Marquette University Alumni Association Mentor Newsletter February 2019 First mentee travel stipend beneficiary calls job shadow visit 'inspiring and indispensable' On Feb. 7, English mentee Katherine Stein spent the full day shadowing mentor and fellow English major Sarah Guernsey, deputy director at the Art Institute of Chicago. As the first beneficiary of the new MUAA Mentor Program travel stipend initiative designed to help fund mentee's job shadow or visit to their mentor outside of Milwaukee, Katherine shared her account with MUAA Mentor Program staff. Read a review of her valuable job shadow visit. As a reminder, mentees with mentors who reside outside of Milwaukee and interested in meeting and job shadowing them are invited to apply for travel stipend consideration. The stipend program is designed to cover air or train fare, or car mileage reimbursement. For more information, including application forms and guidelines, refer to the Dec. 21 email. Mentors interested in making a gift toward these mentee experiences and the MUAA Mentor Program to support Marquette students with their career journey can contact Dan DeWeerdt. We Are Marquette! Don’t miss March 3 pregame social at year-round home for Bucks basketball Ring Out Ahoya! Join fellow program participants prior to the Sunday, March 3, Creighton vs. Marquette men's basketball game at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports & Science Center, the year-round home of the Milwaukee Bucks. The fourth annual pregame social includes networking with mentors, mentees and campus partners, complimentary food and soft drinks, and self-guided tours of this state-of-the-art facility. So sport your favorite Marquette gear and we’ll see you there. Advance registration is required and capacity is limited.  Learn more and register now. Give a little, get a little wisdom at future Best Practices workshops Since the inception of the MUAA Mentor Program in 2013-14, participants regularly share the value of learning from their peers and sharing their own experiences has helped make them better mentors and mentees. Get a firsthand account of what others have found successful, challenging (and how to work through it) and planning for a partnership beyond the program conclusion in April. Student mentee workshops: Tuesday, Feb. 19 - Thursday, Feb. 21 (various times); Zilber Hall Alumni mentor workshop: 5 p.m. CT, Tuesday, March 5; teleconference Contact Dan DeWeerdt for details.   Mentor's Music City visit enhances connection with fellow participant When mentor Jeff Richlen, Grad ’07 and group chief engineer at Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee, recently visited Nashville, Tenn., he also contacted fellow mentor Bill Krueger, Eng ’87 and Americas Chairman of JATCO USA, Inc in Franklin, Tenn. “Knowing Nashville is Bill’s hometown, I took advantage of the opportunity to meet,” Jeff says. “We had an awesome lunch together and strengthened our MUAA Mentor Program connection and friendship. It was a great networking opportunity and only took a few text messages to make it happen!” This year’s mentors reside in 25 states and represent myriad professions and industries, as reflected in the online MUAA Mentor Program Directory that was emailed December 21 to all participants. “Building mentor-to-mentor relationships has been an unexpected positive side effect,” Bill says. “I’ve rekindled friendships from over 30 years ago, fostered new network connections, and deepened my connectivity back to campus and the Jesuit Principles that made me who I’ve become.” Contact Dan DeWeerdt regarding access to the online 2018-19 MUAA Mentor Directory.  Mentee shares how mentor connection leads to internship at OnMilwaukee.com I am in my senior year studying Public Relations and Writing-Intensive English, and this year I have been working with Maura Farrell of Kivvit, a PR agency in Chicago. We have been having a lot of fun working together to explore different careers in the PR field, schedule informational interviews, practice my elevator pitch, and to get excited and ready for post-grad life. Mid-point survey feedback reflects successes, challenges and valuable insights Thanks to approximately 170 program participants who shared their experiences in the MUAA Mentor Program mid-point survey. Results provide enhanced support for participants and demonstrate progress to goals. Among key findings: Mentor/mentee overall experience: 54% excellent, 33% very good, 9% good, 3% fair Program expectations: 50% exceeded, 46% met, 4% not met Anticipated goal completion by mentors and mentees: 100% of respondents with a current mentor-mentee partnership expect to complete their goals by the April 25 program conclusion Among most beneficial mentor-mentee topics to date: Resume review, interview preparation, job or internship search, job shadowing, career discernment, networking and professionalism Valuable resources: 2018-19 MUAA Mentor Program Resource Guide, online 2018-19 MUAA Mentor Program online directory, new travel stipend program, staff support, participation in Best Practices workshops How the Marquette University Alumni Association can serve as a better resource: While most respondents indicated no resources beyond what’s provided were necessary, others suggested