Marquette Mentors Newsletter November 2020   Mentees, campus partners and mentors celebrate official kickoff in new and meaningful ways Different times call for different measures and the Oct. 15 virtual kickoff for the 2020-21 Marquette Mentors initiative followed suit as nearly 200 mentees, campus partners and mentors in 25 states celebrated and connected. The program, which was established in 2013, included industry-related networking sessions, interviews with mentee alumni and campus partners, and eight-time mentor Steve Rushin, Jour ’88. While previous kickoffs have been held in person on campus, the virtual platform provided many mentors nationwide to participate for the first time. “By being able to attend the kickoff, I had the ability to spend valuable time getting to know some of this year's mentees as well as other mentors from around the country,” says Bob Kohl, Comm ’89 and senior director of broadcasting for the Nashville Predators. “Participating in the networking sessions with everyone was an added bonus, too.” New mentors represent many industries, states and Europe in 2020-21 Marquette Mentors welcomes this year's class of new mentors, who represent many graduate years, industries and geographic locations, including 10 states and Europe. Did you you know the collective group of alumni mentors in this year's program reside in nearly 30 states and beyond? Thank you to all mentors and the following new participants for their outstanding program leadership and support of Marquette mentees: James Bell, Arts ’10, Milwaukee; Charlotte Broaden, Sp ’77, Manchester, N.H.; Peppur Chambers, Comm ’92, North Hollywood, Calif.; Diane Dressler, Grad ’80, Milwaukee; Jody Elliott, Nurs ’93, Milwaukee; Belton Flournoy, Bus Ad ’03, London; Ann Ford, Nurs ’83, Chicago; Mary Gomez, Nurs ’82, San Francisco; Susan Hayes Gordon, Arts ’81, Chicago; Angela Hersil, Comm ’95, Grad ’01, Milwaukee; Kayla Hehn, H Sci ’16, Grad ’18, St. Paul, Minn.; Pat Hintz, Bus Ad ’85, Milwaukee; Katie Immen, Edu ’09, Chicago; George Jonas, Eng ’93, Chicago; Dr. Bridget McCurtis, Arts ’95, Harlem, N.Y.; Nick McMillan, Arts ’08, Las Vegas; Jennifer Minhas, Nurs ’89, San Diego; and Dr. Mario Powell, Eng ’93, Milwaukee.   Mentees share immediate impact in working with mentors in first 30 days Many mentors and mentees have shared the initial findings in working with their mentors and mentees, including establishing the relationship, discussing goals and getting to know one another. One mentee shares, “Things are going really well. My mentor is friendly, responsive and open to providing guidance and support. Our interests also align perfectly, which is a plus!” Engineering mentee Vaew Chang has already found working with mentor Bill Krueger, Eng ’87, senior vice president at The Greenbrier Companies in Colleyville, Texas, to be beneficial. “Meeting Bill virtually was such a great experience. I didn’t feel nervous and he answered many questions about life and engineering,” she says. “His journey and stories were very inspiring and relatable, and his willingness to provide resources I’d like from a mentor are beyond what I imagined.” That communication between them has continued, too, beginning the second month of Marquette Mentors. “We just had our third meeting and shared some funny stories,” she adds. “I also asked him about virtual job shadowing and he connected me with a product manager at Harley-Davidson. I’m looking forward to that communication, too.” Share your mentee-mentor progress and partnership with fellow participants by contacting Dan DeWeerdt. Experienced mentee suggests the road to success starts with goal planning Nearly one month ago to the day, we officially kicked off the 2020-21 Marquette Mentors. That may not seem like a lot of time for mentees, especially if you have a busy schedule. However, there are some key components you and your mentor should have covered by now. First and foremost, make sure the goal and communication forms have been filled out with intention. By intention, ensure you are vocal about what you want from this program and your mentor. While you should have already completed the forms, it is important to follow through on your established goals and communication commitment so your mentor can assist you in the best way possible. By being consistent, you will start to see the relationship with your mentor grow and your goals will start coming into fruition. My mentor, Nancy Armour, Comm ’93, from USA Today also recommends keeping the program top of mind. “Make sure you have a clear idea of your goals and what you want to get out of Marquette Mentors. This is YOUR program, make it work for you,” she says. “The best way to do that is if your mentor knows your objectives so they can use their experience and contacts to help you achieve them.” As mentioned, your communication