Featured Mentor/Mentee Teams

Olga, SIS/BA '93, mentoring Maciej, SIS/BA '12

Olga, SIS/BA '93

The SIS mentoring program has been a rewarding experience.  As a third-year mentor, I am consistently impressed by the caliber of students who call SIS their home. This year, I have enjoyed collaborating with Mac to identify the right career opportunities and navigate the challenges that will come post graduation.  The SIS mentoring program truly brings to life the School’s robust interdisciplinary curriculum.  I look forward to being involved for many years to come!

Maciej, SIS/BA '12

Olga has helped me a lot with updating and fine-tuning my
career plans. On November 1st, I got the good news that our hard work had paid off, and I received a job offer for a healthcare consulting firm. Without Olga's help, I doubt this would have been possible. Before my interviews, Olga got me in touch with some of her contacts in the healthcare industry consulting world. Additionally, she helped me prepare for the interviews by letting me know what a standard interview might be like and how to tailor my answers effectively.

Olga has been truly the most amazing mentor, and in the end she helped me get a job a lot sooner than either she or I were expecting. We are planning on seeing each other soon, either in NYC or Washington.

Ed, SIS/MA '74, mentoring Hanna, SIS/BA '12

Ed, SIS/MA '74

For October, Hanna and I met at AU on Saturday during the Alum weekend and had lunch and coffee ... For our next meeting, I invited her to the State Department to have lunch and to see the building. I offered for her to bring a friend ... I will give them a tour and explain some stories of the Foreign Service.  Also, we can talk further about career choices and her classes.  I offered to write a letter of recommendation for her as needed for different things she is seeking.

So far, my most important contribution is to give her another opinion to add to what she is already hearing from advisors and her parents ... This will provide flexibility and diversity and will add many facets to an already impressive, diverse background ... I am enjoying getting to know her.  Great program, and thanks for organizing us!!

Hanna, SIS/BA '12

I have met with Ed a few times. Next week, he's taking me on a tour of the State Department with a friend of mine. He is giving me advice about which courses to take in the Spring. I am so happy I'm doing the program, he's been incredibly helpful. It definitely adds to my satisfaction with SIS in general significantly!

Beth, SIS/MA '00, mentoring Chris, SIS/BA '12

Beth, SIS/MA '00

I was on travel, so Chris and I have only gotten together once since the reception. However, I am enjoying meeting and talking with him already. We met for lunch at the State Department a few weeks ago. He has lots of interests and has a lot going on already (applying for grad programs, internships, jobs, etc.). He is interested in working at the State Department and has already landed a paid internship. I told him that was how I got my foot in the door, and that while I was interning I requested informational interviews with Directors in offices that I was interested in. By doing that, I already got to know the managers and when there was an opening I got a call and was told to apply. He seemed to really like that suggestion and wants to talk about it at our meeting next week. We will discuss the different bureaus at State and the ones that he would have the best chance of getting a job (for example bureaus that have more civil service positions vs foreign service).  We have also discussed work at other federal agencies and about graduate programs he is looking into. 
 
He is my third student, and I am so impressed with how motivated they all are.

Chris, SIS/BA '12

I met Beth at the State Department. We talked about my progress thus far this semester and what I want to do before the semester is over. We also talked a little bit about her work and her past trip to Spain (where is studied abroad).

She was able to give me really insightful advice concerning how I should approach positions at the State Department. She told me that it was important for me to contact other offices during my internship and introduce myself. She explained that many positions are filled internally, and this is the best way of getting into the civil service right out of college.

I found our conversation very encouraging and I can tell that Beth is genuinely interested in my success. Thank you for your work in bringing this program together. It is an opportunity that very few others have and I have already gained so much from it.

Chrysoula, SIS/MA '99, mentoring Brooklyn, SIS/BA '12, and Caroline, SIS/BA '12

Chrysoula, SIS/MA '99

With both Brooklyn and Caroline, I've held a first "getting to know you" type meeting, for us each to get comfortable, hear a bit more about our respective backgrounds, and discuss what each mentee would like out of the mentorship.
 
I had a second meeting with Brooklyn this past Monday, and it was really great (Skype is working perfectly as a means of communicating too, by the way). We first discussed internship strategy, as she is looking to secure one for next semester somehow related to Latin America. I told her about some online resources that she can tap to start connecting to people in the companies and organizations that interest her (including LinkedIn, the AU Career Center, and I also mentioned a few organizations offhand where I have friends/contacts).
 
Brooklyn also asked me some etiquette-related questions on networking, for instance how best to follow up with contacts she has recently met at networking events. I told her a simple email to mention it was nice meeting them goes a long way, and then -- if appropriate -- connecting to them via LinkedIn so that her contacts are all in a central location. Next steps: She will send me a list of organizations she is interested in for an internship, and I'll see if I know any way to connect her there.
 
