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Alumni Mentorship Information
Student Mentee Information

2025-26 Mentoring Schedule:

  • September 2025
    • Matching – email from Abbie introducing you to your mentee
    • Establish how you want to communicate (Call/text/zoom/in person)
    • Establish what you want to focus on for the year (Goals and discussion topics)
  • October 2025
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual)
    • Meet during your time on campus during the October Alumni leadership committee meeting
  • November 2025
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual)
  • December 2025
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual)
  • January 2026
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual)
  • February 2026
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual)
  • March 2026
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual
  • April 2026
    • Mentor & Mentee check in (In person or virtual)
    • Close out to mentoring program – during April Alumni Leadership Committee Meeting

Alumni Mentorship

What is Mentorship?
Mentorship is a partnership between two people: a more experienced individual (the mentor) and a less experienced individual (the mentee). Successful mentorships can positively impact both parties, specifically in relation to educational goals, career objectives, or personal emotional development.

Why do you need mentors?
Throughout your career journey, it is essential to periodically research a range of educational and professional options and reflect on how these options align with your interests, values, skills, and, ultimately, your unique career trajectory. During navigating options, it is helpful to have mentors who can support you through this process.

Whether you are exploring majors, internships, or career fields, it is crucial to have multiple and varied mentors who can provide you with diverse insights into the world of work. There is always value in sharing questions and exchanging ideas with a trusted mentor, because they can speak from their own experience and knowledge, as well as their understanding of you and your journey. Think of these mentors as members of your personal advisory board, a group of trusted advisors with whom you consult when making important decisions in your career development process.

What types of mentors could you have?
Mentorship comes in different forms, and your relationships with mentors will vary depending on your intentions, questions, and aspirations at a certain stage in life. Mentorship relationships will evolve over time as intentions, questions, and aspirations grow and change as well.

You may need varying levels of support throughout your career journey. Therefore, you might see different types of mentors on this platform.

Useful Terms for Mentorship

What are useful terms to know for mentorship discussions?
When you talk with your mentors, they may use language used in career development and exploration. Below are common career-related terms and their definitions that are useful to know for mentorship discussions.

Elevator Pitch
A brief speech that summarizes your educational and professional background, skills, interests, and why you would be a strong candidate for a position.

Information Interviews 
Informational interviews are conversations that allow you to research information about a career by talking to professionals in a particular job, company, industry, or field. Through these conversations, you can learn broadly about the norms and culture of a particular organization or career field, or specifically about an individual’s own career path and profession.

Job Shadowing 
Job shadowing is an experiential learning opportunity which allows you to learn more about a job, company, or industry by spending time with, or “shadowing,” a professional on the job for a designated amount of time. The length of a job shadow may vary, but it typically lasts for a day or less. In many ways, a job shadow is similar to an informational interview; however, job shadows can often be more extensive as they provide you with in-person exposure to a work setting.

Networking
Networking is connecting with people to exchange information, resources, and contacts as a way to enrich and advance your career. The purpose of networking is to build both quality and quantity in your professional relationships. It is most effective when there is an intention to form a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship whenever possible.

What do you do next?
Now that you have more information about what mentorship is, it is important for you to reflect on what your mentorship needs are. What types of mentors do you want on your personal advisory board? What flash mentorship opportunities would be most beneficial for you at this time? What types of long-term mentorship relationships would you like to develop?

What are they up to? (following up/checking in)

It’s not uncommon to feel ghosted by a mentee. Maybe a mentee reached out you responded and you didn’t hear back. Or maybe you met once and never heard another word. The power dynamic of mentor/mentee relationships are complicated, but there are things you can say.

Request, but no word after that:
It feels unprofessional and inappropriate. If this were a networking contact you would be angry. Luckily, you’re a mentor not just a networking contact.
You can avoid the negativity bias and consider ways you can help this mentee.
So, here we go into ways you can be a mentor to this person.

You may send a message that includes:

  • I know life can get busy.
  • I’m sure you have quite a lot going on.
  • In a professional networking, don’t forget to respond when you ask for someone’s time. I’m happy to help you learn more!
  • I see that it is *look at the academic calendar, is it mid-terms? Finals? homecoming?*, would you like to set a time to connect once your schedule slows down? How about we chat in 2 weeks?

One meeting, no thank you/follow up:

  • I know life can get busy.
  • I’m sure you have quite a lot going on.
  • Have you had a chance to *mention advice to gave*?
  • In a professional networking, don’t forget to show gratitude someone shares their time with you. I’m happy to help you learn more!
  • I see that it is *look at the academic calendar, is it mid-terms? Finals? homecoming?*, would you like to set a time to connect once your schedule slows down? How about we chat in 2 weeks?

This is awkward. How frequently should I check in?

It’s reasonable to expect that one message may pass them by. You also don’t want to pressure them and make them feel uncomfortable. A second follow up is reasonable.

You may say:

  • I saw this *article/podcast/video* and thought it related to what we discussed. Hopefully you will find it useful.
  • I don’t want to bother you or make you feel uncomfortable. If you would like to meet again, I am happy to set aside some time in my schedule.
  • Congratulations on making a great choice to meet with alumni. If you continue to make choices like this you are certainly setting yourself up for success.

