mentor online toolbox

Five Questions With...
Jane Gunther, H Sci '83
(Brooke Benner, H Sci '17, mentee)

1. What suggestions do you have for mentees?
Ask questions of your mentor. We do not think your questions are naive or unintelligent, it helps us to see where you have concerns or interests but not enough information which we may be able to provide.

2. Is there a class you wish you would’ve taken when you were at Marquette? If so, what was it?
If writing and presentations are not part of the curriculum, I recommend taking a class or workshop in one or both to learn effective communication skills. I went into science partly because I did not like writing, but in reality one needs to be able to communicate their scientific discoveries in writing and in presentations.   

3. How do you manage work/life balance?
I keep a To DO list that includes work and personal items. At the start of the week, I define the three most important tasks (MITs) from that list that must get done each day of the week. I make them the focus of my day. "Go to the dentist, finish my work presentation, call my mother" are all equally important.

4. Two things you think a Marquette student should do before they graduate.
Take part in a community activity, to see life away from the Marquette campus. Second, take a class in an area that is of interest to you, something different from your area of focus - life after graduation is interdisciplinary. 

5. Something you wish you would’ve done differently at Marquette to help prepare for your career?
I wish I had interacted more with my professors and not been just a student in class. Being more of an introvert, this was something that was not easy for me, but more often than not, doing what is difficult has great rewards. Becoming comfortable with speaking with one's instructors is a great way to practice communication skills.

Jane Gunther is a director at JG Nonclinical Consulting in Pacifica, Calif.

Five Questions With...appears in the monthly mentor newsletter and the online mentor toolbox.