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Five Questions With...
Maura Devine, Arts '92
(Claire Nowak, Comm '16, mentee)

1. Why are you serving in the MUAA Mentor Program?   
I really want to see what it is like to be on campus now.  I love knowing what classes students are taking, what they do on the weekends and what they love about MU.  I also want to ease students' fears about figuring out what to “be” when they grow up.

2. What suggestions do you have for mentees?
Take advantage of all the opportunities Marquette has - do internships, go to Mass, talk to teachers, travel with your friends.

3. What qualities do you look for and appreciate in the people you work with or hire?
Being able to communicate clearly under deadline. Wanting to work very hard. Being curious. Reading like crazy.

4. If you’ve had a mentor, what’s one piece of advice that has stuck with you?
Always say yes when a young person comes asking for an informational interview.

5. Something you wish you would’ve done at Marquette differently to help prepare for your career?
I wish I worried less. I didn’t know what my career was going to be when I graduated and that really stressed me out.

At the time, I started regretting my Arts and Sciences background when I saw engineering and business grads putting on suits to do interviews in the union. I didn’t even own a suit. But I have had great careers in journalism and now public relations. I use skills from Marquette every single day. I learned to think critically at Marquette, I was taught to always ask questions, I learned to maintain great friendships and I laid the foundation for an extremely strong faith in God. These are great skills.

Maura Devine is managing director of Kivvit in Chicago.

Five Questions With...appears in the monthly mentor newsletter and the online mentor toolbox.