoff Program’s success in increasing the academic achievement of underrepresented students in STEM. His work has significantly influenced national models for inclusive excellence and helped guide program replication efforts across the U.S., including through the HHMI-funded Success-in-Science (SiS). He is also partnering with the University of the Philippines Los Baños to explore localized program adaptation. Mario’s publications address cohort-based programming and the roles of community, self-efficacy, and identity in student success. He recently presented on mentoring practices at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is past president of the Philippine American Academy of Science & Engineering (PAASE) and founding president of Morong Historical Society, a community-based heritage organization Rizal Province, Philippines. In 2019, he received the Most Outstanding Migrant Award from the Global Migrant Heritage Commission in Washington, DC. Mario was born in the Philippines. He and his wife Leni have 2 grown-up children. He speaks Tagalog and English, a little Spanish, and is now learning French. Episode Credits This episode was hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning. Themes and music composed and produced by Kai Mitchell, Elon University Music Production and Recording Arts class of 2024. Kai produces music and releases it across streaming platforms with the producer’s name KVI. You can follow Kai on Instagram @theofficial_kvi. Show art was created by Jennie Goforth, Nolan Schultheis, and Matt Wittstein. The Center for Engaged Learning uses Rev to create transcripts for each episode. Additional Resources and Citations Center Resources Related to this Episode Mentoring Matters: Supporting Students’ Development of Mentoring Constellations in Higher Education By Jessie L. Moore, Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, and Tim Peeples Mentoring matters for student success. Mentoring promotes academic, social, personal, cultural, and career-focused learning and development in intentional, sustained, and integrative ways. As a result, mentoring contributes positively to academic outcomes… Returning to a Constellation Model: Mentor, Mentoring, and The Odyssey As we have articulated, one of the challenges of the traditional mentoring model resides in the being-all-things to another set of assumptions built into it. The traditional mentor is understood as a single person who will be there without fail… Strategies and Resources for Mentees Developing Mentoring Constellations Given that mentoring relationships are learner-centered, mentees should have significant agency in developing their mentoring constellations. In this section, we explore strategies and resources mentees can use to identify and develop meaningful and mentoring relationships. Mentoring relationships “promote academic, social,… “I can find my North Star”: Understanding Mentoring Constellations in Practice In Mentoring Matters, we introduce a definition of mentoring relationships and explore the mentoring constellation model in higher education. Here we consider the important question, how do mentoring constellations operate in practice? From our comprehensive analyses of multiple data sources,… Mentoring in a Constellation: Supervisors and Mentors of Student Employees In our 2020 institutional survey on mentoring, fourth-year students identified on-campus student employment as the fifth most common experience that prepared them to connect with potential mentors. Supervisors of student employees offer a dynamic example of meaningful relationships that can… Conceptualizing Mentoring Constellations in Study Abroad: Mentors’ Perspectives Recently I had the opportunity to think about mentoring in the context of a semester study abroad program with undergraduate research (UR) mentors working with DIS, Study Abroad in Scandinavia. Before talking with the mentors, I had asked their students… 1 2 3 > Suggested Reading from the Guests Delgado-Guerrero, Marla, and Alberta M. Gloria. 2025. “Multiple Mentors Matter: The Transformative Role of Peer, Staff, and Faculty Mentors on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Undergraduates’ Commitment to Persist,” Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dhe0000667 Felten, Peter and Leo M. Lambert. 2020. Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College. Johns Hopkins University Press.
