Marquette University Alumni Association Mentor Newsletter March 2017 Mentor program (almost) a wrap: register now for the April 27 finale In recognition of your participation in the 2016-17 Marquette University Alumni Association Mentor Program, join fellow mentors, mentees, past participants and faculty at the Thursday, April 27, finale and networking reception. The business casual evening event takes place in the historic Eisenberg Reading Room in Sensenbrenner Hall. Learn more and register now. Formal conclusion of mentor program should not be the end of working together Although the official completion of this year's mentor program may be April 27, it doesn't necessarily mean it has to be the end of continuing to work and learn from your mentor or mentee. After all, this is just the beginning for students to prepare for life after Marquette. Consider these discussion topics before the end of the semester: - Revisit and discuss the goals document you developed together and submitted earlier in the year. Have the items been completed? Did they change? Plan to complete them by April 27 and consider creating new goals for the future. - To that end, mentees, what goals would you like to accomplish in the next year? Whether it's exploring internship opportunities, refining interview skills or considering graduate school, mentors can be a valuable resource. - Are you open to continuing the mentoring relationship, even on an informal basis with periodic check-ins? If so, discuss frequency and preferred communication (phone, email, in person, text, Skype). - Utilize the 2016-17 MUAA Mentor Program Directory to expand your professional network and learn from other program participants. Contact Dan DeWeerdt for a copy. - Visit the MUAA Mentor Toolbox, including 50 questions and topic ideas to help fuel your conversation. Mentors, mentees share, get advice at workshops as program conclusion nears Within a 72-hour span in late February, more than 60 mentees and mentors nationwide participated in the program’s spring Best Practices workshops, with a goal of getting and gathering wisdom from participants and planning for the remaining two months of formally working with their mentor or mentee. For Phill McGowan, Comm '08 and Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, D.C., the mentor teleconference workshop shed new light when working with mentees. "Adapting to and supporting them when our backgrounds don’t always align and conducting a mock interview to help with professional development were very especially valuable," he says. Concurrently, two sessions were held on campus where mentees discussed topics such as what’s worked well, completing goals and how to enhance relationships. Engineering mentee Troy Farsakian shared that having an advanced agenda prior to the monthly discussion has helped him and his mentor, Tom Seaman, Eng '86 and Intel in Hillsboro, Ore., stay on track. Mentee sharpens interview skills in partnership with mentor Mentee Elissa Porath from the College of Health Sciences didn't have to look far to get a few words of advice in preparation for a recent interview. She and her mentor, Dr. Jim Casanova, Arts '70, agreed that conducting a mock interview could help. "From taking the initiative to securing the interview space on campus to her professional attire and preparation, she took this very seriously and ultimately did an outstanding job," he says. "Practicing prior to an interview isn't always on the mind of students, so this was an excellent experience. I found it enjoyable, too." Elissa agrees. "My interview with Dr. Casanova was very valuable and it gave me the confidence and preparation to do well on my physician assistant interview," she says. Five Questions With... Mentor Aleisha Jaeger, Eng '03   (Mentee: Ellie Shorter, Engineering) 1. What piece of advice do you have for mentees? Don’t ever stop asking questions and being curious to learn new things. It’s completely acceptable to NOT have all the answers. What gives you even more credibility is when you know you don’t have them and you engage others to help, inform, guide and teach you.  2. Favorite place on campus? I always loved going to Mass at St. Joan of Arc Chapel. The The Pit in the engineering building was like a second home.  3. Current or last book you’ve read? Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly. Read Aleisha's full interview. In the News Congratulations to these mentor program participants for their recent achievements. Len Kasper, Comm '90 and TV play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs, has been named Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. (Mentee: Connor Basch, Communication) Arts mentee Eliza Luvianos has been selected as a recipient in Marquette University’s McNair Scholars Program. (Mentor: Samantha Nahra, Arts '07)     Engineering mentees Phillip Parisi and Jake Rosewicz  were part of the winning team at the annual Direct Supply Hackathon. The team was among 20 squads to address the challenge of “Taking the Cost out of Senior Healthcare.” Their winning entry was recognized for its novelty, usefulness, usability, feasibility and marketability. (Mentors: Kayleen Helms, Eng '88, and Sarah Wolak, Eng ’08.) Jason Rae, Arts '09, has been elected secretary by the Democratic National Committee. (Mentee: Taylor Gauthier, Arts) John Shusterich, Arts '12, has been named manager, market development – original equipment strategy at Johnson Controls (Mentee: Devinne Love, Arts)     Taylor Trovillion, Comm '12, has been promoted to account supervisor at Finn Partners in Chicago (Mentee: Jose Meza, Communication)   If you have a new job, received a promotion, award or volunteered recently that you'd like to share with fellow mentors and mentees In the News, send it with a headshot to daniel.deweerdt@marquette.edu. MUAA Mentor Program Toolbox offers relevant mentor, career resources From mentor and mentee icebreaker questions to timely and trending mentor and professional development articles, visit the MUAA Mentor Program Toolbox. This month's featured resources: A guide to job-hunting for graduates; Adecco How to be a good mentor; No Snivelling What the best mentors do; Harvard Business Review Mentor program questions or comments? Contact MUAA Mentor Program Director Dan DeWeerdt at daniel.deweerdt@marquette.edu or (414) 288-4740.