The fourth mentor-mentee meeting takes place at the Capstone event held at Tuskegee University. At this event, marking the end of the one-year long mentoring program, mentees meet to debrief, recap the program, and celebrate accomplishments. Over two days, mentees give 15-minute presentations summarizing their learning over the year. These presentations are open to the public. Mentors assist mentees in preparing their presentations. Giving oral presentations provides an opportunity for the students to improve their communication skills to such an audience, a valuable skill to hone as there is a need to educate the public about the value of toxicology research to the community. Program evaluators from Iowa State University are also present at this Capstone event to conduct the final program evaluation. Certificates of completion are presented to those who have successfully completed the program at the conclusion of this mentored workshop in Tuskegee.
I have learned so much about toxicology that I did not know and it really helped me in terms of figuring out what I want to pursue when I go to graduate school.