Life in the Lab

CommLabASU

CommLabASU Mentor Courses

COM 383 Mentor:

Focuses on refining public speaking knowledge to best aid CommLabASU mentees with their assignments and projects. Learns the basics of positive communication and applies them in both mentoring and everyday life. Community outreach opportunities provide volunteer experience and offer chances to work with diverse individuals from a variety of career backgrounds.

COM 483 Mentor:

Focuses on honing positive communication lessons and mentoring skills. Learns core elements of leadership and how to enact these skills in and outside of CommLabASU. Aids new mentors with training and semester projects to practice leadership and positive communication tenets. Community outreach opportunities provide potential career inspiration and connections.

Be a mentor!

Becoming a mentor is easy as 1, 2, 3.

Take COM 225: Public Speaking and Presentations and pass the class
Have your instructor recommend you to be a mentor and complete an informational session with CommLabASU
Enroll in COM 383: Communication and Mentoring

Interested in being a mentor?

Email us!

What else can CommLabASU provide for students?

CommLabASU is not only a place to go for public speaking assistance and communication education – though this is certainly most people’s starting points. CommLabASU is also a place where mentees, mentors, and student workers alike can thrive and flourish. For many of those who frequent our space, the lab becomes somewhat like a home to them – it welcomes, encourages, and pushes each and every individual to grow, all while remaining a safe, warm, and supportive place. This is consistent for each student who invests their time into CommLabASU. For those who take up roles as student workers, they note that CommLabASU challenges them to think outside the box and take risks but never feel like they are alone in the courageous steps they take. Their peers and colleagues support and cheer them on and even provide guidance or help when it’s necessary.

In additional to the work that goes on within CommLabASU, the progress that our mentees, mentors, and student workers experience is astounding. They feel that lessons learned within the lab have impacted them greatly and won’t just benefit them in college but will continue to provide in their future careers. Whether it is learning to ask for help, listening to and embracing people, adopting a growth mindset, honing interpersonal communication, or simply realizing that with everyone there is more than meets the eye, the lessons learned within CommLabASU have had a profound impact on our students and will continue to do so for years to come.

But of course, sometimes knowing is only half the story, and encouragement is the rest. In our own students’ words, let them tell you why you should be part of CommLabASU:

“Online mentoring allows you to build upon the skills that you learned and developed as a ground mentor while exploring how public speaking translates into a different medium... and develop more skills that you are interested in through special projects...”
“Take the leap of faith... This space has shown me to never settle for a job that you don’t feel wanted, appreciated, and supported in.“
“... you won’t find a more supporting environment.”
"I never felt I had a friend group till I came to CommLabASU. Now, I feel seen."

Student Experiences

photo of graduate student presenting a final research poster — Hone your presentation skills.

a group of young adults gathered underneath an ASU colored balloon arch with the individuals doing the forks up hand signal — Find a new community!

a candid photo of five ASU students preparing for a presentation at a conference — Gain experience through conferences.

a CommLabASU mentor giving a tour to prospective students — Expand your professional skill set.

three CommLabASU mentors making cotton candy for Homecoming parade guests — Get involved with community events.

two CommLabASU student workers prepare to graduate celebrate amongst their peers and colleagues at the Paley Gates ceremony — Discover success alongside friends, peers, and colleagues.

Wondering what other roles CommLabASU has available?

CommLabASU extends beyond being a place to enhance your public speaking, presentation, and communication skills. We are proud to support the professional growth of our COM 383 mentors from encouraging them to enhance their leadership skills in COM 483 to providing the opportunity to gain experience being employed by a professional organization in one of our three paid student worker positions. This potential for growth within our organization provides not only experience for these students, but also allows them to grow in an environment that encourages and applauds professional self-discovery, learning, and leadership. Our goal for our student workers is to have them leave an impact on the ever-evolving work that CommLabASU does and to take what they've learned within our space to the world beyond ASU's walls to positively impact the communities they plant themselves.

Get to know our Student Worker roles:

Front Desk Coordinator

Our Front Desk Coordinator (FDC) position is the first face our mentees and guests see when walking into CommLabASU. These multi-talented individuals not only manage checking in appointments every day, they also oversee typical office related tasks such as inventory, email and phone call responses, and document organization. More importantly than just the tasks, FDCs are key individuals to setting the tone and culture of CommLabASU. Without their welcoming spirit and genuine care for others, inviting new people into the space would be impossible. When asked to describe this role, our FDCs called the position welcoming, organizational, social, and said their task was to “keep the ship running”. Right they are, the FDC position is invaluable to both CommLabASU and our mentees. This role is available to any undergraduate student.

Advanced Online Mentor

Known colloquially as the ‘Senior Mentor’ or ‘Online Mentor’ position, this role serves our COM 225 ASU Online courses. In doing so, they bring an element of on campus communication, community, and camaraderie to online student who might not have the opportunity to experience in other spaces. In addition to mentoring during these asynchronous appointments, Advanced Online Mentors also participate in special projects where they hone skills such as video filming, multi-media editing, and manuscript writing, among others. Lastly, when CommLabASU hosts events, they are our most experienced mentors available for trainings and professional development. When asked to describe this role, our Advanced Online Mentors called it compassion driven, helpful, and community based. Given all the talent and support they put into our community, no truer words exist for the role. This role is available for undergraduate students but is recommended for those that have completed COM 383 and COM 483.

Applications for Spring open in October/November.

Applications for Fall open in March/April.

Graduate Student Coordinator

A Graduate Student Coordinator (GSC) wears many hats. They train and mentor our mentors, teach lessons in the mentoring class, monitor the success of our students, and supervise the goings on and happenings within CommLabASU. Additionally, they spearhead community outreach efforts, aid in professional development events, and are responsible for a team of mentors whose project they oversee the progress of. The responsibilities of GSCs can seem intimidating given their scope, but this job is incredibly rewarding for those who take on the role. Whether it is more traditional office and preparation tasks or the one-on-one developmental conversation with mentors, there is something to learn for everyone who partakes. When asked to describe this role, our GSCs mentioned leadership as a key element and spoke of how community and connection drive the work in addition to a sincere enjoyment of the daily responsibilities and tenets they uphold. This role is available for graduate students.

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location:

West Valley Campus, SANDS 322

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