2023年12月19日

克莱尔·库里

Xavier Brooks, 18岁 was growing up in Philadelphia, a handful of people made a real difference in his life. 其中一个是他参加的暑期充实项目的教师助理. Another was a “music mentor” who encouraged him to explore his creativity as a hip-hop artist.

“多年来,我们一直保持联系,现在他们是我的朋友,”布鲁克斯说. “他们教会了我很多生活技能和软技能, 但我从来没有真正的商业导师,直到我去了萨斯奎哈纳.”

As a first-year student, Brooks worked in the 职业发展中心 where he met Michaeline舒曼负责研究生成果和公民参与的助理教务长. 他称赞她帮助他了解了申请工作的来龙去脉.

“She was very instrumental in 牧师iewing my applications and making sure that everything was right, 也为我提供了采访的空间,他回忆道. “她超越了一切. 有人在整个过程中指导我对我的成功至关重要.”

现在是摩根大通的产品管理副总裁, 布鲁克斯说,当他得知浩博体育app有一个新的指导项目时, he recalled how valuable his mentors had been throughout his life and enthusiastically signed on.

西格蒙德·韦斯商学院项目协调员说 克里斯蒂·安德森,1999年, 布鲁克斯是浩博体育app200多名Alumni之一, board members and other professional contacts affiliated with the business school to volunteer their time for the program.

发射于2022-23年, the Professional Mentorship Program matches second-year business students with two to three mentors in the working world to guide them in everything from setting goals and juggling academics and extra-curriculars to résumé writing, 面试准备和职业规划.

“我们为一年级学生提供了这个很棒的项目, 全球商业视角, in which they get immersed in what the business school is like and what business is like,安德森说. “在他们大三的时候, 他们在国外实习和学习, 在他们大四的时候, 他们在为离开萨斯奎汉纳的生活做准备. 我们认为应该有一些东西来吸引学生进入第二年.”

安德森根据兴趣为学生和导师配对, 他们在调查中描述的专业和未来职业规划. 布鲁克斯和 朱利叶斯·格洛弗,25岁 — who happens to share many things in common, including the same hometown: Philadelphia.

“当我见到朱利叶斯时,我被他的成熟吓了一跳,”布鲁克斯说. “I think he’s going to be someone who has a lot of opportunities put in front of him. 他非常聪明和明智.”

Throughout the year, Brooks and Glover met a dozen or so times on Zoom, FaceTime and in person.

布鲁克斯说:“朱利叶斯有很大的主动性和雄心壮志。. “我让他告诉我他想完成什么, 他想做什么,我会全力支持他. 我想让他觉得自己被赋予了权力.”

The two worked together on setting goals and narrowing the student’s career aspirations to one facet of business. Brooks shared a professional development plan that a work colleague passed along to him, 在那之后, 他注意到格洛弗的职业规划变得清晰多了.

布鲁克斯说:“重点加倍了. “最初,他想做房地产,现在他想在银行工作. 通过帮助他为自己设定目标, he’s been able to change some of his big career goals into something more focused and achievable.”

Glover agrees, adding that Brooks gave him information about the field of finance that he never knew. 他说:“我没有完全把握自己想做什么。. “他直截了当地告诉我,如果我想成功,我必须开始提前考虑. 无意中,他极大地影响了我的职业抱负. 听到他的故事和经历激励我追求金融事业.”

在他们最后一次见面时, 布鲁克斯告诉格洛弗,当项目结束时, “旅程可以继续.” The two have been keeping in touch since then and Brooks said that he wouldn’t be surprised if they become colleagues down the road. “I can see him becoming a manager or a director because he has that mindset,” he adds.

根据安德森, 导师和学员接受初步培训,并获得一本手册, 会议计划, activity ideas and the expectation to meet during four set timeframes through the year. 第一年,有139名学生和218名导师参加.

“前进, the Professional Mentoring Program will be tied into the Professional Development course, 一个两学分, 所有二年级商科专业必修的七周课程,安德森说. “Career readiness assignments will require students to meet with their mentors to complete. 我们认为这些变化将有助于学生们继续参与这个项目, 举行有目标的有组织的会议, 与导师建立有意义的关系.”

另一对有特别积极体验的是 亨利·张18岁他是CGI的业务系统分析师,主修金融 Mohammed Abdrabalnabi, 24岁.

“The reason I chose Mohammed and Henry is because they seemed to have great chemistry,安德森说. “Mohammed stopped by my office every couple weeks and would talk about what a great experience he was having.”

两人在一年中见过几次面, Chang说他的学员“令人印象深刻”, 永远走在游戏的前面.”

当Abdrabalnabi对他的课程负担表示担忧时,他退了一门课. 张称赞他行动迅速,但建议他换一件不同的, less demanding class to ensure he’d have the proper number of credits to graduate on time.

“我鼓励他……平衡金融课程. 这就是我大四那年发生的事. 我上了很多金融课,只需要上一门课就能毕业, 所以我很喜欢和其他金融伙伴一起上电影课,Chang回忆道.”

来自沙特阿拉伯, Abdrabalnabi appreciated Chang’s understanding of the different challenges international students face. 张的父母来自台湾,也搬到美国上大学.

“亨利帮了我很大的忙,”Abdrabalnabi说. “He suggested that I participate in university activities to help me improve my [English] language [skills]. He recommended courses to take and even professors who would understand my language and my culture.”

梅勒妮·布雷奇卡,98届 也作为导师参加了这个项目. 格兰比亚营养公司的副总裁, 一个为全球食品工业开发原料的组织, launched a mentorship program for women at her firm that is proving to be a great success. Brechka也是 中间的心, 一个帮助专业人士磨练领导技能的博客, 实现工作与生活的平衡, 每天从自己的角色中找到快乐.

除了, Brechka has been both a mentor and mentee many times throughout her 20-year career and she understands how meaningful these relationships can be. 出于这个原因,她很高兴有机会当导师 夏洛特·霍瓦特,25岁她毕业于宾夕法尼亚州蓝贝尔市,主修管理和传播学双学位.

“One thing we ended up really digging into is that Charlotte is an overachiever,” she says. “她委身太多了. 鉴于我的经验和我的角色, she took interest in knowing [my thoughts on] how much she really needs to do to get a job when she graduates.”

当时他们正在开会, 霍瓦特正在考虑再修一个法语研究专业. 然而, she was concerned that it could make it difficult to go overseas on an international business experience.

“我的看法是, 如果你想从商, 然后你应该去海外积累你的国际经验, 你可以在那里说法语. I think she needed to hear that from someone who has been in the business world for a while,布雷奇卡回忆道.

Horvat said that she “got a lot more than she expected” out of her meetings with Brechka. “她是做销售的,我也对销售感兴趣,霍瓦特说, adding that Brechka’s company makes ingredients that go into household product names, 比如奥利奥饼干和软糖. “她确实让我看到了一个我从未想过的行业. And we talked a lot about what it’s like to be a woman manager — being empathetic and also being a boss.”

导师和学员一致认为,该项目对大二学生很有价值. 布鲁克斯补充说:“这个项目对商科学生来说非常必要. “Having someone in your corner to level-set you on your career expectations and goals is really invaluable” in laying the foundations for a successful future in the business world.