From Mentee to Mentor

In her role as a Mustang Mentor at Mount Mercy University, Joselyn Hildebrand ’25 knows firsthand the impact she can have on the life of a new student on campus. 

Before Joselyn became a mentor, she was actually a mentee herself. As a freshman, she arrived on campus three weeks early to join Project Connect—an early-start program for incoming first-year students. It was through this program that she was introduced to Lauren (Imhoff) Conrad, who became her mentor throughout her freshman year. 

“Lauren helped me work on my homesickness, financial stress, and finding pride in being a first-generation college student,” Joselyn explained. “Because she was so kind and helpful, I then felt inspired to do the same for others.” 

During Joselyn’s sophomore year, she made the decision to become a Mustang Mentor herself. In doing so, she discovered a passion for helping others through direct service. This discovery then led her to connect with Dr. Lacey Ritter in the Sociology Department, and from there, her Mount Mercy journey began to take shape both co-curricularly and academically.  

Like many students, Joselyn entered college unsure about her major. But at Mount Mercy, being undecided is often reframed as “exploring,” a perspective that made all the difference. 

“It relieved the pressure of choosing a major right away, especially when it felt like everyone else already had their path figured out,” she explained. 

Joselyn first decided to major in political science because she was interested in helping people through legislation and in government. She then discovered that she had a more driven passion to work directly with the population she’s serving, and was inspired to add sociology as a major, providing her further opportunity to learn from Dr. Ritter. 

“Dr. Ritter’s teaching style inspires me to be a better student," she shared. “She is thorough in her content, encourages effective notetaking, and always pushes her students to think outside of the box.” 

In addition to her academic pursuits, Joselyn has embraced a wide variety of leadership roles across campus. She has served as a writing tutor in the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), feature editor for the Mount Mercy Times, and a social media coordinator for Gen 1 (a club to support first-generation college students).  

She’s also been the president of Gen 1, a Mustang Peer Mentor, a Project Connect Peer Mentor, and was a member of both the women’s golf and lacrosse teams.  

But her most meaningful involvement is mentorship.  

“Being a Mustang Mentor is unlike any other leadership position on campus," she explained. “We’re not just tutors or counselors—we mentor students holistically, which means we focus on supporting them in every aspect of their life, not just academics.”

As a mentor, Joselyn gets to build connections with a handful of freshmen every year through weekly check-ins, planning community events, and being a consistent source of encouragement.  

Now in her third year as a Mustang Mentor, Joselyn works alongside two team members she once mentored herself. Their group of seven members—all of whom were once mentees—is a testament to just how impactful the program truly is. 

Aside from her own mentor, she has also been fortunate to meet a professional mentor through Project Connect. She credits Director of Student Success Programs Jennifer McNabb with being a role model and someone who she can look up to every day. 

All of these experiences are deeply rooted in the environment that Joselyn was seeking when she first chose Mount Mercy—a place where she could be seen, heard, and supported.  

Raised by a single mother in Des Moines, Joselyn was looking for a school that offered space to grow her independence without being too far from home. Mount Mercy, just two hours away, struck that perfect balance.  

For current and future Mustangs, Joselyn has a simple piece of advice:  

“Get out of your dorm room and go to events with your friends,” she said. “There’s always something new to learn whether that’s through conversation, new experiences, or keeping an open mind.”  

Through service, mentorship, and deep community involvement, Joselyn Hildebrand has not only discovered her purpose at Mount Mercy—she’s helped others discover theirs, too.