A new student-run trans mentorship program has launched at UBC. Fourth-year students Alex Gonzalez and Kip Chow, along with a few other students from the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, have launched the faculty-sponsored Trans Mentorship Program. With about 30 students signing up as either mentors or mentees, Gonzalez said he created this initiative as an opportunity for trans students to meet each other in a comfortable setting. “Being trans can be very isolating, especially if you’re either not out, or if you pass really well,” said Gonzalez. His claims are supported by studies showing that transgender youth have a higher mental health risk than the general youth population.