Transitioning to college is not always easy for incoming freshmen leaving home for the first time.
But it can be much more difficult for international students who are moving to a new country, learning new customs and making new friends. Now the most concerning aspect is a worldwide pandemic.
East Central College student Gabriel Pires helped create a business, called Steven Mentor, which assists international students attending college in the United States with various aspects of life.
“We help with a little bit of everything,” He said. “From academics, to weather and social life.”
Steven Mentor became invaluable to international students in March as COVID-19 spread across the globe.
“This crisis has brought many uncertainties for all of us, especially for international students here in the United States,” Pires said.
Pires, from Brazil, is a sophomore business student set to graduate from ECC in May. He came to ECC on a soccer scholarship.
“Most of our students were sharing the same concerns and challenges — figuring out if it was ideal to return to their countries or if they should stay in the United States,” he added.
Pires is working with two other international students, Lucas Gomes and Samuel Padilla at Steven Mentor, which brands itself as the “International Student Mentor.” He is the chief operating officer for the company. A fourth member of the Stephen Mentor team is Alexandre Medeiros.
Gomes attends college in Florida and Padilla is a student in Iowa, so the business owners and their clients communicate online and over the telephone.
The students who are clients of Steven Mentor come from all over the world, and each have been impacted by COVID-19 in some form.
Decisions
On March 22, Pires flew home to Brazil after it was decided that ECC would be only remote and online instruction for the rest of the semester. He said he wanted to be with his family during uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most international students were in a similar position, that required a major decision. According to Pires, international students were concerned if they could re-enter their home countries due to the pandemic.
There have been concerns of home countries closing borders, which would create issues at airports. If the students were to stay in the U.S., there would be logistical concerns, such as transportation, housing and access to food.
There also has been a lot of concern with the economic aspect of leaving the U.S., Pires added.
“The good news is that Steven Mentor saw this crisis coming and we could advise our students to make important decisions as soon as possible so they are not taken by surprise,” Pires said. “We have helped them decide whether they should return home, understand logistical issues, such as housing and food, in case they stayed in the country, and we advise them to make special financial planning for the next months.
“In addition, we maintain active communication with all our students and mentees, sharing challenges, good practices, and thoughts.”
Pires explained that on the Steven Mentor website there is a specific tab for COVID-19.
“We have also created an initiative to help international students who decided to stay in the country called Adopt an International Student. We are connecting students in need with volunteer helpers from across the country.”
Pires Joins the Team
This isn’t the first company Pires has had a hand in. In 2019, he formed his own, different company to help Brazilian student athletes already in the U.S.
Padilla, an international student at Morningside College in Iowa, learned about Pires’ work and asked him to come aboard to Steven Mentor. It essentially was the same work Pires was doing, but on a larger scale, worldwide and not just for athletes.
Padilla and Gomes, a student at Saint Leo’s University in Florida, already laid the foundation for Steven Mentor.
“They were doing the same thing for students around the world,” Pires said. “His (Padilla) idea was more solid and more complete than mine.”
The mentoring program offered by the company is called “Steven Pro.” It is one semester-long and designed to help international students prepare, adapt, and thrive in the U.S.
It includes eight modules of videos, 40 total, based on Steve Mentor’s “pillars.” Each student is then paired with a mentor for personalized assistance through the first semester. They also have access to an exclusive community of international students and other resources.
So far there have been two classes of students, the first in the Fall 2019 and the second is underway now for the Spring of 2020. The first class had 16 students. The second class has five students.
Pires explained that most international students start at colleges in the fall.
“We are assisting them in developing as a person, and offering a peer-to-peer perspective,” he added.
Piers studied in Denmark for a year while in high school. That gave him experience in navigating new cultures and a different environment before he started school at ECC.
What’s Next?
Pires wants to transfer to a four-year university in Florida to play soccer and finish his business degree.
He hopes to continue growing Steven Mentor and he wants the company to work directly with colleges to reach more students. Ultimately, the company would contract with colleges that pay for their services, Pires stated.
He added that applications for the 2020 Fall class of Steven Pro are to open in June.