Abstract:

The impact of COVID-19 and reactivated racial tensions affect individuals, families and communities along with their careers, education, finance and overall social economic status. As educational institutions strive to adapt to these complex challenges and continue delivering essential services to students, there is an urgent need for holistic student support. This research explores alternative methods for fostering wellness through mentoring services aimed at individuals, families, and communities. The integration of students' wellness needs as part of their academic experience is critical, as it provides a valuable metric for assessing academic success. This study emphasizes the importance of continually improving mentorship strategies, which can be shared and implemented across higher education institutions to enhance wellness for both students and their support communities. Effective mentoring, recognized as an evidence-based approach, plays a pivotal role in coaching and supporting students. The Human Motivation Theory serves as the conceptual framework for aligning this study with the developmental needs of students, families, and communities. This qualitative study seeks to examine students' perspectives on promoting wellness through mentoring support in virtual environments, focusing on how these services benefit the self, families, and communities. By amplifying the student voice, this research aims to better understand their needs and identify alternative methods of promoting wellness through online mentoring services. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of best practices for utilizing mentoring to support wellness in virtual settings, benefiting individuals, families, and communities.

Keywords:

Mentoring, online, students.