§ Track 01
Career
Job search, resume, interviews, and the unwritten rules of American corporate life — from internship to VP seat.
- Resume + portfolio review
- Interview mock rotations
- Corporate etiquette and advocacy
§ Ìwẹrẹ Academy · Mentorship program
Walk with someone who has been there.
Pair with an Itsekiri mentor for a six-month cohort of career, entrepreneurship, leadership, or academic guidance. Free for scholars, matched by our committee within ten days, and measured by one thing: did you move forward?
240+Active pairings
180Volunteer mentors
—Renew second term
9Regions covered
§ 01 · Four tracks
Career. Entrepreneurship. Leadership. Academic.
Pick one · switch anytime
§ Track 02
Entrepreneurship
Idea to revenue — with mentors who have built companies in Lagos, London, Houston, and the Bay.
- Customer discovery + pricing
- Fundraising rhythm and rooms
- Ops + hiring the first five
§ Track 03
Leadership
Board seats, community roles, and leading with Itsekiri values when the culture of the room is not yours.
- Board prep and committee work
- Executive presence + voice
- Community governance pathways
§ Track 04
Academic
College, grad school, financial aid, and navigating the diaspora education maze — from 11th grade to post-doc.
- College list + essays
- Fellowship + scholarship packets
- Grad school pathways
§ 02 · Match algorithm
We match by context, not by a form-fill.
Committee-reviewed · no auto-match
§ How we pair scholars with mentors
Five steps, ten days, one committee.
Most mentorship platforms use tag-matching: you picked "finance," you get a "finance" person. We do it differently. Every scholar is reviewed by a pairing committee that includes a lead mentor and the scholar's Regional President. We read the goals. We read the stage. We read the constraint. Then we match.
It takes longer. It works better. Renewal rates at month six are the metric we measure ourselves against — first-cohort numbers publish post-launch.
01
Scholar appliesTwo-minute intake with track, stage, goals, region, and scheduling constraints. Every applicant is a scholar — no ranking, no screening-out.
02
Committee reviewsOur pairing committee meets weekly. A lead mentor and a Regional President review every application for the right fit, not the closest fit.
03
Mentor opts inCandidate mentors receive a redacted profile and accept on a standing 24-hour window. We require two yeses before we match.
04
First sessionIntro call within ten days. Scholars and mentors set a six-month cadence — two hours a month, working on what the scholar chose.
05
Check-ins + renewalWe check in at month three. Pairs that complete the first term can renew for a second term, graduate, rematch, or step into giving back.
§ 03 · Mentor roster
Six mentors out of a hundred and eighty.
Illustrative · full roster on request
The first mentor cohort is named after Convention 2026.
If you would like to volunteer as a mentor, nominate yourself via the application form below.
§ 04 · Two ways in
Find a mentor. Be a mentor.
Scholars apply · mentors nominate
§ Scholars · find a mentor
Tell us what you're working on.
Two-minute intake. Pick a track, share your stage, and tell us one concrete goal. A pairing committee reviews every Monday. You'll hear back within ten days — and you'll be in the first session by week three.
- Free for all Region member families
- Six-month commitment · two hours a month
- Rematch at three months if the fit is off
- Access to the full Ìwẹrẹ Academy library
§ Mentors · give back
Share the path you carved.
Two hours a month. One scholar, one term. We handle the match, the scheduling logistics, and the onboarding. You bring what you know and the conversations you wish someone had started with you.
- Mentor onboarding call + handbook
- Quarterly mentor gatherings (virtual + Convention)
- Tax-deductible pro-bono documentation
- Invite to the Spring 2027 Mentor Summit
§ 05 · In their own words
One sentence from cohort four.
Ivie, Spring 2025
“
My mentor didn't hand me answers. She stood beside me while I found them — for six months, across every draft of my fellowship application. I got the NIH offer the week we closed the term.
Ivie Okoro · Academic track · Spring 2025 cohort · Midwest Region
§ Pairing committee · next review Monday
Ten days from intake to first session.
Free for scholars. Tax-deductible volunteer hours for mentors. Open to every Region member family across the Congress. Start the intake and a committee chair will be in touch within five business days.