Curious Cardinals Mentor

Zander B.

SHE_HER • majoring in History, Early Modern World • class of 2022.5

PRO TIP:

When evaluating whether a mentor would be a good match for your student keep in mind that the greatest leading indicator of success is how well a mentor and their mentee get along.

Questions to ask yourself:

Would the student find this person inspiring?
Do they share any interests, hobbies, or lived experiences?

EDUCATION

2013 - 2018 • Hopkins School • New Haven, Connecticut

2018 - 2022.5 • Brown University • Providence, Rhode Island

I am passionate about mentoring students in the areas of 6-8 Grade Science, Biology, Writing, Academic Coaching, Executive Function, College Essay Writing, Reading, History, K-6 Storybook, Creative Writing, Film / Theater, History Project, Law / Government / Policy, Sustainability, Journalism, Debate, and Public Speaking.

Zander B. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Hi there! Great to virtually meet you. My name is Zander Blitzer and I am a recent graduate of Brown University with a degree in History (with a focus on Labor & Economic History) and Early Modern World (with a focus on Renaissance Literature). I am a researcher, writer, policymaker, and creative who is so excited about helping you find and grow your passion, whatever that turns out to be.

Since graduation, I’ve worked as an intern at the White House Gender Policy Council and embarked on a Fulbright Research Grant in Bangalore, India. My research project is focused on evaluating the implementation and enforcement of India’s workplace sexual harassment law. I am passionate about policy, law, gender studies, labor, and other related issues and look forward to building a career focused on gender policy. This coming fall, I will be beginning a public affairs fellowship in New York City.

At Brown, I nurtured my dual passions for policy / history / political science and theater / writing / creative pursuits inside and outside the classroom. I served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Brown Political Review, Brown’s premier non-partisan political publication -- an organization I am proud to support even in an alumni capacity. I also served on the board of Shakespeare on the Green, one of Brown’s theater organizations. I worked as a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor, guiding 3 cohorts of students through the trials and tribulations of their first years of college, led and mentored students in outdoor spaces with Brown Outdoor Leadership Training, led the Brown Undergraduate Group for History, read screenplays for Ivy Film Festival, and contributed to gender studies research. Many of these activities drew on passions I cultivated in high school, such as my participation in high school theater, the school newspaper, Model UN, tour guiding, and more.

Outside of all of this, I love to ski (I used to race competitively), read (on track for at least 50 books this year), travel (I’ve lived in Europe and Asia), hike (I went to sleepaway camp in Maine), sing (I was in a children’s choir for 9 years), and craft (I’m very passionate about my bullet journal). I am so excited to work with you on anything related to politics, writing, the arts, organizational skills, and more -- can’t wait to meet you and get started!

Watch Zander B. break down a subject they’re passionate about.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Our mentorship sessions happen virtually over Zoom. It’s important to get a sense of how someone’s personality can come through on a video call. The best way to ensure your student is excited about learning is to have someone on the other side that they look forward to talking to.

Why did you choose your major?

What is a passion project you’re working on or have created in the past?

Why does mentorship matter to you?

What is something you are extremely proud of?

TESTIMONIALS

Aimee Johnson

My 13-year old daughter had to create a 4-5 minute speech and 14 public thank yous. While she is creative, has a good blend of storytelling and knowing her audience, and isn’t scared of tackling large projects, timeline management, understanding speech through lines, ensuring all the words in the speech ladder to the main points, and public speaking prep aren’t things she has a lot of experience with yet. So, she needed a mentor who could help her harness all of her strengths while teaching her how to fill in my daughter’s knowledge gaps. Zander was the perfect mentor to do this! Zander helped my daughter understand what makes an impactful speech, helped her create an outline and creative timeline, was actively a scribe - letting my daughter “speak the speech out” v being worried about the word choice in the moment, and ultimately helped her with the presentation prep. She did all this with a positive, knowledgeable, respectful, and approachable attitude. Zander had the hard and soft skills to make an impression on my daughter and to set her up for future success. I highly recommend Zander!