This project looked into how the Holistic Critical Mentorship framework (HCM) acknowledges and supports the mentee's emotional needs, helping them build self-awareness, resilience, and emotional intelligence. I will look at current research, and literature on mentorship as a means to alleviate racial stressors impacting the mental health of BIPOC students in higher education. I conducted an interdisciplinary literature review analyzing empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and narrative-based research methods. By using an Indigenous lens on how systemic racism can impact all levels of the socio-ecological model, I was able to examine the extent to which mentoring programs that include critical race theory, reciprocate, and representation can ultimately be of benefit for BIPOC undergraduate students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This literature indicates that culturally affirming mentorship programs reduce isolation, enhance racial identity development, and offer protective emotional and psychological benefits for BIPOC students. Frameworks such as HCM provide multi-level support that aligns with public health strategies to mitigate minority stress and mental health disparities. By positioning HCM as a transformative framework that reframes mentorship as both a cultural and public health intervention is essential.
