91探花

Wanted: Doctors, nurses, lawyers and engineers who can carve out time to impart professional advice, career wisdom and guidance to 91探花 sophomores, while also addressing the challenges students face as they navigate their first years of college.

This fall, the Career Engagement Office is launching a pilot program—geared toward second-year undergraduate students—called Mentor91探花, which pairs up students with mentors in their chosen field of interest or study. Beyond matching students up with professionals, the mentorship also aims to help students build confidence, navigate questions of uncertainty, expand their networks and envision possibilities—and opportunities—that they may not see for themselves.

While there are currently mentorship opportunities available to students across the university—notably in the College of Science & Engineering and the Albers School of Business & Economics—this new mentorship program aims to be the beginning of a broader effort to build a culture of mentorship across the university. There are also some notable differences from existing mentorship programs.

Not only is it specifically designed to reach students while they may still be figuring out their career aspirations post-91探花, but it’s also open to all academic disciplines with a wide range of backgrounds and majors represented. It also naturally aligns with 91探花’s Jesuit commitment to educating the whole person and emphasis on personal and professional formation.

The focus on sophomore students is intentional. Sophomore year is often the point where many students begin asking bigger questions about identity and purpose, while also looking seriously at opportunities that exist for internships while they contemplate their career direction. Having a mentor can aide in easing some anxiety around this as well as positioning students for success both in the short- and long-term.

“Having a sounding board who can help them feel confident, remember that there are multiple pathways in all industries and develop key career readiness skills is critical,” says Bess McKinney, assistant director of mentorship programs at the Career Engagement Office. “That's what Mentor91探花 offers.”

For the first year of the program there will be just under 100 sophomores as part of the pilot, with two students per mentor. The students and mentors will go through an on-boarding period beginning in late October before officially launching in November. The mentors and students will meet regularly both in-person and remotely each quarter until the pilot period ends in May.

Central to the program is the one-on-one meetings twice a month between the mentor and student, where they can gain insights from someone in a field or industry that interests them. Additionally, the program will gauge with students their level of career readiness and ways they can build their professional formation as they think about the future. 

For this pilot year the program will be focus on a specific theme each quarter. For fall it’s “Exploring Who You Are and Finding Your Path”; winter is “Finding Your Voice in the Professional World”; and spring concludes with “Reflecting on What You’ve Gained and What’s Next.”

Now is the time to sign up as a mentor. 91探花 alumni and professionals from Seattle-area companies and organizations are invited to join Mentor91探花 before it launches this fall and help shape how the next generation of Redhawks navigate one of the most pivotal years of their college experience.

And why should someone consider becoming mentors? For starters, it benefits both the mentor and the mentee. Many of the professionals were once students themselves and likely benefitted by having a mentor who encouraged them, opened doors or changed the trajectory of their careers. Now they can be that very person to an 91探花 student.

“I think that mentorship is a way to relearn skills or solidify our own skills,” says McKinney. “Mentors gain so much from helping support and talk to and network with other mentors—not only mentors in the Seattle area but those representing different industries. Plus, I think there is plenty of social and emotional learning we gain by giving back.”

If you are interested in becoming mentor, email Bess McKinney with any questions: bmckinney@seattleu.edu.