Mentoring Program
The goal of the program is to bring undergraduate engineering students and alumni together for an exchange of information on education, professionalism, aspirations and ideas. These relationships provide a learning experience for students outside the classroom, where they have a chance to see the opportunities that a professional environment has in store for them.
Program Purpose
How the Mentor Program can benefit you:
- Receive career/life advice and suggestions overall
- Learn about experiences that the mentors have had in detail
- Gain ideas about different directions to pursue and help identify interests
- Develop networking opportunities and skills
- Learn about developing specific skills to make yourself more marketable
- Learn about projects mentors have completed in their professional experience
- Discuss non-traditional ideas on what to do after completing a degree (e.g. attend grad school, certifications)
- Understand and discuss current trends and skills in the industry
Benefits
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Requirements
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate student in UIC’s College of Engineering
- Complete the Student application and a mandatory online orientation training
- Complete 2 online check-in surveys during the 5 months of the Program and a final online summary at the end of March
- Maintain communication & set up in person, phone or Skype meetings at least once a month (October- March)
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Expectations
- Think about what you want to gain from the program and discuss your needs/expectations with your mentor. Don’t expect a job or internship from your mentor!
- Be committed to carrying out agreed-upon goals and follow through with them. Be receptive to suggestions
- Contact your mentor if you are unable to attend scheduled meetings. Remember your mentor is volunteering their time
- Students are expected to treat mentors with dignity and respect at all times. The mentor/student relationship is a professional relationship, and participants are expected to maintain proper boundaries at all times. The student or mentor should not engage in any inappropriate behavior with or cross any personal boundaries
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Matching
- Matches will occur according to the major preference that the mentor selected with the student’s engineering major
- Each pair will receive an email from the program manager introducing the student and mentor
- The student will be responsible for contacting their mentor within one week
- If a mentor or student decides to withdraw from the program or feels the student-mentor relationship is not working, they must notify the Engineering Career Center (ECC) as soon as possible
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Program Staff
Program Manager: Eliana Riley, Assistant Director, Engineering Career Center: eliana@uic.edu
Mentor Testimonials
“The connection is going very well with my student. We have met a couple of times to focus on her plans for after graduation and any advice or connections I can help her with. Our last meeting was at a construction site to give her the opportunity to see real life engineering.” ~JR, Clayco
“We have regular phone calls and touch base. I gave my mentee a tour of the facility where I work. I also reviewed his resume and gave him some ideas that have been pretty successful to get some industry experience.” ~Michael, James Instruments Inc.
“This program is great! Students can connect with people in the industry who can offer real world advice. I would have given anything to have had this kind of academic experience when I was an engineering student!” ~Stacy, Isolinear Data Inc.