understanding resources at the university's Career Services Center and conversation topics of other mentors and mentees. Biggest challenges between mentors and mentees: Finding meeting times, speaking regularly, none to date Mentee shares how mentor-mentor connection lands her OnMilwaukee.com internship English major and mentee Catherine McCoy recently provided MUAA Mentor Program staff with the good news of how a conversation between mentors opened doors to a 'dream' internship. I am in my senior year studying Public Relations and Writing-Intensive English, and this year I have been working with Maura Farrell of Kivvit, a PR agency in Chicago. We have been having a lot of fun working together to explore different careers in the PR field, schedule informational interviews, practice my elevator pitch, and to get excited and ready for post-grad life. Last semester during finals week, much to my surprise, Maura and program staff connected me to mentor Jeff Sherman, co-founder of OnMilwaukee.com. After a few brief emails, I met with their editorial director over winter break. We talked about writing and the things we love about our city, and next thing I knew they brought me on as an editorial intern to start the following week. Since working for OnMilwaukee, I have hit the ground running writing about hidden coffee shops, hunting down the best cheese curds in the city, snow day guides and uncovering just all that the city has to offer. In short, in the blink of an eye I scored my dream internship, thanks to a Marquette community who believes in me. I am extremely humbled and eternally thankful to have received this opportunity, and I couldn’t be luckier to attend this school and live in our Milwaukee. We are Marquette! Paying dividends: mentee hired full-time by mentor two years after program partnership When Davis Marklin, Eng ’18, participated the 2016-17 MUAA Mentor Program, he was looking to create a “personal board of advisors” for his company to accelerate his learning. Fortunately, he was matched with mentor Scott Kitun, Comm ‘06, CEO of Technori, and host of the Startup Showcase on WGN Radio. The Chicago based-company provides startups and growth companies with access to capital, strategic advisory and tech support. Davis quickly found Scott’s insights to be beneficial. “I went to him every time I had to make a major decision either in my business or personal life,” Davis says. “I made sure to always model the different scenarios ahead of our calls so when we actually spoke, all I had to do was lay out what I already knew and Scott could show me how he viewed them. It enabled our relationship to flow naturally and not feel ‘forced.’” Read the rest of their story. Five mentor and mentee conversation starters For mentees 1. What's been your mentor's biggest career challenge? How did they work through it and what did they learn? 2. If your mentor wasn't in the career that they are currently, what would they be doing?  3. Who’s been your mentor’s best supervisor? Their least favorite? Why? 4. What were the first five years following graduation like for your mentor? What went well and what would they have changed? 5. Is your mentor involved in community service? If so, how did they determine getting involved with that organization? What are the benefits and drawbacks? Review your goals document to ensure you're on track or need to make any adjustments. For mentors 1. Do you have a mentor? If so, consider your mentee having a conversation with them. Chances are they’ll both learn something. 2. What professional development books, podcasts or blogs would you recommend? 3. To help expand their professional network and strengthen professional interaction with others, can you introduce your mentee to another individual or individuals to learn about their career?   4. What keeps your mentee up at night and what motivates them? 5. Have you conducted an in-person or phone mock interview with your mentee? Practice, practice, practice so they’ll be ready for one that really counts. Review your goals document to ensure you're on track or need to make any adjustments. Find more mentor and mentee questions and discussion topics in the 2018-19 MUAA Mentor Program Resource Guide Mentor’s experiences, introductions are pivotal in mentee’s career exploration Between busy schedules and the volatile winter weather, nursing mentee Kylie O’Hara and mentor Pat Bertsche, Nurs ’76, met recently for the first time in the Chicago area. A consultant at PKB Consultants, LLC, Pat has served in many professional roles during her career, including at Abbott Laboratories, The Ohio State University, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Army. Her diverse background has been particularly valuable to Kylie. “Pat has been really great at exposing me to many different career options and graduate school opportunities for nurses, which has been incredibly helpful and enlightening,” she says. “She’s also connected me with a few of her past colleagues with diverse nursing backgrounds.”   