{"id":40921,"date":"2025-01-28T10:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T15:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=40921"},"modified":"2025-02-03T17:31:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T22:31:56","slug":"com-mentors-connects-students-and-alums","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/com-mentors-connects-students-and-alums\/","title":{"rendered":"COM Mentors Connects Students and Alums"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-banner.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-banner-454x636.jpg 454w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-banner-731x1024.jpg 731w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-banner-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-banner-714x1000.jpg 714w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Heather Fink, director of COM Career Services, designed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/for-current-students\/career-services\/for-alumni\/\">COM Mentors<\/a>, which\u00a0launched in fall 2022 and filled quickly.\u00a0Photos by Michelle Delateur.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM Mentors Connects Students and Alums\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Career Services program takes advantage of the college\u2019s generous alumni network<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/alumni\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 28, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarc Chalufour\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">COM Mentors Connects Students and Alums<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/com-mentors-connects-students-and-alums\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/director\/\">Heather Fink<\/a> joined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/for-current-students\/career-services\/\">COM\u2019s Career Services office<\/a> as assistant director in 2018, she quickly noticed something special. \u201cWe have so many alums that are excited to give their time,\u201d she says. \u201cThey want to chat with students. They want to give back to students. They want to be a resource.\u201d The question was how to make the most of alumni generosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fink, who was named director of Career Services in 2021, found inspiration in an alumni mentorship program organized by the BU College of Engineering\u2019s Career Development office, and she designed a similar program for COM. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/for-current-students\/career-services\/for-alumni\/\">COM Mentors<\/a> launched in fall 2022 and filled quickly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-teal-background-right\"><p>We have so many alums that are excited to give back their time to students.<\/p><cite>Heather Fink<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mentor sign-up for spring 2025, the program\u2019s third cohort, opened in November 2024 and the 60 available slots filled in five days. Fink and her staff then played matchmaker, pairing 60 students and 60 alums based on interests and industries. Each mentor\u2013mentee pair received a suggested schedule of four meetings focused on getting to know each other, setting career goals, networking and putting goals into practice, and wrapping up. Fink says some mentor\u2013mentee relationships continue beyond the semester.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"758\" height=\"460\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-inset.jpg\" alt=\"Two women working at a desk with a laptop.\" class=\"wp-image-40956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-inset.jpg 758w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/01\/career-mentors-inset-636x386.jpg 636w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><figcaption>Heather Fink, director of COM Career Services, works with Josefina Laznickova (COM&#8217;25), a career counselor in the office.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary goal of the program is to help juniors, seniors and graduate students prepare to begin their careers, and it offers answers to some of the more specific questions. \u201cThere are people looking to have a mentor in a city they\u2019re thinking of moving to after graduation,\u201d Fink says. \u201cThey\u2019re asking questions that even a career center might not be able to answer. And some of our alums are recent graduates, so they can provide that unique perspective of someone who recently looked for a job in that field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fink adds that the program enhances her office\u2019s reach. \u201cIf you ask anyone who runs a career center, they\u2019ll tell you there\u2019s just not enough appointments for the amount of students who want to see us,\u201d she says. \u201cThe mentorship program allows for more appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Alumni interested in mentoring can sign up for the program\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/for-current-students\/career-services\/for-alumni\/\">wait list<\/a>, and any juniors, seniors or graduate students who attend a 30-minute info session in November can apply to be a mentee. \u201cThe only requirement is that students show up,\u201d says Fink. \u201cWe ensure the eligibility is inclusive to all that are interested in the program.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Heather Fink joined COM\u2019s Career Services office as assistant director in 2018, she quickly noticed something special. \u201cWe have&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":40956,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[962],"tags":[1607,1778],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/40921"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1654"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/40921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40960,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/40921\/revisions\/40960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40921"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=40921"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=40921"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=40921"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=40921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}