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Five Questions With...
Mentor Tom Blinkhorn, Jour '57

Five Questions With... highlights mentors and mentees in the Marquette University Alumni Association Mentor Pilot Program. This month features Tom Blinkhorn, who is mentoring Marcia Kriefels, Comm '15.

1. What was your first job after graduating from Marquette and what did it teach you?
I was a reporter for the daily Cincinnati Enquirer. It taught me the value of thinking and writing clearly under pressure.

2. What is one piece of advice from a mentor that sticks with you every day?
Try to work hard, keep focused on your tasks and set career goals for five years out.

3. How do you manage work/life balance?
It's very difficult but extremely important. It helps to have a loving spouse or partner who shares your ideals.

4. What are two things a Marquette student should do before graduation?
Learn to (a) communicate clearly and persuasively and (b) develop a passion for a hobby or another extra-curricular activity that has little if anything to do with career pursuits; this will help maintain balance in life.

5. What are three items on your iPod?
Seamus Heaney reading poetry; Ella Fitzgerald singing Gershwin; Fred Astaire dancing.

Tom Blinkhorn is from Cape Breton Island, Canada, and has worked 30 years in international development with the World Bank in many countries and in a variety of industries. He also worked for 15 years as a reporter and editorial writer for newspapers in Canada and the U.S., including the Milwaukee Journal. He has been awarded the Nieman Fellowship for economics study at Harvard University and is a lecturer at Dartmouth College.