We will be Skyping once per month, with emailing/online chatting in between.

Brooklyn, SIS/BA '12 (e-Mentee studying abroad in Argentina)

My time with my mentor so far has been absolutely amazing. We have had two Skype dates since the start and send emails to each other through out the week with up dates on things that we talked about during our Skype session. It's been really nice to have while abroad as well, because it keeps me focus on my goals both personally and academically that I think can get lost in the excitement of being abroad. I have found my involvement in the program to be extremely effective so far and can't wait to get to meet my mentor in person in the spring!

What we have been doing, and I think has been working very well, is that during our Skype session we talk about specific topics and then from there pick out central themes on what we can do working together. With these themes we have also being picking tasks to do in between Skype sessions so we don't go for weeks without doing anything or talking. It is from these topics and tasks that we continue to communicate about through email during the weeks that we don't have a Skype date. I have found the support from my mentor to be very helpful on a professional and personal level. It has been nice to have her as a source of support while I am abroad and as I start to navigate the waters of life after college. 

Mark, SIS/BA/MA '02, '05, mentoring Rosemarie, SIS/BA '11

Mark, SIS/BA/MA '02, '05

We started things off with an informal lunch with my three co-workers, which was a nice way to ease into things as well as for her to get to know some others in this field.  My org’s annual membership meeting is always at the start of October, so Rosemarie was able to come to several of our sessions, as well as attend a reception at the Embassy of Australia we held.  This was a great opportunity for her, I think, to meet some people working in international exchange and to be exposed to some real life work events.  She commented how she’d never been to anything like that and while being thrown into a room full of professionals (and strangers) was quite daunting, she found it to be a very rewarding and confidence building experience.  So I’m pleased that worked out so well.

Since then, we’ve communicated frequently by email, had lunch last Friday, and actually met this morning as a follow up to our lunch.  We decided at lunch that a good next step would be for Rosemarie to map out some organizations that she finds intriguing and could theoretically like to work for—and to include what about those orgs draws her to them.  This morning we discussed her list and the qualities of the jobs/organizations that she listed.  We then concluded that we would concretely follow up on the list in two ways: one, I will help connect her with colleagues at those organizations with whom I work, so she can engage in some informational interviews in that way; and two, she will work to reach out to organizations she is interested in but at which we have no connection...Things are going very well and I think the key thus far has been Rosemarie’s energy and organization and foresight as to what she hopes to get out of our relationship. 

We’ve also discovered that a good balance between “work activities” (i.e., meeting at the office and staying on task) and “social activities” (i.e., going out to lunch and just chatting) is excellent for helping to build a good relationship.

Rosemarie, SIS/BA '11

My mentor is Mark, and things are going very well. Mark is extremely kind and we have lively conversations over lunch together. In addition, I went to his organizations annual Membership Meeting, which was very interesting. I made a list of organizations I would love to work for, and this morning we discussed the reasons behind my interest in those nonprofits.  Thank you so much for this opportunity to work with Mark; he is truly a valuable mentor and overall fantastic person to know.

Duval, SIS/BA '08, mentoring Lindsay, SIS/MA '11

Duval, SIS/BA '08

After meeting at the reception at SIS, Lindsay and I exchanged a few emails and arranged for lunch a couple weeks ago. My idea was to start our mentorship by analyzing the classes she has taken and defining which other classes she could take during her last semester in order to make her transcripts stronger towards her interests and job searching. Prior to our meeting, I had asked Lindsay to forward me a copy of her transcripts, which we discussed once we met. Then we talked about what she intends to do after graduation in order to tailor her last semester at AU to make her stronger in such matters.

The idea was to be strategic about selecting the classes she will take ahead of time in a way that allows her time to start exploring a potential internship in the near future and ultimately use the skills she gains from those classes in making her more competitive when applying for jobs when the time comes.

For our next meeting, we agreed to finalize this discussion as she will have already registered for the spring and then move on to focus on potential internships. In the meantime, I have started to forward to her any possible opportunities that come my way and I see could fit her interests.

Overall, it's going very well so far. I hope she is also satisfied and that the mentorship continues to progress as the year goes on.

Lindsay, SIS/BA '11

We've been able to work on preparing me both now and later for the job world. The decisions I make for the spring semester, and even the rest of the fall semester, are all critical. Luckily this program gives me the chance to receive guidance on how to structure these last semesters in order to make me a better job candidate.

