Major: Psychology, Business Option
Minor: Spanish
Hometown: Hillsborough, NJ

How did you learn about this opportunity?

Through the Liberal Arts newsletter that gets emailed to the students. I was in my junior year and just starting to look at internships, study abroad programs, and even full time jobs, and was feeling overwhelmed and a little lost. I needed some more in-depth guidance than just meeting with an advisor would be able to provide.

Tell us a little bit about your experience.

After answering questions about what I'm looking for, what my interests and career goals are, etc., I got paired with the perfect mentor. My mentor's major is the same as mine, and she began her career in the same field I am interested in: human resources. As my mentor lives in North Carolina, we set up weekly phone calls to set goals for myself, talk about how to better my resume, career search tips, and discuss the progress I've made in all of that. Our weekly phone calls helped me map out what I needed to do next, and change anything that I had an opportunity to improve on.

How did this experience impact you academically?

My mentor and I focused mostly on my professional work as I searched for an internship, but this indirectly helped me as a student. Setting goals for myself helped me to look into the future and see what needed to be accomplished and how I could really exceed in that. I learned organization tactics that spilled over into my academic life, and I ultimately became a better student for it. The first semester that I had the help of a mentor was the first semester that I finally reached my personal goal of making dean's list.

What are your career goals and plans?  How did this experience impact them?

After having an internship, which my mentor helped me to prepare for, I know that I am interested in working for a large corporation in the Human Resources department. More specifically, I would love a position in Talent Acquisition or Learning and Organizational Development for a company. My goal is to be fully prepared for the upcoming career fair with my research and top companies I'm interested in, to have a job settled by the beginning of spring semester, and to be confident and excited about my career choice. My mentor helped me to set these goals through my internship search, and they worked so well that I am carrying them over to my full time career search.

My mentor taught me things that I am not able to learn in a classroom and I was able to use what we worked on together in my professional and academic life.

Would you recommend this experience to other Liberal Arts students?

I would 100% recommend all students to get a mentor, no matter the program, and whether it is a formal mentor or an informal one. My mentor taught me things that I am not able to learn in a classroom and I was able to use what we worked on together in my professional and academic life. Above the actual work we did, my mentor inspired me to bust my butt and go after that dream internship/job even if I thought it was a little out of reach. Just having someone to talk through my whirling thoughts and stresses helped me, and my mentor helped to keep me grounded and realistic.

For more information on the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program, visit our website.