Oxford-trained policy researcher & academic mentor. I use the Socratic Method to build critical thinkers — not just better essays. Specializing in environmental policy, public policy, and research des

Last summer, I had the pleasure of being mentored by Beto while developing my academic research paper. Over ten sessions, he helped me complete my first college-level research project.

When I started, I had no prior research experience. My goals were to improve my academic writing, learn to work with scholarly sources, and produce a paper exploring a topic at the intersection of history and politics that interested me.

Beto guided me through every stage of the process. I especially appreciated how he balanced the freedom to explore my ideas with the structure I needed. He asked thoughtful questions that helped me find the right research angle.

Each session was carefully planned around the stage of my research and the challenges I faced. I always felt comfortable sharing them because Beto was supportive and encouraging. He not only gave me the tools to overcome those challenges, but also made me feel more confident in my ability to tackle them. He was also always available to answer questions between meetings. I remember struggling with my outline before one session, and he responded with thoughtful guidance and introduced approaches I continue to use today.

Another thing I appreciated was that Beto’s mentoring was highly individualized. He adapted his approach to my pace, learning style, level of experience, and goals. He clearly explained each step of the research process and why it mattered. When I told him I had no experience with historiography, he thoughtfully guided me through understanding what it was and developing a historiography section for my paper.

His advice on finding reliable sources, analyzing them, organizing an outline, and revising drafts has stayed with me as I begin research in college. It was clear that his priority was not just to help me complete a paper, but to help me develop the mindset of a researcher. I would wholeheartedly recommend Beto to anyone who wants not only to complete a research project, but to truly learn how research is done.

Beto was my mentor for a research project I undertook, and I couldn’t say enough positive things about him.

I think he really shaped my experience and made it as meaningful as it was. He was an excellent mentor who gave very insightful, helpful feedback that I believe greatly improved both my writing and my final product. He not only gave valuable feedback on my work, but also shared strategies I can use when writing, editing, and researching for future projects.

He was also consistently positive in every meeting, creating a welcoming and exciting environment that made me feel comfortable asking questions and motivated me to keep working.