Currently, Duval has given valuable advice about course selection and internship hunting for the spring. Since I have nearly finished the requirements for my major, he helped pick out specifically which classes will look best on my transcript and will be most useful in my last semester at AU. Thus I will be taking even more economics classes than is required for SIS. We talked about how I should divide up extracurriculars and how to find the most relevant internship. Getting started early on the hunt was key, and he sent me links to any good internships he found. He recommended some great internships that I would not have been able to find otherwise (like on the career web). For current internships, as well as future jobs, he showed me an example of the single resume/cover letter PDF file he sends with job applications.

Each time we've met, Duval has also advised me on the post-graduation job search. He gladly shares with me any insight into the application process and working environment at different job options. It helps that he has experience working at the places where I have considered finding a job in the future. His tips for job interviews are particularly resourceful. I have learned to approach this phase of the job process with confidence and honesty, and to remember that I truly have something to offer. Duval has taught me how important it is to just be yourself.

Dave, SIS/MA '04 (third-year e-Mentor)

My mentee and I had a Skype meeting last week for about an hour. It worked very well. We did more of an introduction and Q&A session. I encouraged him to do informational interviews and to contact the Career Center for names of alumni who work at places he wants to work. I also just emailed my mentee from last year to see if I can put the two of them in touch. Mike, my mentee last year, may be able to help with more immediate questions/concerns.

Thea, SIS/MA '99

So far it has been very positive working with Janeth (Kata).  She visited me at the office and we discussed career options.

As a first year mentor, it is great to work with an enthusiastic senior and help her decide which path will work best. I just want to be a sounding board as she makes the decision. We are both fluent in Spanish and also have the opportunity to talk in a second language.

I know she will succeed in what she does and it feels great to help her along the path.  I look forward to her next meeting.

Teymour, SIS/BA '86 (third-year e-Mentor)

One note to encourage future mentees: Lauren and Karun were extremely open, and in that sense - confident - they knew what they didn't know - and that is in itself a strength, and then, they were willing to share that with me, and so together we were able to go back and forth re: ideas/approaches to job apps, interview techniques, etc - when I think back, we corresponded while I was in Cairo, Riyadh, Amman, The Hague, Paris, and Washington, DC - in just one semester; the more interactive the mentees are, the better the mentor can be - the mentees truly help us direct our attention to what they need.

Zeina, SIS/BA '11

Things with Blair have been really great; she's so helpful with everything from interview tips to helping me correct and finalize my graduate school statements of purpose before sending them off, even giving me other contacts who have been helpful and extremely timely with looking over it. Overall, I am very thankful for having her as a resource and a real person who is easy to relate to and talk to on a personal level as well.

Sean, SIS/BA '11

In October or November, I spent a day with Lisa at her work. She took me around and introduced me to a Secret Service person who introduced me to some assistant U.S. Attorneys because I told him that's what I want to be. I ended up meeting with a guy who was nice and talked to me for a while. I told him I had been accepted as an intern with the US Attorney's Office in the spring. I guess our meetings had some kind of impact, because I am now placed in his unit.

Maggie, SIS/BA '11

I graduated in December and am employed! I was able to secure a full-time position with the company I was interning with since June, and Gerard was very instrumental in this move. He was very helpful in terms of giving me that extra boost to talk to other people within my company. I was able to connect with other people who had the same technical interests of me, who started as an intern themselves, and who were working on projects that were interesting to me. I have stayed in touch with Gerard and he is great in terms of giving me advice on how to acclimate to the post-graduate life and being an entry-level professional. This was an incredible program and I'm glad that AU has started it and hope it continues. I would love to be a mentor eventually for this program and can only hope that I will be able to have an impact similar to the impact Gerard had on me.

Brittany, SIS/BA '11

So far everything has been great with Favio. We have set it up so that I ask him whatever questions pop into my head and we meet bi-weekly to go over them. Currently he has offered to help me make some mock-up cover letters and help tailor resume to positions I am interested in applying for. He has been so helpful. He is very quick to respond to my emails and always has new ideas that motivate me to jump into the job search. I feel so lucky to have a mentor that is so dedicated to helping me!

Will, SIS/BA '11

I have benefited greatly from the open and candid nature of my mentor.  Having someone who you don't have a prior relationship with and [who] can offer a fresh look at your plans is an unparalelled asset.  He has brought knowledge and advice beyond the borders of AU that I can't imagine getting anywhere else and feel that I have a mentor for life in many ways.

Rebecca, SIS/BA '11

Things are going great with Dave! He is very kind, and we recently connected on a lunch break to discuss my future. He is an all-around great guy, and immediately put me at ease. He also had great input about government jobs. Overall, this is a great experience thus far!

Gunperi, SIS/BA '11

Leslie is fantastic, and very approachable. Many thanks for having me in this program; it means a lot to me.