Mentoring Kylie has been a valuable experience for Pat, too. “She’s lovely, motivated and open to learning about nursing career paths outside of the hospital setting,” Pat says. “I’m glad to offer some exposure to other opportunities, including public and occupational health.” Kylie has already found the relationship with Pat to be a great experience. “She’s gone beyond my expectations in communicating with me, teaching me about the nursing profession and connecting me with other professionals,” she says. “I’m so glad to be part of this program.” Mentors and mentees attend MUAA Volunteer Summit Special thank you to the many mentors who participated in the first MUAA Volunteer Summit Feb. 7-9, including Emilio Archaederra, Gretchen Borden, Nick Brescia, Maura Farrell, Tony Guzzardo, Lou Hernandez, Aleisha Jaeger, Bill Krueger, Dr. Amy Liepert, Aaron Maybin, Sophia Minnaert, Diane Munzenmaier, Tom Pierce, Dr. Christina Plzak, Patty Radlick and Eva Zunich. Several mentees also attended a session to support their mentors participating in a panel discussion: Ronald Burgers (Emilio Archaederra), Ethan Corr (Bill Krueger), Valerie Del Campo (Lou Hernandez) and M'Laya Sago (Sophia Minnaert). The Marquette community celebrated Mission Week 2019: Open to your life's purpose February 4-10. Read this special Mission Week reflection by Kathleen Coffey-Guenther, PhD and senior mission and Ignatian leadership specialist at Marquette. Join us Feb. 21 for Give Marquette Day Marquette’s 24-hour giving day, Give Marquette Day, was a great success last year! In 24 hours, 1,591 donors provided $500,010 in support of Marquette. Amazing things happen when alumni, family and friends come together, and we’ll have another opportunity to rally together as we celebrate Give Marquette Day on Feb. 21. This year our goal is to secure 1,600 donors, and we can do it with your help. Visit our Give Marquette Day page to make a gift and use the social sharing buttons to help spread the word. April 25 is mentor program finale celebration Mark your calendar from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, to meet and celebrate with fellow mentors, mentees and campus partners at the formal conclusion of the 2018-19 MUAA Mentor Program. The finale will be held on campus at the 707 Hub, 1102 W. Wisconsin Ave., which is part of the university's Office of Research and Innovation. Program details will be coming soon. Dr. Lovell announces new university initiatives during January Presidential Address On Jan. 25, Dr. Michael Lovell delivered his fifth annual Presidential Address. In the address, he announced the creation of the Institute of Women’s Leadership, a varsity esports team, the three Difference Maker Award winners and $250,000 President’s Challenge grant winner. Click here to watch the video of the full address. Career Services Center resources: Feb. 19 Student WorkForce Career & Internship Fair and other services available Mentees, if you’re looking for summer or fall work, Marquette’s Career Services Center invites you to the Wisconsin WorkForce Career & Internship Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 19. Free shuttle transportation provided and pre-registration is not required. Click here for more information. Along with career fairs, Marquette’s Career Services Center offers students easy, accessible resources, including 1:1 resume and cover letter revising, in-depth major/career exploration, and production of 30 personalized Marquette-themed business cards with additional Marquette University engraved metal case for current Marquette students and alumni for just $3. Visit the Career Services Center located in Holthusen Hall, 1324 W. Wisconsin Ave. In the News Katie Delia, Communication mentee, is currently working at two internships this spring. The companies are 371 Productions and Custom Reality Services, and both are located in Milwaukee. (Jenna Santoianni Comm ’06, mentor)     Meredith Gillespie, Arts mentee and Marquette University Student Government president, introduced Marquette University President Dr. Michael Lovell January 23, 2019, at his fifth presidential address. (Susan Jollie Arts ’72, mentor)     TJ Humes, Arts mentee, has been promoted to lead student technician at the Marquette Wired Office. (Mike Brennan Arts ’87, mentor)       Delia Marshall, Comm ‘00, has been promoted to chief operating officer at Eicoff in Chicago. (Chris Iverson, Communication mentee)       Andrew Musgrave, Grad ’08, is serving a new position as the director of Catholic social action for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. (Jessica Leubbering, Graduate mentee)     Jason Rae, Arts ’08, has been named a member of the 2019 40 Under 40 by the Milwaukee Business Journal. He is a partner at Nation Consulting, a Milwaukee-based public affairs consulting firm. (Ashlie Benson, Arts mentee)     Share your latest news such as a new job, promotion, award or service project with program participants In the News. Send a one-sentence description with a headshot (no selfies, please) to Dan DeWeerdt. MUAA Mentor Program Toolbox offers relevant mentor, career resources Entering The Workforce With No Connections? Make Some.; Forbes See the MUAA Mentor Program Resource Guide for helpful tips  From mentor and mentee broad-based questions to timely and trending mentor and professional development articles, visit the MUAA Mentor Program Toolbox. See an interesting mentor or professional development story you'd like to share with fellow participants? Email it to Dan DeWeerdt.