Marquette University Alumni Association Mentor Newsletter February 2016 Share your experiences with fellow mentees and mentors at March workshops It's the gift that keeps on giving: mentors and mentees sharing experiences to learn from one another. Mentee best practices workshops are scheduled at noon on Tuesday, March 1, and 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2. Both workshops take place in Zilber Hall 025. The mentor best practices workshop conference call takes place at 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, March 8. Mentors can email daniel.deweerdt@marquette.edu for more information, but a follow-up email will be sent the week of Feb. 29. "Program participants repeatedly mention they've found these workshops to help with their own mentoring relationship as well as serve as a resource to others in the program," says Dan DeWeerdt of the Marquette University Alumni Association Mentor Program. Mentor provides five tips for how to be an outstanding intern Mentor Gerry Ahern, Jour '87, knows interns. As vice president content at USA Today Sports, he mentors Maddy Kennedy, Bus Ad '16, and has hired approximately 40 interns during his career. Here's his advice how to stand out. You’ve beaten the competition and landed that coveted internship. Congratulations. Take a few minutes to bask in your accomplishment. Now get ready to go to work. Here are five things you can do to make sure you impress in your new position:  Go to school on your boss and your colleagues. Do your homework. What are their accomplishments and specialities? How can their experience help guide and benefit you during your tenure?  Study the space. Who and what are the most important people and entities you’ll be interacting with, covering and/or competing with? Be prepared to demonstrate that knowledge to your colleagues. Come loaded with ideas. Have well-researched and thought-out projects to pitch to the boss. What new wrinkles might you be able to bring to the party? Think social media, podcasting, video. Make yourself available. No task too small. No hours off limits. Your big break can come from raising your hand and picking up a job someone else on the team isn’t able to do. Stay ready and eager to come off the bench. Sit down with the boss on day one. Have your team leader spell out expectations, roles and responsibilities. Listen intently and take notes. Ask questions. Re-read items 1-4 and be ready to discuss. Make new professional contacts and relationships. Have some fun. Win. Save the Date: April 21 MUAA Mentor Program Finale Join fellow mentors and mentees from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, to network and celebrate the conclusion of the 2015-16 MUAA Mentor Program. The event will take place in Sensenbrenner Hall’s Eisenberg Reading Room. Save the date and look for an electronic invitation soon. For more information, contact daniel.deweerdt@marquette.edu. Consider these conversation topics with your mentor or mentee - Class selection for next semester. - Check progress to date with outlined goals at the beginning of the year (to be completed by April 21). - Personal and professional benefits of volunteering for a non-profit following graduation. - Suggested professional development books or taking the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Visit the MUAA Mentor Toolbox for more information, including 50 questions and topic ideas to help fuel your conversation. Mentee credits mentors for helping land job following graduation Congratulations to mentee Peter Fiorentino, Comm ’16, as the new broadcaster and media relations coordinator for the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy, N.Y., a Class A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros. He’ll assume the full-time position following graduation in May.   As a mentee of Brian Hanley, Jour ’82 and host at WSCR Radio (CBS) in Chicago, and Len Kasper, Comm ’93, play-by-play TV announcer of the Chicago Cubs, Peter believes their help with preparing him for a career in broadcasting has been critical. “Brian and Len provided invaluable feedback on my broadcasts, advice on internships and jobs, and (they’re) constantly available to talk on the phone, email and text when I need them,” he says. Participants provide valuable insights in mid-point program survey Nearly 100 program participants shared their MUAA Mentor Program experiences to date in last month's mid-point survey. The results help to inform program outcomes and serve as a guide for alumni association staff to better support participants. Among key findings: Mentor/mentee experience to date - 57% excellent; 26% very good; 13% good; 3% fair “My mentor has been nothing but a pleasure to work with. I'm loving the program.” “It has been mutually beneficial. I believe that I learn more from my student mentee than they do from me.” The program has exceeded, met or not met expectations - 60% exceeded, 38% met, 2% not met “(As a mentee) I came in with little to no expectations for the mentor program. So to be this impressed and amazed by everything has been overwhelming.” “My mentee has seemed genuinely interested in speaking with me and I feel like I've been able to play a helpful role.” Among most beneficial topics to date - Summer internships, networking, graduate school options, resume review How the Marquette University Alumni Association can serve as a better resource While most respondents indicated information provided has been sufficient, suggestions included receiving a school calendar to plan around breaks, sample goals and questions for mentors and mentees, or a question of the month to prompt discussion. Biggest challenges thus far   - Setting meeting times due to schedule conflicts, speaking regularly, none Average monthly mentor newsletter open rate 81% Contact daniel.deweerdt@marquette.edu for complete results and look for a another survey at the conclusion of the program. 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. Read her full interview. Program participation provides introduction to mentor, recent graduate One of the MUAA Mentor Program goals is to continue to engage mentors and mentees well beyond the formal initiative during the school year. Last month, current mentor Jason Rae, Arts '09, and past mentee Aaron Maybin, Comm '15, had a chance to meet in Charleston, S.C. Aaron is a general assignment reporter at WCSC-TV in Charleston and Jason was visiting from Milwaukee. Although they each worked with someone else in the program, the visit was an opportunity to connect with another Marquette graduate and expand their network. The MUAA Mentor Program newsletter is published monthly. Please direct questions or comments to MUAA Mentor Program Director Dan DeWeerdt at daniel.deweerdt@marquette.edu or (414) 288-4740.