SMEA Alumni Mentorship Program

The School of Marine & Environmental Affairs is excited to launch the Alumni Mentorship Program this academic year! We welcome and encourage all alumni and friends of SMEA to sign up as potential professional mentors for current SMEA students!

Mentoring a SMEA student is rewarding for alumni on many levels.  Interacting with students prompts mentors to reflect on their own careers and to take stock.  As you summarize your years of experience, you may come to realize and value just how much you’ve learned and how much you have to offer.  We hope our mentors are also reinvigorated as they experience the passion, energy, and fresh perspective of our students.

To sign up, please complete this enrollment form.

Expectations of Mentors

• Guide your mentee, but also encourage them to think for themselves.
• Go into the conversation with some ideas of what you’d like to discuss, but don’t be afraid to go off course. This is a developmental experience, and we don’t want anyone to feel too constrained.
• Establish clear communication channels and timeline for interaction.
• Be clear about your areas of expertise and competency, as well as how much weight the mentee should give to your advice within and outside of these areas.
• Work with your mentee to help establish what they expect from the Mentor Program.
• If you do meet in person, meet in a casual environment (e.g., coffee shop, restaurant) so you can converse easily.

Matching Process

Both students and mentors will fill out a Google form to indicate their areas of expertise/interest, format for meeting, goals for the mentor relationship, etc.  Each fall, students and mentors will be paired by SMEA staff in coordination with SMEA faculty.  Pairings will be announced by the end of fall quarter, so that mentoring may begin in winter quarter.

Issues

Students should be communicating with mentors in a professional manner.  If there are any concerns or non-responsiveness, please contact Tiffany Comtois-Dion at tlcdion@uw.edu.