Alumni, student mentorship continues

"Let's see ... what's next ... oh yeah, connecting with an alumni mentor." Good thing the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) will be partnering once again in the spring to create mentoring connections between alumni and students. Applications will go out before the holidays.

The Alumni Mentoring Program, a partnership between the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Emory Alumni Association (EAA), will begin its second year in spring 2010 following a successful pilot run earlier this year. The program facilitates opportunities for students to connect with alumni in their respective fields of interest.
           
“Many students are curious about possible career and graduate school options and turn to these mentors to provide firsthand insight into the process,” said Ruchir Patel 12C, the SGA’s associate vice president of alumni relations. “They also provide an amazing networking opportunity for students.”
           
During the pilot last spring, SGA received 85 undergraduate and graduate student applications for the program; about 50 had been expected. Every student who applied was paired with a mentor.
           
“The enthusiasm of both students and alumni for this new program was a welcome surprise,” said Annarevathy Aryankalayil 10C, the SGA's vice president of alumni relations. “We also received very positive feedback about the overall experience from several mentors and mentees.”
           
Mentees join the program looking for career-path insight, graduate school guidance, and the possibility of landing an internship or job in their field of interest, Patel said.
           
Mentors and mentees are paired according to common interests—in the workplace and in the classroom. Students give information about their majors and career goals, and are matched as closely as possible to alumni in a related field.
           
“We work hard throughout the process to ensure mentors and mentees are satisfied with tier matches,” said Carolyn Bregman 82L, director of alumni career services for the EAA.
           
If applicable, program coordinators match students and alumni from the same hometown or in cities where the student may like to work in the future. Mentors can reside in Atlanta or anywhere else in the United States. Some even live abroad. Past alumni mentors have lived in Rome and Hong Kong.
           
“The program is structured in a way that allows the mentors and mentees to define their own relationship and interaction,” Aryankalayil said.
           
There are no strict guidelines dictating the mentor/mentee interaction. Each pair decides how often they should meet, speak on the phone, and email over the course of a semester. They are encouraged to develop their relationship via these forms of communication.
           
The program works twofold: to provide an outlet for alumni to give back to Emory non-monetarily and to give students opportunities for their futures.
           
“We hope this program will make enough of a positive impact on a mentee’s student experience that they will understand the importance of giving back to the Emory community when they step into the roles of Emory alumni,” Aryankalayil said.
           
The 2010 application will be released in the coming weeks and will be due before the end of the fall semester. By the beginning of the spring semester, students will be paired with alumni. An information session will explain the dynamic of the program and how to contact the mentors and develop a mutually beneficial relationship.—Lindsey Bomnin 12C