A partnership between OCU Career Services and Alumni Engagement offices, the OCU Alumni Mentor Program (AMP) is a program designed to cultivate meaningful relationships within the OCU community. Current students may contact Kanika Brown for more information. Alumni can learn about becoming mentors here.
APPLY: 2023–24 Academic Year
The mentee application for the 2023–24 academic year will open later this summer.
Mentor Information for Students
As an OCU Star, you have numerous opportunities to benefit from a relationship with an OCU alum. Through the OCU Alumni Mentor Program, you will be paired with an OCU alum based on mutual interests and professional goals. These one-on-one relationships will allow you to develop skills based on your personal goals.
Benefits
- Gain valuable insight from seasoned professionals
- Expand your personal and professional network
- Discover different perspectives
- Achieve and set goals
- Cultivate leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
Responsibilities
- Meet or communicate with your Mentor a minimum of once per month at formal program meetings
- Complete bi-annual assessments of what you gained at the end of the fall semester and then at the completion of the program in March
- Must be an enrolled student for the upcoming academic year
Career mentors are individuals who volunteer to share their time and expertise with you to help you learn about careers and to begin building your professional network. These can be professionals within the OCU Alumni Mentor Program or someone within your industry that you feel could offer valuable insight. Students should be connecting with a career mentor to conduct informational interviews, network via email, job shadow, participate in a mock interview, or receive feedback on a resume or cover letter.
After your application has been received, we will review the Alumni Mentor Network database to make the best match based on mutual interests, career paths, and availability. You will receive an email within 4–6 weeks, if not sooner (based on availability) with your Mentor match information. Further instructions will be included in the email.
Students are asked to contact their Mentor at least once a month. The program will include six total in-person monthly meetings on campus, including the opening and closing receptions in September and March, respectively. During the opening, the mentor/mentee matches will be announced, and your first task will be to complete a Mentoring Goals & Communications Protocol agreement collaboratively to set the standards for the yearlong commitment. This will include how and how often you will communicate outside of the formal in-person meetings.
The program is open to currently enrolled junior and senior students entering into their fall semester.
After you have sent a message to a potential career mentor, please allow 5-10 business days for a response. When you receive a response, you should work with your mentor to determine how and when you will communicate with one another (i.e., by mail, by phone or in person, on which date).
- Remember to be punctual and prepared for your meetings/conversations
- Send a thank-you note within 24 hours
- Sample Thank-You Note
What was your initial method for outreach? Unfamiliar emails can sometimes go straight to junk or clutter. If you have emailed a couple of times with no response, try picking up the phone! Often it is a simple technical issue keeping you from connecting, but in the rare case that things just are not working out, please contact Career Services ASAP for further instructions.
This program is all about making connections and seeking advice from professionals in your field of interest, not about asking for a job or internship. If your Mentor sees you as a good fit or recommends you for an awesome opportunity, that is a bonus!
