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The National Science Foundation approved a program in 2016 to investigate the influence of adult mentor networks on low socio-economic students seeking collegiate degrees in STEM fields. Students who expressed a strong desire for an engineering major at a state-supported land grant institution and were denied admission into engineering, and then admitted into Exploratory Studies, were given scholarships and focused mentoring by faculty and staff. The Rising Scholars program had a very specific pathway of activities through a collegiate career, designed to introduce the student to a variety of potential adult mentors. Students were enrolled in several experiential activities, placing them in proximity with multiple faculty, graduate students, and staff members. Support network members were tracked by researchers throughout the study, and a special index was developed which identifies professional contact. Results indicated that students applying the mentor recruitment methodology actively enhanced their support networks and finished college with a strong web of professional support.