The goals of this research program were to develop, implement, and evaluate a mentoring program for Latino college freshmen and to identify processes that account for the effects of the program. In two longitudinal studies, at-risk Latino freshmen (mentees) were mentored from fall to spring by upper division or graduate students from psychology and counseling majors and compared in the spring to an equivalent sample of nonmentored students (nonmentees). In both studies, mentees showed improvement in psychosocial factors that underlie academic performance. In the second study, mentees decreased in depression and stress and were less likely than nonmentees be classified as being at risk for poor academic outcomes. The amount of mentor -mentee contact and the quality of the relationship contributed to positive outcomes for mentees. Results suggest that mentors are of value in alleviating psychosocial risk factors. Selecting at-risk students and using experienced peers as mentors make the program cost effective.Latino youth and young adults are the largest and fastest growing racial/ethnic population in the United States (Guzmán

This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a pilot mentoring program that provided support for Latino college freshmen at risk for poor academic outcomes. Latino is a term used in the United States to identify persons of Spanish-speaking origin or descent who designate themselves as Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or of some other Hispanic Origin. The study illustrates specific ways in which a mentoring program can promote positive academic outcomes by targeting students at high psychosocial risk.