Curious Mentors
Our mentorship program pairs elementary to high school students with a like-minded college student. Mentors will collaborate with their mentee(s) to design a project that students will work on individually or together in small groups of 2-3.
About The
Mentorship Program
Whether it be building a video game, recording an album, designing an airplane, starting a business, or addressing a social inequity, our mentors will challenge their mentees to achieve previously unimaginable feats. Mentor projects allow students to take charge of their educational journey by helping students discover their passions. Throughout the project, our mentors will work with their student(s) to help them build a portfolio to showcase different stages of the project."
Curious Cardinals is committed to creating learning spaces that are inclusive, equitable, and representative of diverse communities. We make it our mission to provide courses for students of all socioeconomic statuses. For our passion projects, we are proud to provide passion-based scholarships. If you are interested in applying for a Curious Cardinals’ Passion Project Scholarship, please fill out the following application.
If you have any questions regarding our passion project scholarships or the associated form, please email info@curiouscardinals.com with the subject line: “Passion Project Scholarship Query.”
Four Steps to Start Your Passion Project
Step 1
To get started on building your dream project, please fill out this Passion Project Petition form.
Step 2
After reviewing your Passion Project Petition, we will schedule a consultation call with one of our project advisors to discuss interests, mentorship pairings, and project timeline.
Step 3
Students will meet their mentors, form a timeline, plan their project’s deliverables, and begin their hands-on learning experience.
Step 4
Students will present at the quarterly Passion Project Symposium. Their project will be added to the Curious Cardinals Passion Project Portfolio.
Example Mentorship Proposal
Timelines for projects are subject to change based on the student's needs and interests. Students will have access to a combination of 1-on-1 lessons with our qualified academic mentors and weekly office hours with our Curious Cardinals Staff.
Create an Art Anatomy Portfolio
Two Sessions per week, one hour each, for four weeks.
▸ In Sessions 1, 3, 5, and 7 : student learns about the anatomy and physiology of select organ systems with their Biology Mentor
▸ In Sessions 2, 4, 6, and 8 : student learns about drawing techniques and skills from their Art Mentor and begins creating their sketches
▸ Mentors will offer one office hour each week, free of charge
▸ Capstone Project: Portfolio of anatomy sketches/diagrams
▸ Project Duration: Eight, one-hour sessions
Possible topics to explore individually or combine into a interdisciplinary project:
STEM
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Engineering
Environmental Science
Math
Physics
Humanities
History
Classics
Literature
Languages
Film Studies
Writing
Debate
Journalism
Social Sciences
Archaeology
Economics
Business
Sports Analytics
Geography
Psychology
Political science
International Relations
Social Justice
Law
Linguistics
Ethnic Studies
Feminist, Gender,
and Sexuality Studies
Arts
Visual Arts
Performing Arts
Music
Design
Fashion
Photography
Architecture