Catalyzing Students Toward Success

AU Catalyst is a mentorship program that helps students position themselves as leaders in work, graduate school, and life. This learning community connects program participants with one another, faculty, staff, and alumni and explores building a mindset and other skill sets not typically taught in the classroom but important to life goals.

Students who are a part of AU Catalyst will learn how to build valuable long-term meaningful relationships in an increasingly complex world and better understand how to advocate for themselves and demonstrate what they can achieve.

Program Components and Resources

In partnership with the program’s managing director, Wim Taylor, AU Catalyst students participate in:

• Advising that aligns classroom experiences with students’ career aspirations
• Coaching that focuses on perseverance, resilience, adaptability, and advocacy so that students can navigate challenges and setbacks and reframe them as opportunities
• Consulting that helps students reverse-engineer career and graduate school goals to inform academic and extracurricular decisions
• Accountability check-ins for attaining academic, extracurricular, and personal goals  

AU Catalyst students develop the mental attitudes, aptitudes, and philosophical approaches they need to be impactful leaders in all facets of their lives. They learn about topics not typically part of a classroom setting like emotional intelligence, informed decision-making, strategic thinking, personal finance, investing, and intentionality.

Through experiential learning opportunities, AU Catalyst students pursue their career interests by way of internships, interviews, and mentoring relationships. They practice and master skills employers look for in their employees and create compelling personal narratives that communicate how they think ahead, consider the future, and show initiative and commitment to their plans.  

AU Catalyst students build community through events and programs that are educational, fun, and social. These include group dinners, networking receptions, an alumni connection picnic, classroom experiences, study breaks, and volunteering.

Financial support for study abroad application fees, graduate school test prep materials, two graduate school application fees, and some professional clothing for interviews and internships is available as part of the program.

Application and Admission

AU Catalyst welcomes all rising second-year AU undergraduate students interested in preparing intentionally for work and/or graduate school. The program encourages first generation, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Pell-eligible students to apply.

The program annually admits 16-20 students from a wide range of backgrounds. Students apply during spring semester of their first year. A selection committee assesses candidates on their communicated and demonstrated interest in mentorship and leadership development and their commitment to self-development and holistic growth. The most competitive applicants to AU Catalyst:

• Communicate interest through engagement by participating in new program information sessions and events
• Complete the AU Catalyst application
• Submit a short, guided-survey faculty member reference

Information Sessions and Office Hours

RSVP to learn more about AU Catalyst at Zoom or face-to-face information sessions and office hours from January 22 to January 29, 2025, or book a one-on-one meeting with AU Catalyst managing director Wim Taylor from January 23 to January 29, 2025.

Information Sessions

Wednesday, January 22

1–2 p.m.           Zoom
3–4 p.m.           SIS 300
5:30–6:30 p.m.    Anderson Hall Lobby Conference Room 1012

Wednesday, January 29
7–8 p.m.           SIS 300

Office Hours

Thursday, January 23
11 a.m. – noon           Zoom
1–2 p.m.           Anderson Hall Room 104

Friday, January 24
Noon–1 p.m.              Zoom
2–3 p.m.           Zoom

Monday, January 27
1–2 p.m.           Zoom

Tuesday, January 28
11 a.m. – noon           Zoom
1–2 p.m.           Anderson Hall Room 104