It is certainly hard to make strong choices to help you mentee. Thank you for taking extra time to help them prepare for the future.

What do they want from me? (setting goals)

You have a unique opportunity as a mentor to help your mentee make a plan. Maybe they have never set goals for themselves before. Maybe they aren’t really even sure why they are talking to you.

Wonderful! Now it is time for you to jump into action as a mentor! What do they want from you? Help them find what they can LEARN from you.

“Underprepared” mentees (What’s their why?)

First, there is no such thing as an underprepared mentee. Mentorship is not professional networking. If your mentee is not prepared, you can help them for the future. That’s why mentorship exists. It’s not the job of a mentor to expect perfection. Give them some tips for how to prepare for meeting with alumni. You could ask questions like these:

  • What are you curious about when it comes to jobs, internships, majors/minors, or life after school?
  • What type of experience do I hope to gain from a mentor?
  • What type of relationship are you looking for with my mentor?
  • Are you looking to meet multiple times or just have a one off conversation?
  • What type of information and experiences would be the most valuable and beneficial for you?
  • Consider what type of information you feel comfortable sharing a mentor?

You can say things like:

  • It was smart of you to reach out. (encourage this excellent decision)
  • I”m happy to help you out! (let them know you are there)
  • In the future, when reaching out for someone’s time it is good to…
  • Come with a prepared list of questions (what are you curious about?)
  • Look them up and learn about what they have done
  • Learn more about what their organizations

Making Plans
You can begin with helping your mentees develop a plan. Begin by defining the following aspects of the relationship:

  • Focus Area
  • Objective / Goal(s)
  • Action Plan

You may discuss:

  • Identifying career paths of interest
  • Typical career paths, graduate school requirements, professional associations, and transferable skills  related to these careers
  • Industries, company culture and typical entry level positions for each company
  • Graduate School: coursework, timelines, and possible career paths.
  • Focused questions to be asked during an informational interview/job shadow
  • Review job postings – understand qualifications and application processes
  • Practice interviews
  • Relevant reading
  • Research
  • Resume and/or applications
  • Very importantly: Introductions you can make for them

Setting the schedule for meetings/calls:

  • How frequently would you both meet?
  • How many people they want to speak to?
  • Time frame to having those meetings
  • Best days and times for meetings / calls
  • Meeting/call frequency and duration
  • Responsibility for setting meetings

Finally, set a date to reassess your goals and action plan together as they will continue to evolve over time.

What's in it for me? (ways to learn)

You’re here so you can probably agree that volunteering your time to help others with college and life transitions is important. Yet, you may ask yourself what’s in it for me? The answer is plenty!

Enhancing skills
Sharing your time with a mentee allows you to develop new communication and leadership skills in a low pressure environment. Asking for feedback on your role, attitudes, and communication within mentorship not only gives the mentee the opportunity to learn about feedback, but gives you new insight to how you are communicating.

This is even more powerful if the mentee has a different background from your own. This is what author and cultural intelligence guru Julia Middleton refers to as “turbulent networks.” As she mentions, networks “like me” have limited value especially for leaders who are looking to expand cross boundaries.

Fresh perspective
New eyes and ears into your work, especially students who are immersed in academic perspectives of industries, can give you a fresh perspective on your industry, workplace, and even your current projects. When was the last time anyone outside of your office gave you significant feedback on your work? Are you missing an opportunity for innovation? Consider how valuable feedback can be from people who are not immersed in your project may be.

New Connections
Though it isn’t recommended that you view mentorship as networking. In mentorship the expectation is not professional networking. That is why you are there. You are there to guide and advice. Yet, what if that guidance and advice leads to a talented candidate for your office. Or a connection to another office, field, or even back to the university.

Giving back
Yes, at the beginning we agreed this is why we are here. Yet, sometimes the “I want to help” answer isn’t big enough. How about these powerful notes: According to Gallup a student who has a mentor in college who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams is 2.2x more likely to be engaged at work and 1.7x more likely to be thriving in all areas of well-being. Now that is bigger than just a small amount of help!

Congratulations on your choice to make a significant difference for yourself and others!

Links

Student Mentee

What is Mentorship?
Mentorship is a partnership between two people: a more experienced individual (the mentor) and a less experienced individual (the mentee). Successful mentorships can positively impact both parties, specifically in relation to educational goals, career objectives, or personal emotional development.

Why do you need mentors?
Throughout your career journey, it is essential to periodically research a range of educational and professional options and reflect on how these options align with your interests, values, skills, and, ultimately, your unique career trajectory. During navigating options, it is helpful to have mentors who can support you through this process.

Whether you are exploring majors, internships, or career fields, it is crucial to have multiple and varied mentors who can provide you with diverse insights into the world of work. There is always value in sharing questions and exchanging ideas with a trusted mentor, because they can speak from their own experience and knowledge, as well as their understanding of you and your journey. Think of these mentors as members of your personal advisory board, a group of trusted advisors with whom you consult when making important decisions in your career development process.

What types of mentors could you have?
Mentorship comes in different forms, and your relationships with mentors will vary depending on your intentions, questions, and aspirations at a certain stage in life. Mentorship relationships will evolve over time as intentions, questions, and aspirations grow and change as well.

You may need varying levels of support throughout your career journey. Therefore, you might see different types of mentors on this platform.

Links