commitment is important. By this time, you and your mentor should have a common understanding of how often the two of you will talk. Whether it is weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, this should be a mutual understanding between the two of you. This will help you stay in touch when both of you are busy and assist you with following through on your personal goals and program commitment. Lastly, get to know each other. While the pandemic has made it difficult to meet in person and experience job shadowing, it is still important to connect and become familiar with each other. Whether this is done over the phone or through a video call like Zoom, understanding each other’s interests and aspirations can open more doors than expected and you may even stay connected after the program year ends. M’Laya Sago is a communication mentee, mentee alumna and intern for Marquette Mentors. Online mentor directory can play lead role in networking, networking networking Marquette mentors in law, healthcare, communications, engineering or any other industry have a valuable story to share regarding their career journey. Once again, they've generously made themselves available to help mentees and fellow mentors with the likes of networking, job insights and professional development. Participants are encouraged to utilize the 2020-21 Marquette Mentors online directory, complete with mentor bios and contact information. The directory information and link was sent Nov. 6 to program participants. “Mentors have a wealth of career and personal experiences, whether it's in their current role, from a previous position, they've been involved in service leadership or lived in a city you're considering following graduation,” says Dan DeWeerdt, senior director for Marquette Mentors. “Networking with mentors can help with current discernment as well as create a long-term contact for future questions.” Please contact Dan DeWeerdt with directory questions. Look to Beyond MU webinars if goals include LinkedIn enhancements, career support Each year, many mentees indicate utilizing LinkedIn as a goal during participation in Marquette Mentors. It often includes enhancing their profile page, building a stronger network or utilizing the site for job opportunities. Where and even how to begin may seem daunting. Fortunately, Wayne Breitbarth, Grad ’86, is a LinkedIn expert who recently led two Beyond MU webinars and covered a plethora of information to create an effective personal page and more. Access the webinars through the following links and completing the registration form upon request. How to Use LinkedIn for Business Growth and Career Development in the Wake of COVID-19 How to Leverage LinkedIn for Your Job Search and Career Development See additional Career Development Beyond MU webinars Future Beyond MU webinars, featuring a variety of timely topics Join fellow participants at this week's Best Practices Workshops Each year, Marquette Mentors hosts separate fall and spring Best Practices workshops for mentors and mentees to share successes, challenges, learn from one another and plan for a productive mentee-mentor relationship. Plan to attend one of these sessions and contact Dan DeWeerdt with questions. Link information will be sent via email. Alumni Mentor Virtual Workshop Tuesday, Nov. 17: 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. CT Student Mentee Virtual Workshops Tuesday, Nov. 17: 3:30 p.m. CT–  4 p.m. CT Wednesday, Nov. 18: 12 p.m. CT – 12:30 p.m. CT Wednesday, Nov. 18: 4 p.m. CT – 4:30 p.m. CT Thursday, Nov. 19: 7:15 a.m. CT - 7:45 a.m. CT Save the date: Marquette Mentors debuts Virtual Retreat Save the date for the first Marquette Mentors virtual retreat from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 14. The session will include networking, panel discussions and timely topics. Additional information will be shared next month. In the News Javier Alvarez, Eng ’93, serves as founder and president at CairnCollective in Milwaukee. The business opened in fall and he's serving for the fourth year in Marquette Mentors. (Engineering mentee Julia Basurto-Gutierrez)   M'Laya Sago, communication mentee, serves as Marquette Mentors intern. (Mentor Nancy Armour, Comm ’93, USA Today)   Dr. Michael Yang, Grad ’91, ’03 has been named senior vice president, Research and Development, at PDI in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. He's mentored in Marquette Mentors since 2017. (Engineering mentee Gabi Tumacder)   Damaris Zita, communication mentee, is the social media/Web intern with the Institute for Women's Leadership at Marquette University. (Mentor Eric Schnabel, Comm ’93, Facebook)   Share your latest news such as a new job, promotion, award or volunteer service In the News. Send a one-sentence description with a headshot (no selfies, please) to Dan DeWeerdt.