Junior Maria-Ladona Schaad enrolled in the Career Center’s Mentor Program class last winter expecting only to improve the structure of her resumé.
Schaad was surprised, however, when she met with her mentor from Estée Lauder in New York City and established a relationship that eventually led to the company offering her an internship.
“I really didn’t expect it,” Schaad said. “I went in looking for advice. But we talked and one thing led to another and they asked if I wanted to intern with them.”
With a database of nearly 1,800 professional mentors from around the world, the Mentor Program directors are eagerly looking to provide students with a transition into the job market.
Alyson Bodai, program director, said there are nine courses offered fall term for those students interested in meeting with professionals and exploring potential careers.
“This is a great opportunity for students to get hands-on experience from someone already succeeding in the field,” Bodai said. “It’s real life information.”
In the one credit classes, students make a request to meet two mentors in career fields of their choice. The database — which includes representatives from the National Basketball Association, Paramount Pictures, The Late Show with David Letterman and the National Wildlife Foundation — is then searched for a match and students are connected with the mentors to conduct short interviews.
“When you take the class, you learn about 40 different people and their careers,” said Katie Hopper, assistant director of the Mentor Program. “And that’s just that much more knowledge about career options.”
The Mentor Program, established in 1993, has classes that meet just six times each term to address career planning, resumé writing, networking and interviews. English, biology, psychology and journalism are some of the program’s course offerings. An additional class is offered for all majors.
With her great experience in the mentor class, Schaad said she strongly recommends it.
“I was really impressed [with the Mentor Program],” Schaad said. “It shows why networking is so important.”
More information about the Mentor Program and its class offerings for fall term is available on the Career Center’s Web site at http://uocareer.uoregon.edu/mentor