Alumni-Student Mentoring Program
The Bennion Center Alumni Program is pleased to announce the Alumni-Student Mentoring Program for Bennion Center alumni and current students in the Bennion Center! The program provides an opportunity for alumni and students to connect in positive one-on-one mentoring relationships.
As an alum of the Bennion Center, you get an opportunity to re-connect with the Bennion Center, serve as a role model and make an important difference in a student’s life!
The Bennion Center Alumni-Student Mentoring Program gives you an opportunity to build a positive relationship with a Bennion Center student who will someday be in your same shoes. As a mentor, you will share your experiences, as well as give feedback, guidance and encouragement to a Bennion Center student interested in an area you are experienced/working/volunteering in.
Mentoring a student doesn’t necessarily require a large investment of your time. Depending on what's most convenient or preferred, communication between an alum and a student can be done in person, via phone and/or email. If there are limitations on the time you are willing or able to commit to this program, just let us know!
By participating in the Alumni-Student Mentoring Program, you will enhance the quality of a student’s college and life experiences by interacting with your student, exchanging your ideas, and sharing your experiences and knowledge with him or her. You will also be giving back to the Bennion Center by serving as a role model and leader as you help today's generation of students reach their goals. Your role as an alumni mentor is to inspire, encourage and support your student, and to contribute to their personal and professional development.
You will need to fill out a short questionnaire to best match you with a student. We look forward to receiving your feedback, hearing your ideas and working together to get an effective mentoring system going, and strengthen the Bennion Center Alumni Program and the opportunities it provides Bennion Center alumni to re-connect with the center.
SUMMARY
The Bennion Center Alumni Program’s Alumni-Student Mentoring Program offers an alumni service program whereby Bennion Center alumni mentor Bennion Center students. The program links current students with alumni of the Bennion Center. The primary goal of the program is to establish a relationship between students and mentors that facilitates personal and professional development, civic engagement, and network building through the exchange of information, development of professional contacts, and sharing of experiences and interests.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
After filling out the application, alumni will receive a confirmation letter. The Alumni Program Manager will then match alumni with students, according to students’ interests and career goals. Once matched, students will be contacted by the mentor, who will be made aware of their contact preferences.
Each match is carefully considered to ensure the best possible interaction between alumni and students. Students may request to be paired with a mentor based on area of study, career or service experience, etc. We will attempt to pair graduate students with alumni bearing graduate degrees. If you are an alum and have a particular interest in mentoring a graduate student, please indicate this on the mentor application form.
We will make every effort to pair a mentor with a student with a similar major, or interested in a similar career or service experience, if that is what the student prefers. If that is not possible, we will pair based on similar interests since the mentor will still be able to offer valuable insight.
If at any time either party is unhappy with the pairing, you can contact us and we will attempt a new match. Either person can request a new match but we encourage both to give the relationship time to mature, perhaps a semester, before requesting a change.
Mentors and students will be asked to evaluate the program and their experience at the completion of the semester.
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Mentors can sign up online by clicking here and filling out the Alumni Mentor Application Form. Students can sign up online by clicking here.
DO I HAVE TO BE A BENNION CENTER GRADUATE TO HELP?
No, the Bennion Center Alumni Program welcomes all friends of the Bennion Center to participate in the Alumni-Student Mentoring Program.
HOW TIME CONSUMING IS THE ALUMNI-STUDENT MENTORING PROGRAM?
Mentoring a student doesn’t necessarily require a large investment of your time. The program is designed to accommodate a mentor who has even just a small amount of time to share. Depending on what's most convenient or preferred, communication between an alum and a student can be done in person, via phone and/or email. Mentors may be contacted for a match immediately, or it may be a couple months before a match is made. Some mentoring relationships will develop into strong relationships, while others will develop into an e-mail dialogue. The total commitment of each mentor will vary - only you and your protégé determine the level of commitment.
IS THE ALUMNI-STUDENT MENTORING PROGRAM ONLY FOR LOCAL ALUMNI?
No. The program is able to connect students with mentors all over the world. Students may be interested in your particular region which makes for a good match or they may just prefer contact via email and/or phone.
WHAT TYPES OF THINGS WILL WE DISCUSS?
Questions will vary from student to student and correspondence can cover a wide variety of topics including: career and personal goals, work and service experience, academics, talents and interests, internships, tips on resumes, job hunting and networking.
CAN STUDENTS GET INVOLVED AT MY WORK?
The purpose of Bennion Center Alumni-Student Mentoring Program is to serve as an information exchange. Students look to mentors for advice and experience. In addition to career questions, students may ask about where to live after college and how to adjust to life after graduation. Mentors may offer encouragement and friendship. Internships and employment opportunities may develop, but that is not the expectation.
